I have been fortunate enough to celebrate La Fête Nationale Francaise – Le Quatorze Juillet, a holiday marking the anniversary of the fall on July 14, 1789 of the Bastille, in Paris on a number of occasions. As readers of this blog know, I was a Francophile in my early life and majored in French... Continue Reading →
Vin Jaune and Comté – A Perfect Combination – #Winophiles
This month's #winophiles is all about French wine and cheese. Martin Redmond of Enofylzwineblog, our host, posted a preview about the topic here. While some lucky few received samples, I bought my wine and cheese from local purveyors and had the occasion to speak to the lovely Hortense Bernard of Millesima USA. I used to... Continue Reading →
Celebrating France with Chablis and Toasting Notre Dame – #Winophiles
Chablis is one of the first wines I drank from France growing up. My parents used to buy it and they let me drink wine pretty early on following a couple of European vacations. For the longest time though, I am sure I had no idea about the grape variety used to make it or... Continue Reading →
Thank You Linda Lawry
I read the news today that Linda Lawry, DWS, CWE,CSS of International Wine Center fame has retired. Linda was a marvelous professor when I was studying for my Diploma in Wines & Spiritus. Funny and incredibly knowledgeable, she brooked no silly comments. I learned so much from Linda about French wines through the center and... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Maison Saleya Rosé At Red Rooster In NYC
For this Wine Wednesday, I am writing about a Cotes de Provence wine I had Monday from Maison Saleya. I had it at a local restaurant called Red Rooster owned by restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. I couldn’t find the website for the Chateau and I suspect it is a proprietary label of importer Kobrand. According to... Continue Reading →
Picpoul de Pinet – A Refreshing White from the Languedoc – April #Winophiles
One cold day in March this year, Spring came to my house in the form of two bottles of Picpoul de Pinet. They were sent as part of the April #Winophiles group from Benson Marketing and for that I am very thankful. I first heard of Picpoul about 10 years ago from a friend who... Continue Reading →
Mas Du Bosquet – An Unexpected Find From Minervois
Today's post is about a wine from an area in the Languedoc called Minervois. Initially it was supposed to be part of a larger blogger group chat called the French #winophiles who are diving into the sunny wine regions of Corbières and Minervois this Saturday, January 20th. The area is nestled between the mountains and... Continue Reading →
Monday Musings: Can Pinot Grigio Be Taken Seriously?
Can Pinot Grigio be taken seriously is the title of this post and something I have thought about for a long time. I think the answer is a resounding yes. Though often considered an easy-sell wine with little personality this grape, if grown on optimal terroirs at higher elevations, and handled properly, can yield compelling,... Continue Reading →
Happy Champagne Day!
Happy Champagne Day was first started eight years ago to appreciate this sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region in France. The Champagne bureau is very active in their promotions yet I need no convincing. I love sparkling wines and I love to celebrating life with Champagne. I love this particular one quite a... Continue Reading →