Feature Archives

February 6, 2021 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
The Understudy

Somehow, almost every time I’ve attended a Broadway show, I ended up seeing an understudy in a major role. My disappointment prior to the show was generally palpable. Yet, once into the first act of these shows, I completely forgot I was watching the second string and always enjoyed the production thoroughly. Now that I... [...]

January 3, 2021 4

Two Female Winemakers Light Up Our New Year with Their Rhône-Varietal Sparkling Wines

Does drinking good bubbly on New Year’s Day foretell a good year? I tend to think so; but to be sure, we popped open two bottles, two super good bottles of sparkling wine exquisitely crafted by female winemakers in California.

One winemaker is in the Santa Ynez Valley, near Santa Barbara in the Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), and the other is in the northern part of the Central Valley, due east of San Francisco Bay in the Lodi AVA. Both are outstanding winemakers... [...]

January 2, 2021 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Happy New Year!

Superstition (call it tradition if you wish) suggests that we start the New Year on the right foot. What they actually mean by “right foot” is the correct foot. And, anyone who has marched (marching band, military parade, or — heck — the Macy’s Parade) knows that you start on the left foot. So let’s make sure we enter 2021... [...]

December 5, 2020 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Perfect Clos(e) to the Year

I am a firm believer that wine and food need to be shared to get the optimal pleasure from both. We are so close to getting that back in our lives that I can almost taste it. Literally.

I have been pairing food and wine for myself now for nine months. Sure, Markipedia likes a good meal and... [...]

November 7, 2020 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Be Still, Mon Coeur

When it comes down to it, it isn’t the wine that is getting us through “this,” it’s the sharing of the wine. Whether from 15 feet apart in the back garden, or online via Zoom, FaceTime, or Skype, we still thrive by sharing a glass with friends over a meal, an appetizer, or even a bowl of popcorn. It doesn’t matter how we do it... [...]

October 30, 2020 1

Cook, Drink & Learn: A Special Event

Escape the COVID doldrums with "Cook, Drink and Learn with Acquiesce," our inaugural (virtual) food and wine tasting on Sunday, November 15th at 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST.

Please join Susan Tipton, Winemaker and Co-Owner of Acquiesce Winery, David Scott Allen, Editor of Cocoa & Lavender and wine and food writer for Provence WineZine, and me for an hour of food and wine fun (and a few facts!).

Beginning with a cook-along with David, we will make Mini Croques... [...]

October 25, 2020 11

Diary of a Master of Wine in Provence
Solidarité – “Le coeur des chefs”

Written in Saint Martin Vésubie 18th October 2020. I am often described as living in Provence – which makes sense being a rosé specialist, but I actually live in the southern Alps, just over 40 miles north of Nice on the Italian border in a small medieval town called Saint Martin Vésubie. Originally on the salt trade route between Nice and Turin... [...]

October 25, 2020 0

Wines From France And California Raise Awareness For A Disease Called PANDAS

When Alexandra “Alex” Manfull passed away in 2018 at 26 years old, her parents barely understood the condition that took her life. Susan and William “Towny” Manfull’s daughter was living in Washington D.C., pursuing a successful career in finance. She was a runner and reader, a proud graduate of Princeton University and Phillip Exeter Academy. She was bright and kind, and gone too soon. Alex suffered from a disease called PANDAS... [...]

October 3, 2020 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Alex’s Wine

Tacos and wine aren’t your average pairing. But Alex wasn’t your average young woman.

This month, my pairing is dedicated to the memory of Susan and Towny’s daughter, Alex, who died from complications from PANDAS (Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections). October is PANDAS Awareness... [...]

September 5, 2020 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
As Summer Fades…

The construct of time is odd these days. Having been indoors (for the most part) since early March, it has been difficult to conceptualize the change of seasons. Calendars don’t seem to make a difference, and clocks and watches don’t really mean much now, either. The thermostat is at a constant and perfect 76°F; is it summer? Winter? I just ... [...]

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