Entertaining

After a leisurely two and a half hours of glorious food, wine, champagne and great conversation — John, in a long life, has lived all over the world and can be relied upon to entertain. There had been a detailed discussion about our lunch, ensuring that everyone had eaten well, asking if the change of ownership had affected the quality of the food; was it still excellent, as ever? more »

“But these chains don’t promote moderation. They practice caloric extremism, and they’re helping make modern-day Americans become the most obese people ever to walk the Earth.” more »

Pinot Grigio is a fine apéritif, and is generally paired with salads, antipasto, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, and vegetable and seafood pastas. Ruffino recommends this Lumina with soft shell crabs, grilled fish, pasta primavera, grilled chicken, and ethnic dishes including Mexican enchiladas, Greek dolmas and Thai green curries. more »

Each section includes overviews of the region, vintage information and recommended wines, with short (usually one- to two-sentence) tasting notes. These descriptions of the style and character of the wines are what you should typically expect in a good vintage. Rather than recommending particular vintages for each wine, “Vintage Smarts” features the best and worst vintages in the region. So you’ll need to check out which vintages to seek out and which to avoid. (Keep in mind that younger is usually better for white and rosé wines.) more »