Le Ballet Tragique du Vin (Tragic Wine Ballet)

Le Ballet Tragique du Vin (Tragic Wine Ballet)

The process of opening a bottle of wine, be it still or sparkling, is straightforward. However, there’s only one way to do it correctly, with minor variations depending on the style of restaurant. But most of the time it’s done wrong, as in slightly wrong in the...
Favorite Smells

Favorite Smells

The story goes something like this. It was the first summer after Carla and I started dating, which was many moons ago. How many? That year the number one movie was the original summer blockbuster—Star Wars. Now it’s called Star Wars: A New Hope. This after the...
Thoughts on Tannin in Red Wine

Thoughts on Tannin in Red Wine

Tannin, or tannic acid, is found in red wine. But it’s also infrequently found in a white wine like Chardonnay if the wine in question is kept in oak for an extended period of time. Otherwise, tannin is derived from grape skins and oak barrels in which red wines...
2 + 2 = Tacos

2 + 2 = Tacos

Taking a cue from good friend and fellow MS, Evan Goldstein, I tend to put food and wine pairings into three distinct categories. First, there’s “Switzerland” where the dish and the wine stay in their own lane and refuse to interact, not unlike a group of middle...
Deliciousness

Deliciousness

Two wines from recent dinners were the 2021 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina and the 2021 Domaine de Fontsainte Gris de Gris. Carla and I enjoyed the Falanghina with roasted salmon filets and the gris de gris with pollo-asado marinated chicken thighs done on the...