For those of you who have followed the “Wine Odyssey” since the beginning, this is a post that I’d been thinking about writing the last few weeks. So much has happened over the last 2.5 years that it’s overwhelmed me. Much has changed since I travelled to South Australia 2…
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The left bank of Bordeaux’s famous wine communes of Pauillac and Margaux are flat and pretty uneventful, save the impressive chateaus set back along the highway and the goods within them. Unfortunately, appointments are necessary to visit these top cellars, or “chais”, as they are called. I only had an…
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One of the best looking medieval villages in France also makes some of its most delicious wines. Saint Emilion sits on the shoulders of the Northeastern perimeter of Bordeaux. Any sane driver should think twice about even driving OUTSIDE its walls or prepare to pay for a new side mirror…
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Before there was Heston Blumenthal, there was Pierre Gagnaire. The “enfant-terrible” of French cooking has kept pace with the molecular gastronomy boys by running a restaurant facing the future, but respectful of the past. We recently ate there with close friends of mine from the early Paris days. We had…
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One of the highlights of my recent trip to England was a meal at The Fat Duck outside London in the tiny hamlet of Bray. Considered one of the top restaurants in the world, the Duck not only lived up to its reputation, it exceeded it. Chef and owner Heston…
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After a good visit to NYC, I flew to France for the Vinitech wine supply show in Bordeaux. As a guest of Tonnellerie Ermitage, I was able to meet a lot of winemakers over the three day event who used and liked the Ermitage oak barrels. At our booth we…
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I’m in NYC for the month of November showing the Tasmanian and NZ wines in my portfolio to my friends in the restaurant scene here. Nice time to be here, right after the economy has hit the schnitzel. Needless to say, it’s still a good time to visit. The tourists…
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I’ve been drinking syrah, or shiraz as it’s known in Australia, for at least 20 years now. This red wine grape takes on different qualities depending on where it’s grown. The Australian version typically is rich and full of dark berry fruit. The French version, where it reigns supreme in…
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There are magical places in this world that haunt you. 5 years ago as a neophyte sommelier in David Bouley’s chaotic world, I met 2 guests who spoke well of New Zealand. It was a great table, one where a lot of priceless info was exchanged. We are still in…
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I first met Mike Eaton of TerraVin after drinking his 2004 Hillside Selection Pinot Noir at Gibbs Restaurant in Marlborough. Silky, aromatic, generous, yet balanced are words that spring to mind as I recall witnessing the wine blossom in the glass alongside a fantastic meal. The next morning I called…
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