Wine, Beer, Spirits

Explorations in imbibing from Italy to California

Musings on wine and other libations

16 May 2012

“One of the easiest and most magical ways of changing tempo is with food—and drink, of course. If you are not used to serving wine with meals, except perhaps when Great-Aunt Maggie comes or there is a birthday, have one kind to be drunk easily, pleasurably (economically), throughout an ordinary “unparty” supper, and see how [...]

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5 red wines you’ve (probably) never heard of

19 December 2011

One of the best things about working with sommelier Shelley Lindgren on the SPQR cookbook is being exposed to Italian wines that I’d never come across otherwise. Italy’s depth of grape diversity is astonishing. While no one can agree on how many different grapes the country cultivates, estimates run in the thousands. The grapes themselves [...]

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Hot Toddy Season

8 December 2011

Everyone who cooks has comfort zones:  pasta with tomato and basil, roasted chicken with potatoes, soup, chili, fish tacos, Thai curry, whatever. We also have our uncomfort zones, those food-and-beverage subjects that we’ve avoided out of fear, disinterest, distraction, or lack of opportunity to dig deeper. My friend Susie wrote about trying to become a [...]

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Wines to drink with turkey + fixings

21 November 2011

There are so many helpful posts about what to cook for Thanksgiving. So instead, I thought I’d address the other side of the equation: what to drink with Thanksgiving (and with other holiday festivities). I’ll start with wine. For a rich meal, I prefer lighter, lower-alcohol choices. There is nothing wrong with a big, juicy [...]

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On the Table

1 September 2011

Growing up, I never remembered how to set the table correctly. It was not because of any lack of effort on my mom’s side. Every day, I’d hear something like this: “the fork goes on the left.” Or, “the spoon goes on the outside of the knife.” Or, “the knife blade faces the plate.” And [...]

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You Say Barolo

16 August 2011

I have a new (and really annoying) party game.  It’s about Italian wine. I call it “Grape or Place?” It works like this: I say a wine-related word. Then you tell me if it’s the name of a grape or the name of a place. After becoming indoctrinated into the world of Piemonte wines not [...]

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Umbria Has a Green Heart, They Say

29 July 2011

Even though my trip to Italy was only in April, it is starting to feel like months ago. The trip, while enjoyable, wasn’t a vacation. It was in the name of research for the SPQR cookbook. We’re coming to the final miles of our marathon, and with that comes a sense of urgency. I feel [...]

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Orange wine and other enological wonders

16 June 2011

Once again, I find myself immersed in a world of Italian wine. I’m writing a book about modern Italian food and wine with two experts: Shelley Lindgren, wine director of A16 and SPQR, and Matthew Accarrino, the chef at SPQR. This is the second time Shelley and I have collaborated. The first project, A16 Food [...]

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Postcards from Italy

21 April 2011

After spending nearly three weeks in Italy visiting nine regions and filling four notebooks with food and wine notes for an upcoming book project, I am only just starting to reflect on the trip’s successes and surprises. You can learn a lot in three weeks when you forgo sleep (fish auctions start well before dawn) [...]

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