Google Earth De-Mystifies Burgundy Wine
Last week my friend Robin sent an email from New York: Hey Tom, I saw Meredith and Didier last night, they asked about you, and wanted to know when you would…
Beyond Bordeaux, Burgundy, and – Peru
Years ago, my sister and her German husband-to-be lived in a farmhouse in rural Ireland. There, amid beaten glens on this rain-soaked misty isle, they met an American traveler named…
An Asian Surprise – Thai Wine
In a supermarket on the Thai island of Koh Samui I spotted a bottle of Thai wine and bought it. It cost about $15 - labelled PB Khao Yai Reserve -…
Ordering Some More on Samui
I took a morning shuttle bus from the silence of Mae Nam beach to the bustling town of Cheweng on the tourist laden isle of Koh Samui in Thailand. Trucks…
Chicken, Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Basil and….Albariño
Here's some summer fare....including a recipe, wine, and a decent after-dinner book to enjoy on a starlit porch in the warmth of August. Turn off the television. Get out the…
Yosemite, Sonoma, and Mighty Characters
A recent trip to California taught me about large characters who forever changed our literary and physical landscapes. One wrote of frigid terrain and cunning wildlife, while the others delivered…
Creamy Grenache in Barossa
The Rusden winery in Australia's Barossa Valley produces superb wines, including an excellent Grenache. I had the good fortune to spend time with Christian Canute of this family while in…
Local in Colorado
Seek local knowledge. This advice - demonstrated below - is valuable. The surprise is that today, local knowledge highlights aspects of both worlds - what's local as well as what's…
Black Mesa Magic
Misaligned with reality is the belief that New Mexico, one of the fifty states that comprise the United States of America, is part of the country of Mexico. Yet this…
Moving on from Davis?
When wine mysteriously turns brown in the movie Bottle Shock, the puzzled winemakers visit an expert at the University of California at Davis, who rapidly solves their problem. The university's department…