Wine

March 5, 2022 2

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Gruntled with Grenache

Pleased. Satisfied. Contented. Those are quotidian words describing one of my favorite not-so-quotidian words: gruntled. And I was fully gruntled with this 2017 Grenache from Kitá Winery in Lompoc, California. Sadly, I am disgruntled to have learned recently that this winery is closing.

They are the makers of the one and only Sauvignon Blanc that I have actually liked. No, not liked — loved! Their Chardonnay is truly excellent. I think Kitá vintner Tara Gomez is brilliant, as are her wines. And this Grenache is no exception. The good news is that I was able to find quite a few bottles of this wine still available... [...]

February 5, 2022 10

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Dinner with Friends

I know that “zoom fatigue” is a real thing, but if you want to see your close friends who live 3,000 miles away, a Zoom dinner is an absolute joy!

We have really missed seeing Susan and Towny these past couple of years because of COVID, but we talk to them as often as we possibly... [...]

January 2, 2022 5

ON THIS NEW YEAR’S EVE, I LET THE WINE TRANSPORT ME TO ANOTHER TIME AND PLACE

If ever I wanted a wine to transport me, as a good wine can do, it was this past New Year’s Eve. By the time 2021 was mercifully drawing to a close – amidst sky-rocketing COVID rates, fires burning more than 500 homes in Boulder, Colorado, record snowfall in California, record heat in parts of France, unprecedented threats to... [...]

January 1, 2022 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
He Said, She Said

There are two sides to every story, and today’s wine-and-food pairing is no different. Except that it is very different. As I begin the eighth year of writing this column, this month is the first time in which the vintner, the editor for Provence WineZine, and I have all been in the same room for the tasting and pairing. And let it be... [...]

November 6, 2021 6

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
1958: It Was a Very Good Year

It’s not often that I’m able to consider bottles from a “big box” wine store for this column. With the exception of a few quality rosés I have gotten (and written about) from such stores, their selection of rosé wines is generally geared towards the Carries and Mirandas. Pretty bottles/labels, intense pink colors, low price points, high sugar content, and a devil-may-care... [...]

October 2, 2021 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Grape by Any Other Name

Actually, a grape by many other names!

Vermentino is a light-colored grape that has been determined to have its literal roots in Liguria, on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the northwest of Italy. Wines produced from Vermentino are most often found in this same region of Italy (also in... [...]

September 3, 2021 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Le Pique-Nique

It’s the end of the summer — the warmth of the sun is waning, the leaves on the trees are crisping at their edges, and you want to get in every possible outdoor experience before the winds pick up, the temperatures plunge, and the snow starts flying. Yes, a picnic seems like just the thing... [...]

August 15, 2021 2

GERARD ISIRDI’S WONDERFUL ART EXHIBITION AT CHÂTEAU BARBEBELLE CLOSES SOON

Provence is abuzz this time of year with fabulous offerings of art, music, opera, film, wine tastings, and the usual fêtes that move from village to village. We traveled from New England to Provence last month specifically for this show by French painter Gérard Isirdi at Château Barbebelle in Rognes... [...]

August 6, 2021 0

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Tucked Away

When I was trying to decide what wine and food to pair this month, I did my usual perusal of the wine rack, though I didn’t find anything that seemed right for summer. I came across a few reds to consider, but my heart was holding out for a rosé. Nothing at the wine store did anything for me, either — there was nothing from Provence that I hadn’t... [...]

July 5, 2021 3

1000 ROSÉS IN 10 WEEKS*: ELIZABETH GABAY MW AND BEN BERNHEIM’S GUIDE TO THE ROSÉS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE

Full disclosure: The South of France is a small world and when one writes about rosé, this world is really small. Elizabeth Gabay MW is a friend but, that aside, this guide is an exceptionally impressive endeavor that belongs in the online libraries of anyone who drinks rosé from... [...]

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