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Praemonitus, praemunitus. How is your Latin? Not so good? Don’t worry — neither is mine. But this 15th century Latin proverb, when translated, will be very familiar. “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” A little insider knowledge can make a big difference, as it helps us to be...

My 2019 schedule for tasting was so well laid out…. WineParis, Prowein, AIR Provence, Vinitaly, as well as numerous local tastings…. What could possibly go wrong?

But there is always a silver lining, and, in many ways my tasting this year has been much more focused. Tasting 183 Provence rosés for Decanter magazine just before lockdown and receiving (at home) a number of rosés to taste from around Languedoc have shown that the 2019 rosé vintage is excellent.

Twenty years ago, in April 2000, we were tooling along the Canal du Midi with five friends. We rented a barge – a péniche -- and slowly cruised from Toulouse to Argens-Minervois, each of us taking turns behind the wheel and in the galley kitchen. Easter coincided with this trip and we produced a fabulous lamb dinner with all the trimmings to celebrate that occasion.  The next day, we made omelets.

We learned from someone during our market explorations that the Monday after Easter was also a holiday and that post offices, banks, stores, and most other businesses would be closed. Called Lundi de Pâques or, in English, simply Easter Monday, it is primarily a day to relax.  We were unable to establish any religious significance, but we did learn that the French in the south of France make omelets on Easter Monday.   Et Dieu sait while in France, we wanted to do what the French...

Big. Bold. Luscious.

Those are the first three words I used to describe my first taste of Gourverneur Saint-Auban Rouge from Domaine de la Citadelle. We had it last week paired with Seared Lamb Medallions with a Tamari-Ginger Glaze. To see the recipe...

By the time Tara Gomez graduated from high school in 1991, she knew she wanted to be a winemaker.  In many ways, she had been preparing for that role her whole life.  But, she probably never imagined she would be making wine for her tribe, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in the American Viticultural Area (AVA) of Santa Barbara, California, or that she would also co-own a nearby winery, Camins 2 Dreams, with her wife Mireia Taribó, a winemaker, that specializes in natural wines. Dreams do...

The tiny village of St. Romain de Bellet is a true oasis in the bustle of the Côte d’Azur: vegetable gardens, olive groves and patches of vineyard cling to the hills rising steeply above the city of...

It was the eve of a minor surgical procedure that was to keep me off my feet for four to six weeks. What was I to do? Naturally, I invited friends over for meal-worthy charcuterie board to chill, try out some wine ... and to keep my mind off the knife. What would you have done?

While there is no one “recipe” for putting together a charcuterie board, I invite...

I posed that question in an article by the same name few years ago. Relying heavily on the high end of the continuum of rosés from the portfolio of Sacha Lichine’s Château d’Esclans...

We recently opened a bottle of Les Terrasses de L’Empire (2017), a classic Condrieu from Domaine Georges Vernay. The familiar aromas of fragrant white peaches and mangoes...

As you may recall from my reviews over time, I have become a big fan of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. It is one of those wines that says “special occasion” to me. Thus, I decided to treat myself for my birthday and get a bottle.

The only problem is that my birthday—more than one month ago—got busy, and this specially-purchased bottle of Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc rested untouched in my wine rack. How on earth did I forgot that?...