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.
Time in a Bottle / Bordeaux
07/11/2014 by
Every time we drink a wine we witness a particular moment of its lifetime. Most of these moments might be amusing but forgettable. On a fortunate day, though, a rare moment captures you and you fall silent…
A Terroir Specialist Talks Shop
10/29/2013 by
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
04/29/2013 by
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
02/25/2013 by
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
02/15/2013 by
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 […]
Zen and the Art of Buying Wine (not Diamonds)
02/10/2013 by
OK. You have the vintage chart, respective to each wine region. You have the scores from reputable wine critics. And now you’re ready to pick a bottle, right? A word of advice before you go: bring the maps, but talk to the locals and seek out the back roads. During a recent trip to Burgundy I tasted […]
photo diary – 30 days in france
11/15/2012 by
October. We picked up a car in Paris and drove through all the towns that had been in our minds. We met many great friends, drank a lot… Here’s flashback from our trip. More interviews and stories to follow. DAY 1/ PARIS. dinner at Chateaubriand DAY 2/ PARIS. lovely long walk on St Germain DAY3/ PARIS. […]
Anthony Bourdain Interview
07/31/2012 by
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)
06/04/2012 by
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 […]
Kermit Lynch Interview (part I)
05/30/2012 by
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 […]