Grape Squeeze

Oh February. Is there any other month of the year that forces us to examine the depth and character of our romantic relationships (or perhaps the lack thereof) more closely than February? I expect this to happen every year, and while some Februarys have been full of joy and optimism, there have also been those [...]

I learned a new word last week. While casting about for ideas for my blog I decided to try doing a Google search for Consumer Trends in 2012. In addition to telling me that we are moving to a cashless society and that people are going to be depending more and more on their mobile [...]

When is the last time you had a hallowed wine and food moment? You know the kind I am talking about. When you take a bite of something delicious followed by a sip of something divine, and it’s like there is a sort of angelic choir note followed by the clouds parting to reveal sunshine! [...]

I will admit that my first experience with the subject matter happened earlier than it should have. In my defense, it was back in the day and we were curious girls. There was a certain restaurant in the town I grew up in (notice how I am being deliberately vague) that did not require girls [...]

You want to be careful about what you put into your mouth. As children, we did not know this. No, it seemed like a fine idea to eat mud pies when they resembled chocolate and there was always pool water to drink if you got thirsty while swimming. It was all good. Our parents and [...]

Vine is vut my Papa used to make in ze basement on ze farm. He harvested red currants and raspberries from his garden and transformed them into something decidedly unMennonite. I remember the huge fermenting vessel with its apparatus on top and how fascinated we three girls were over his process of siphoning the wine [...]

Hmmm… the Wine Guide. Sometimes lately I have been feeling like the only person in the room who doesn’t actually know where I am going. Sometimes I think I am lost and in over my head, even when I am the one who is in charge. I sort of pride myself on being a bit [...]

Lo que no al amor?  What comes to mind when someone says ‘Spain’?  Do you visualize the blood, gore, and excitement of Matadors fighting dangerous, snorting beasts in the bullring?  Perhaps you imagine female flamenco dancers with their swirling red dresses, or the men in bolero jackets and skin tight black pants.  Sports fans will likely [...]

Oh Zinfandel… you first introduced yourself to me in your sweet pink rendition, sometime when I was in my early twenties and taking my first baby steps into the world of wine.  For a time your name was synonymous with all pink wines, so when thirsty travelers with their California skin tanned to the tone [...]

Oh snobby, snobby me.  I chose the theme of ‘Pairing Wine and Cheese’ for my latest newsletter believing it would be an easy task to apply what I know about food and wine pairing to the art of pairing wine with cheese.  How hard could it be?  Mild with mild, strong with strong, creamy with creamy… [...]