Locking

“One sort of optional thing you might do is to realize that there are six seasons instead of four.  The poetry of four seasons is all wrong for this part of the planet,… Continue reading

Empty Boxes

Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince is one of the most beautiful stories ever written.  Subtly and sweetly offering lessons on how to take care of your planet and your flower and your… Continue reading

Piemonte in June

Lately I haven’t been really great at finding words. Words for all of the wonderful and new (and old) and tasty things that I want to tell you about.  A whole jumble of… Continue reading

Yesterday’s Gourmet

In 1972 Italy’s appellation system was just about 10-years-old.  Wineries were beginning to bottle wines they’d been selling locally in town centers where people would fill jugs from taps and hoses.  These local… Continue reading

Schopenhaur’s Schnoz

It occasionally happens that, for no particular reason, long-forgotten scenes suddenly start up in the memory.  This may in many cases be due to the action of some hardly perceptible odour, which accompanied… Continue reading

Ancestral Spirit

I had the treat of tasting a few beautiful bottles of old nebbiolo around this time last month, thanks to the very kind (z)infidel who drowned a table full of cool folk in the riches of… Continue reading

What is Annie Hall Drinking?

There is that iconic scene in Annie Hall (I use “iconic” because I think every shot in the film that I have seen 2 bagillion times is iconic) that takes place on the… Continue reading

Oakville, CA

I lived in Oakville, California for a few years after college and before real life (or whatever this is called).  The family of my boyfriend-at-the-time had a big ‘ole ranch off of Oakville… Continue reading

Vine Box

I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (whaddup!). When my mom was helping me settle into my new apartment over four years ago, she commented that I was moving to little Warsaw.  It’s really Polish… Continue reading

In The New Year

Happy, happy almost 2013!   I hope all of your favorite wishes come true in the new year. When it comes to celebrating the countdown, there are so many interesting sparkling wines to… Continue reading

Solstice

Today is the first day of wintertime. When I lived in Napa Valley, I looked forward to the quiet of the natural world during the winter months.  After the persimmon harvest was finished,… Continue reading

Yuletide Gifting

It’s the time of year to find a special something for all your special someones.  If you ask me, it feels just as good to give a sweet gift as it does to… Continue reading

Gratefulness

Today is, of course, a day for gratefulness.  Gratefulness is so giving, so let’s hop on board.   Gratefulness for health, and for wealth in whatever form is important to you.  For the… Continue reading

A Diplomatic Wine

Though life is politics, when it comes to election time, I try (lately) to keep my opinions to myself and my ballot. I mean, to a certain extent, what is the point?  Our… Continue reading

Hop, Skip, & a Jump

I spent a semester (doing a decent job of pretending that I was) studying in London during my junior year of college, during which time I took a bunch of little trips around… Continue reading