Like you, I have noticed that Americans are demanding bolder flavor and more adventure in their food and in their wines. (in fact I wrote a book about it!)  It’s easy to note that in wine people are gravitating towards wines that are full of flavor- from Malbec and Torrontés in Argentina, to Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, Carmenère in Chile, Primitivo in Italy and the list goes on and on and on. Outside of wine, you’ve likely seen same- from flavorful grass-fed beef, to brewed and flavorful cocktail infusions, to the ongoing rage in all things spicy. If you haven’t spent much time in cyberspace looking at hot sauce websites and seeing what’s out there, you have surely missed something evocative to the senses. Continue reading »

In the fall of 1987, just after I had passed my MS exam in the UK, a celebratory jaunt to Burgundy followed to keep the good times a’rolling. My good friend and fellow MS, Madeline Triffon, joined me for a few days before she had to blast back to the States. I recall fondly a dinner in Beaune, where upon her requesting the wine list, it was handed to me, and when she ordered the wine, the bottle was presented to me. Despite my repeated plea that she be allowed to accept and taste the wine, the apoplectic chef sommelier couldn’t visualize, much less internalize, that a woman could be in charge of the wine ordering ritual. Continue reading »

When you think of Brazil, you think of many culturally relevant markers- beaches, carnival, churrasco (Brazilian barbecue) and feijoada (the classic rich black bean, pork, and sausage stew), the two ‘national dishes’, and perhaps, as a beverage, cachaca, the powerful sugar cane distillate that is akin to rum and goes down so easy (especially in a caipirinha). What you likely don’t consider is their wine industry which, albeit largely unrecognized outside of Brazil, is healthy and thriving. Continue reading »