Drinks flow at Caesars ... Some times when the Insider is on the road, it’s fun to get an outsider sommelier to do the NSI Quiz to get their perspective on the industry. Recently while in Las Vegas for Uncorked I got to sit down with Phil Park, the Director of Wine for all of Caesars restaurants, a big, demanding job, but one Park was [...]
Loyalty pays off at Bouchon... Loyalty is a word often bandied about in service, wine and restaurant circles. But due to the transitionary and volatile nature of all three professions, the word loyalty is often a smirked upon joke, cutting both ways. But if there’s an exception to the rule, it’s the Thomas Keller Group. [...]
Some Kicks To Be Had ... Sometimes it can be a drag waiting around for a grand tasting. It happens. A city’s got a dead night life scene and not very good restaurants and bars. Not fun. But man, that sure isn’t Seattle. Recently had a few days to kill and had a ball before Taste of Washington’s Grand Tasting which was held underneath the football stands of [...]
Rain Didn't Dampen Yountville Live ... Had a soggy but fun time at Yountville Live’s 2018 edition. At the opening night reception under the main tent it poured as we lined up and kept raining for an hour or so while the crowd sampled the excellent cocktails and wines that were on offer for the guests. Gotta love [...]
Great Views at Vancouver Wine Fest ... My liver took a pounding but had a lot of fun. Victoria’s 5th annual craft beer festival kicked off at the Victoria Public Market. Vancouver Island Brewery had a raspberry export stout that was delicious. Normally I try to avoid beers with fruit titles in them as they [...]
Great Food and Wine... Had some great food and drinks and viewed interesting exhibits as the Seattle Wine and Food Experience celebrated 10 years down at Pier 66 at Seattle’s Bell International Hall. Most of the wine sampling was concentrated on the ground floor with over 30 Washington State wineries and a dozen each or so [...]
Top Winemakers & Chefs ... The 13th annual Pigs & Pinot weekend hosted by Chef Charlie Palmer is about a month away and the already talent-filled line up tied a bow on the event in the form of Winemaker Tom Rochioli and Chef Chris Cosentino. Both icons will be pouring and cooking for the Friday [...]
KJ Wines Heading North... In 2017, Randy Ullom reached a milestone – 25 years working for the Jackson Family – in the same year Kendall-Jackson celebrated 25 years producing America’s number-one selling Chardonnay. With that kind of experience Ullom was a natural pick to represent Kendall Jackson at the upcoming Vancouver Wine Festival, one of the best wine fests [...]
Bardessono Welcomes Yountville Live ... Since 2018 is whipping by, the Insider thought it’d be a timely reminder to let readers know that tickets for Yountville Live Luxury event are on sale now for the March 15th- 18th weekend. Since Yountville’s Bardessono hotel is right across from the park where most of the Live event takes place, the Insider checked in with [...]
Potpourri of Tastings... Any winery starts with a vision. No doubt, no one starts out to make undrinkable plonk with a tasting room that resembles uncle Joe’s rec room. Unfortunately it happens. Thankfully, not too often in Napa and Sonoma. Especially so at Sonoma’s Ram’s Gate Winery. Only in biz since the fall of 2011, [...]
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