As a food and wine guy, I constantly teach folks about pairings and specifically about explaining, to the best of my ability, why certain combinations work while others do not. Red wine with red meat is a no brainer, while ‘stinky socks’ washed rind cheese and big red wine is simply awful unless you sincerely like recreating the sensation of taking a bong hit on a Clorox bottle. Then there’s this new conventional wisdom that you can have red wine with fish. Continue reading »

Let me start off by saying that I think it is very admirable. I read with great interest about this new food and wine pairing engine developed by the wine retailer Snooth.com for Epicurious, a leading recipe website. You can read about it at SF Gate’s SIP: Software Sommelier. Anything that ultimately helps to demystify wine and food pairing for people is good and, as you know, I have been writing, preaching, and speaking about it for many years. Continue reading »

This recent few weeks has found me (again) in Asia but this time not in Korea, rather Hong Kong followed by Singapore. As the MS ‘brand’ continues to grow, Hong Kong is a new market for us, the nightly table provided great fodder for recapping the day, planning for tomorrow and of course letting our proverbial hair down after being in classroom and/or examination mode all day.

While the jet lag is tough and the work load formidable, the local dining makes up in part for the wear and tear on the body. Impeccable Chinese food in Hong Kong (the whole roast pig was extraordinary) and a delightful mix of cuisine in Singapore (including my de rigeur share of Char Kway Teo, a sublime noodle dish), all washed down with tasty wines and non-stop great stories. On one of these occasions, with a bunch of folks in tow, I did what I so often do and asked the table about their memorable food and wine experiences. Continue reading »

For years I have been brought up in a wine think that has unequivocally pronounced that white wines should be served chilled (but not glacial) and red wines should be served at “cellar temperature” but not too warm..nor too cool (sort of like those three bears, Goldilocks and the porridge). In fact, I have written so in my book, taught it at MS classes and preached it to all my friends and those who have asked. Yes, of course there’s the obligatory “OK” and tip of the bottle to slightly chilling a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais or adding a snap of cool to a Dolcetto, a basic Côtes du Rhône or young Tempranillo. But bring down the temp on a bottle of Cabernet or Zin? Never- or at least so I thought… Continue reading »