Have you ever wondered what it is like to be the wine director of a restaurant? Of course, in some ways it sounds like a fantasy job. One can imagine the pleasures of having distributors visit your restaurant, bringing you fabulous wine to savor and discuss … Yet of course this is really only a [...]

“What a fabulous resource!” This was my first thought when clicking into the fabulously detailed online course called “Discovering the World of Wine” co-authored by highly credentialed writers/educators Patricia Savoie and Ron Kapon (also Fairleigh Dickinson University’s wine course professor for 16 years) and underwritten by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s school of International hospitality and The [...]

  Naked Wine by Alice Feiring Reviewed by Marisa D’Vari In this colorful narrative vaguely similar to Kermit Lynch’s Adventures on the Wine Route, Alice Feiring tackles “natural wine,” currently one of the hottest subjects in the wine world. Most people think that like buying the freshest produce in a greenmarket, the more natural the [...]

      In his new book Setting the Table, Danny Meyer sets himself up as the king of hospitality. In the real world, does he practice what he preaches? Marisa D’Vari finds out … Rather daring, don’t you think, for a restaurateur to write a book titled Setting The Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in [...]

Review of Collio   One of the more indulgent pleasures in today’s frenzied world (especially when it comes to the tiny kitchens of Manhattan) is to buy a glossy cooking magazine with mouth-watering photographs of incredibly decadent cuisine, and just sit there, savoring a glass of wine as you read the recipe and pretend you [...]

  For whatever reason, I received the book About Wine by J. Patrick Henderson and Dellie Rex over two years ago, yet had been too overwhelmed by my wine studies to open anything that wasn’t Janscis Robinson or Tom Stevenson. It’s only now that I have my diploma from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust [...]

Let’s face it, sometimes reading the back of a bottle of wine is simply not enough. We’ve all had the experience of tasting a wine so incredible we want to know everything about it at once: the name of the grapes, the style of wine, and why it tastes so much more incredible than any [...]

Curious to learn everything about wine — and have fun doing so? Your local bookstore’s shelves groan with thick, wordy volumes about wine, but if you really want a fun, readable, quick study of wine basics — and to laugh out loud while reading it — look to Jennifer Rosen’s The Cork Jester’s Guide to [...]

Like most people, I’m sure you think the life of a wine writer is exciting, yes? And romantic. And you are quite right — the life of a professional wine writer is something to be admired. And what are the qualities that make for a professional wine writer, you might ask? Of course, they are [...]

Do you like Spanish wine? If you are like most wine aficionados, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.” Why do so many people around the world prefer Spanish wine? Well, for one thing, in today’s challenging economic climate, Spanish wine…

The Wine Lover’s Guide to Auctions: The Art & Science of Buying And Selling Wines Book Review by Marisa D’Vari Okay , so you’ve seen the film Sideways and have been trying to learn about wine ever since. You’re questioning…

Are you curious about what wine to order with your cheesecake? Intimidated by five-hundred page wine list at a top restaurant? Downright scared when the sommelier comes charging toward your table? Relax. In the book What to Drink with What…