Essays

Pinot Noir, Here and There

Pinot Noir, Here and There

Eleven stand-out American Pinot Noirs, wines whose fine details and ruby-citrus acidity make them brilliant dining companions.

Writing About Wine

Writing About Wine

Wine is visceral, sensual, sensorial. When you begin a story about wine, you must switch on your reader.

Wine Labels, Wine Ingredients

Wine Labels, Wine Ingredients

Should a wine label display the ingredients used in winemaking? A seasoned wine writer and marketer—and avid wine consumer—considers the issues.

Happy Birthday, Julia Child

Happy Birthday, Julia Child

Julia Child would have been 100 years old today. She hasn’t been gone long; she died only in 2004, two days before her 92nd…

Without Reservation

Without Reservation

I met my mother for lunch recently at a restaurant in town. We don’t eat there often, maybe once or twice a year. It…

Brachetto, Birthday

Brachetto, Birthday

My birthday’s on the winter solstice, and it fell on a Wednesday this year. It was a normal, if very dark, work day. I didn’t…

Tea and Wine

Tea and Wine

In the day it’s black tea, in the evening red wine. It’s always something because this isn’t quite right, isn’t enough, or quite what…

Terroir Review

Twenty-four Theses

We taste with four of our five senses: sight, smell, taste, and touch. (We don’t use our ears to taste, but you may have…