Southern Sophistication ... I’ve always loved authentic southern cooking and cuisine. Give me a choice between some foo foo foam concoction and a perfectly grilled bbq rib, I’ll take the rib every time. That’s why it was such a kick for me after the SOBEWFF festival in Miami to take the train north and attend [...]
We are Drinking Some Merlot.... In 2014, after more than a decade of mastering the Duckhorn Vineyards style, Renee Ary was named the fourth winemaker in the four-decade history of Duckhorn Vineyards. In the years that have followed, Renee has been recognized for making some of the finest wines in the history of Duckhorn Vineyards. With that [...]
Antica at SOBEWFF's Best of the Best... One of the most prestigious wine and food events is the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale from Wed Feb 20 to Sun Feb 24th. As much as I love burgers, a traditional contest at the Festival, I need to be tasting wines [...]
One of the Best Fest.... One of the best food and wine events is happening in Charleston, SC., March 6-10, Charleston Wine + Food, and Napa's own Robert Mondavi Jr. of Michael Mondavi Family Estate is going to be featured in three events: “The Bottles” Tent Tasting on March 8. Next a decadent, multi-course wine [...]
Something to Celebrate... Looking for rare, new, small production and coveted wines? Acme Fine Wines located in Saint Helena has been hooking up and connecting fine wine lovers and wineries through their memberships and shop to tantalize your senses for great experiences. Acme Fine Wines's proprietor, Karen Williams, began her passion in a tasting room [...]
Good Weekend in Napa... There are some weekends in Napa where you don’t want to be anywhere else in the world. A recent one had a bunch of kicks with a Robert Mondavi dinner being the definite highlight. Mondavi’s chef Jeff Mosher provided excellent courses that matched perfectly with Mondavi’s wines, my favorite from the [...]
Reaching for the Stars ... If you grew up in Lodi, CA and your father was a wine distributor, chances are you might take a look at the wine biz as a possible career. But conversely if your height is 6’7” it stands to reason you might get some basketball offers as well. After winters [...]
Chef Likes Different Combos... Since Robert Mondavi Winery has got an upcoming Winemaker’s dinner at their estate (Aug 25, sorry gang, it’s already sold-out however some seats are still available for chef Jeff Mosher's Autumn Fête dinner on Sept 22) the Insider thought it would be cool to get the man who has been with [...]
Choice Makes Tasting Fun... I love tasting rooms. Everything from the different architecture, the views of the estates, the convivial staff to the sipping and tasting. But if there’s one drawback, it’s the lack of diversity at most tasting rooms. It’s not the wineries fault, most only make a few varietals and one can’t expect them to showcase other [...]
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 [...]
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