(Dried) Fruit

Goulash: The ultimate comfort food Zinfandel: The ultimate comfort wine Nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to food.  Having grown up only blocks away from some of the best...

I was talking both about the Shanghai hairy crabs, and their relatives a bit further north in the Sea of Japan, especially near Niigata. Many varieties of good crab here. Crab seems to get better in colder waters, yet...

Tasting Steaks and Red Wine With some surprising results With the weather rapidly changing, it’s just about time to put the grill away for the winter. Well not for all of us, but many will have to...

It's made in a notably different way. Amarone is made from dried grapes. ... more alcohol and some of the dried fruit tones of the Amarone without losing the fresh fruit notes that Valpolicella is famous for. This...

Five Decades of Oddero with Isabella Oddero Isabella Oddero in the cellars   I had the pleasure of welcoming Isabella Oddero to New York last month. I have tasted with Isabella in the cantina at Oddero for several years...

Spicy Green Chili Stew and a Fiesty Red Mencia from Spain tames this bold dish As the weather cools and my thoughts turn to hearty stews and braises, it’s nice to be able to transition slowly from...

The Brilliance of Burlotto I recently had the chance to spend dinner with 4 wines from one of my favorite producers;; Commendatore G.B. Burlotto. Not only does Burlotto produce traditionally styled Barolo, but from some...

  Pairing red wine with poultry?   It seems like every holiday season I see someone posting to a message board asking for help pairing red wine with poultry, and 90% of the time the response is Pinot Noir.  Although...

Felton Road reaches new heights with their latest releases The View from Felton Road across the Pinot Noir vines of Block 3, center background I was glad to have had the chance to spend some time with...

The Vegetarian Dilemma A recent challenge presented to me was to cook a four-course Italian meal, with wine pairings, for a vegetarian group. It's not often that I'm asked to prepare a vegetarian dinner. Even being a...