Sparkling wine is the United States’ local sustainable answer to French Champagne.  Naturally, no one is allowed to call a fun bottle of bubbles “champagne” unless the vintage actually hails from the Champagne region of France.  Traditionally, the notion of “champagne” exudes messages of elegance, luxury and celebration.  Friends who have traveled or lived in […]

“Mon Chou” … my sweetheart … my darling … when used in casual conversation among the French.  When found made as a red wine, Mon Chou will equally enamor you. Elyse Winery (“Elyse”) located on Hoffman Lane in Napa Valley makes a red wine under its Jacob Franklin label called “Mon Chou” that is a […]

It is the height of the holiday season and at every turn there is some temptation under our nose.  Appetizers at holiday parties swirl around us, neighbors ring doorbells with drive-by gifting of baked goods and a never-ending fusion of sugar meets the eye.  Despite all the hubbub and activity, there is still time to […]

  In continuation with the current theme of giving a glimpse of my wine and culinary adventures this summer, this week’s article takes us to Salem, Massachusetts where anyone’s wine knowledge can be expanded.   Salem, Massachusetts, located north of Boston, is well known for the witch trials of 1692, its historic buildings, its museums […]

As summer switches into gear, backyard gardens look big and lush.  Produce is just starting to ripen:  a tomato here, a zucchini there, a handful of sugar snap peas today, bulbous spring onions tomorrow.  Backyard produce has not commenced bountiful delivery yet and with the sporadic harvest of this or that, all that remains sitting […]