My family was in town recently and I enjoyed taking them to all my favorite spots around Madison: breakfast at Marigold Kitchen, a tour of the Public Library, beers at One Barrel, cheese curds at Next Door. We rounded off the Madison food tour with dinner at L’Etoile, one of the city’s best-known fine dining restaurants. Read the full article.
I wrote recently about an interview with Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar in which he said, “should make you hungry and wine should make you thirsty.” The quote stuck with me. Elsewhere in the conversation, he says that when he drinks wine, he wants to really drink it––not just taste. Sometimes you want to enjoy a bottle over a long lunch or dinner, rather than get knocked over the head with something that steals the show. Read the full article.
It was only a matter of time before I exposed my fantastic new wine-loving friends to my South African wine obsession. When I got the chance to pick the theme for a recent get-together, I was both excited to get the chance to share some great locally available South African wines and curious as to what sort of variety we’d find on Madison shelves. Read the full article.
My fandom for Dombeya Wines is no secret; the combination of restraint and power, balance and genuine Stellenbosch character, seduced me in 2010 and has held my interest ever since. When I found two Dombeya wines on the shelves at my old employer, Premium Wine and Spirits in Buffalo, New York, on a recent trip home (courtesy of Fat Barrel importing), I grabbed this bottle immediately and stashed it away. Read the full article.
Many people resolve to drink less come New Year’s Day. A few days of post–holiday season liver pampering aside, I generally resolve to drink more: more of a new varietal I’ve discovered, more of a certain winemaker, or perhaps more at a favorite wine bar where there’s always something interesting on the shelf. Read the full article.