david scott allen

October 3, 2026 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Oops! I Did It Again

Like Britney Spears, I did it again — but, unlike her, I wasn’t playing with anyone’s heart. What I did do, however, was select the wrong wine for the right dish. Longtime readers of the Provence WineZine know this isn’t my first offense. A week ago, we were all enjoying a sip of Mas de Cadenet white wine before intending to have it with my Moroccan Couscous With Seven Vegetables (the recipe is on Cocoa & Lavender). I decided to take my glass to the kitchen for a little taste test of the broth with the wine. Oops! Big oops! It was one of the worst pairings I have ever considered. Quickly, I switched gears; I conferred with Susan and Towny, then sent Towny to the wine cellar. He came back with an excellent pairing: a red from Château les Eydins, their K à Part... [...]

September 5, 2026 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Beauty and the Beast

Beauty? She’s a truly lovely rosé robed in pink silk seeking her prince. The Beast? He’s barbecued ribs, not at all concerned with his gruffness and smoky finish. But together they make a beautiful pair — have you not read the fairy tale or at least seen the Disney movie? Happy endings are what it’s all about. Today’s story is more like the Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell story Overboard where the super rich, beautiful woman falls in love with the rugged-yet-handsome handyman. Still a very happy ending.

Enter (again) Château La Tour de L’Evêque. I have written about their wines several times on the Provence WineZine: La Source Gabriel, Pétale de Rose (both rosé wines), and Rouge Cuvée Classique. Each has been particularly good and now I found a cuvée locally — another rosé — that I hadn’t tried. And, as suggested, I paired the wine... [...]

February 1, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food A Well-Traveled Tavel

Today’s pairing was a bit tricky. At first glance, my Duck Teriyaki recipe looks like an easy shot. Many rosés pair perfectly with Asian cuisine and that is what I thought, too. But when you examine the teriyaki glaze I created, you will see three different Asian wines in the mix (sake, mirin, and xiaoxing) and, to me, that tends to wreak havoc on a wine... [...]

January 9, 2023 6

Sylvie Bigar, author of Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family, and the Stew That Saved My Soul, Talks to Provence WineZine

“What is cassoulet?” You would be forgiven if you don’t know or if you thought it was simply a popular regional stew conceived in the South of France. Visions of a complex concoction may come to mind: beans, ham hocks, pork rinds, garlic... [...]

May 1, 2021 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Baby, It’s Cold Outside

As you know from Susan’s recent articles (“A Perfect Storm” and “Fear and Angst”), the Southern Rhône Valley has had a really tough time of it lately. Long, drawn out freezes have severely affected the vines, which will affect CDR wines for years to come. Today, to show support of vintners from that region, I am pairing my meal with a... [...]

December 5, 2020 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Perfect Clos(e) to the Year

I am a firm believer that wine and food need to be shared to get the optimal pleasure from both. We are so close to getting that back in our lives that I can almost taste it. Literally.

I have been pairing food and wine for myself now for nine months. Sure, Markipedia likes a good meal and... [...]

October 30, 2020 1

Cook, Drink & Learn: A Special Event

Escape the COVID doldrums with "Cook, Drink and Learn with Acquiesce," our inaugural (virtual) food and wine tasting on Sunday, November 15th at 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST.

Please join Susan Tipton, Winemaker and Co-Owner of Acquiesce Winery, David Scott Allen, Editor of Cocoa & Lavender and wine and food writer for Provence WineZine, and me for an hour of food and wine fun (and a few facts!).

Beginning with a cook-along with David, we will make Mini Croques... [...]

August 1, 2020 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Nobody’s Perfect

You might think that I like any wine that comes my way. I can see why you might think that, because mostly what you see here in this column are positive reviews and pairings.

But it’s not true. For one thing, when creating a pairing, I try to choose carefully so that I have something good to offer you. I certainly have control... [...]

July 23, 2020 25

À TABLE! CHÂTEAU BARBEBELLE AND GÉRARD ISIRDI COME TO THE TABLE TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT PANDAS, THE POST-INFECTIOUS AUTOIMMUNE BASAL GANGLIA ENCEPHALITIS THAT TOOK THE LIFE OF ALEX MANFULL

The above title would be (more) unwieldy if I included all the names of the friends, family, and strangers who have contributed... [...]

November 3, 2018 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
The Game of Chance

Once again, I think I was very lucky with this pairing. I was serving Persian-spiced Lamb Shanks to friends who drink only red wine. And only red wine from France. Picky, picky. (You can find the recipe at Cocoa & Lavender.)

We had just returned from three glorious weeks in Sicily... [...]

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