The Rhone Ranger Continues to Dig the Unknown

If you’ve ever read Been Doon So Long, you’d appreciate how well Randall Grahm lives wine, philosophizes wine and satirizes funny behaviors around the industry in shockingly talented writing. Coined by Wine Spectator in 1989 as “The Rhone Ranger”, the pioneer of Rhone grapes in California has never ceased his quest for charting the unknown.

A Terroir Specialist Talks Shop

Many winemakers claim their wines are from a unique terroir, but whether you could taste it in the wine or not, is another question. Here, Pedro breaks down the elements of terroir and gives a framework to help understanding terroir.

In A Perfect Wine World

If there’s a dream list for wine lovers, working with one of the best wine collections in America would be one of them. Sommelier Ruben Ramiro is one of the lucky few: not only does he have the opportunity to taste

Lucy in Lyon – All About French Cooking

Lucy knows French cuisine. She grew up in New York, travelled the world, married a Frenchman and now lives in Lyon. She was involved in an extensive translation of the France Guides of Gilles Pudloski, researching and providing descriptive interpretation of restaurant menus from all over France, with more than 16,000 regional and classic French dishes researched […]

Bordeaux: w/ Veronique Sanders, Chateau Haut-Bailly

Bordeaux wines from Pessac-Leognon share a unique style, often possessing a kind of smoky earthiness that brings a fascinating dynamic to the fruit and oak. The result is a favorite style of mine. Established in 17th century, Chateau Haut-Bailly’s hundred-year-old vines of Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere embody the history of both the vineyard and the region. The sandy gravel […]

Anthony Bourdain Interview

Ming: What is your exposure to the wine world? Bourdain: I spent a fair amount of time in France as a kid. I briefly studied wine in Culinary Institute. And of course I’ve worked with it for 28 years, and spent a lot of time drinking it. Ming: Is there any wine you’re loving now? Bourdain: As […]

Sean Thackrey Interview (Part I)

Sean Thackrey is a thinker, and a winemaker who doesn’t care what others say. And we all benefit from it through his beautiful wine.   MP: How do you think about the Asian wine market? ST: It’s a market I’m very interested in, but I know nothing about it. It seems to be quite chaotic at this […]

Sean Thackrey Interview (Part II)

MP: Talk about Terroir? ST: I believe there are many sides to this discussion. Certainly what I call vineyard characteristics is what most people call “terroir”. I like to avoid all of the secondary smoke that goes up. But the idea that fruit grown in different places tastes different – what could be more obvious? Of course […]

Kermit Lynch Interview (part I)

MP: How do you think about the Asian wine market? KL: I only know what I read in the papers. I haven’t sought out any connections there. I’ve been contacted a few times by people who wanted to buy my selections of French & Italian wines for the Asian market, and each time I turned it […]

Kermit Lynch Interview (part II)

MP: Your label is synonymous with traditional vinification and terroir-driven expression. How do you communicate a wine’s integrity to your customers? KL: I certainly tried over the years, and in my book Adventures on the Wine Route there are lessons throughout the book without preaching; just telling what I saw. For example, I was going over France and tasting […]