Our counters were cluttered. We had accumulated a number of bottles half-filled with wine that we either didn’t drink because we didn’t care for them, or we had wine left over from an event where there were too many wines to consume in one evening. So, what do you do with all that wine? Make a wine reduction! It’s pretty simple but takes a bit of time and attention, but here’s how you do it.
Continue readingWeinrieder 2006 Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben
Grüner Veltliner is not one of the most well known wine grapes on the planet. Wines made from this grape tend to have a spicy nose of white pepper, floral perfume, and either peach or tropical fruit. The Weinrieder 2006 Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben is an excellent example of just how good this wine can be.
Continue readingPop that Cork! Value-Priced Champagne Alternatives
In the current economy, many people are looking for an alternative to traditional champagne to help ring in the New Year. Last year we told you about Cava from Spain, and we’ve found a few other sparklers to share with you this year as well.
Continue readingAnd now for something completely different…
Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant 2005
Great Finds in Grocery Store Wine
Amazing. You can put your name on a list for wine or beer that sells out in 10 minutes. Now that’s customer service. The kind you might expect at a small store in the older neighborhoods of a big city or a small town. Or if you’re an important customer at the big wine retailer. Not a huge mega-store that sits along the freeway in the suburbs. It’s the kind of service that builds clientele, not just customers.
Continue readingSurfing into New Orleans
Crescent City Phoenix – The Return of New Orleans
Kelly moved back to New Orleans. During our dinner she beamed about the city where she grew up, and the city where she has returned to help restore. A city that is authentic, historical and focused on tourism. She touched a nerve when she talked about so many people who have said they feel guilty about vacationing in a city that suffered so much.
Continue readingDay Two: Window on New Orleans Past and Present
We disembarked for a private tour of Antoine’s Restaurant. Opened in 1840, Antoine’s is the oldest in New Orleans and oldest family-run restaurant in the country. It has 15 different dining rooms, with a variety of old photos and artifacts from Mardi Gras royalty. It continued to serve wine and booze during Prohibition, we’re told, by using a bit of hallway which was part of the “ladies room” to allow the men to pass through a secret door.
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