… of course, there are wine shops and there are wine shops. A shop I often visit lacks the upscale ambiance of many featured recently in Zagat’s new listing, yet it has these incredibly great-value wines from France. Recently I…

This AVA is more than 1.5 million acres and includes Monterey County (chardonnay, gewurztraminer, riesling, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit sirah, pinot noir, zinfandel of varying quality. One major AVA is Chalone, producing terroir-driven Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc,…

Only 62 acres, Cole Ranch is a single-vineyard without a winery. Grapes (cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling) are sold to Fetzer Vineyards. Potter Valley has a cool climate and is the most northerly AVA within the North Coast viticultural area. Like…

…so as I was surfing the web I came upon a great article about Australian wine written by Jennie Wills which included a very helpful chart for people who appreciate help identifying aromas in wines. This is especially helpful in…

Have you been impressed to see the cheese carts whiz by in five star restaurants? As a non-cheese eater for too many years, I just enjoyed the experience of guests choosing cheese and the commanding manner of the Frommagier (cheese…