Got a new story to share with you today. This one comes from SOMM Journal‘s August/September issue, who graciously asked me to cover a wine tasting event focused on the world-famous To Kalon Vineyard and its association with the even more famous Robert Mondavi Winery. Now, I know some of you may think that Mondavi
Every March, the Italian media group Gambero Rosso rolls into Los Angeles as part of its Tre Biccheri tour, a groovy wine trade event that celebrates Italian wine excellence through its “three glasses” award. It’s the one trade shindig I never miss because it’s always ripe for a unique educational experience, one that somehow makes
Thank you to every single one of you that took the time to listen to The Lazy Hunter Podcast’s debut episode. Greg Nagel and I are happily overwhelmed with the positive feedback we’ve received over the last few days. Just as important: Nobody’s come out and told us that we suck outright. I suppose I
Late last year, I was hanging out with Greg Nagel, OC Weekly‘s resident beer, food, and cocktail writer. This is a normal occurrence. We’re professional colleagues now, but we’re also old college friends that have known each other for nearly 30 years. I’m sure our teenage selves would have laughed at the sheer implausibility of
I had my first taste of Texas wine about a year ago in New York City. The geographic formula alone was worth writing about, but I quickly discovered the wines were worthy of discussion regardless of location. I was inspired to learn more about the region Lone Star State residents dub Texas Hill Country. Since
I typically like to use this site to post links to my magazine and online articles. Under normal circumstances, the article I have to share with you today would be exciting. The circumstances were normal at one point. Then Jonathan Gold passed away. This article, printed in the most recent copy of SOMM Journal, chronicles
What does a wine dinner look like? It depends. A bad one can be dull, uppity affair. They always offer an educational opportunity and the wine is almost always good, which is cool. But even very good wines struggle to overcome the slog of a pinkies-out event where stone-faced people drink joylessly and presenters crack
I’m in New York City, roughly eight hours removed from a sleepless red-eye flight from California. Specifically, I’m in the Chelsea District at Rouge Tomate, a restaurant still basking in the afterglow of receiving their first Michelin star. But I’m not here to eat. I’m here to taste some Texas wines. I’m in town to
Watching California Wine Country go up in flames has been an enormous gut-punch. Thousands of homes have been lost. Hundreds of people have been displaced. As of this writing, the flames aren’t done yet. There is hope amidst the chaos. GoFundMe has a list of accounts for families and organizations affected by the disaster. You
“The country, not the state.” I apply this phrase every time I tell anyone I’m going to Los Angeles to sample wines from Georgia. The addendum may have been for my own edification. I could hardly believe it myself. A month ago, I would have assumed any wine emblazoned with the word Georgia on its
