Le Snob Guide to Champagne- a perfect little stocking stuffer
Le Snob Guide to Champagne, despite the name, is a great little stocking stuffer for the champagne lover in your life. I met Giles Fallowfield, the author of this handy little book at a champagne launch, afterwards, during lunch he introduced me to his...
Countdown to Christmas: 11 days – Heirloom Tomato Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette Recipe
Enjoy this salad for everyday meals or perhaps with Christmas or New Year’s dinner. If you don’t have champagne vinaigrette on hand, check out some winery tasting rooms or specialty stores including Williams-Sonoma. Cheers! Kathy Heirloom Tomato Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette Serves 4 Ingredients 8 mixed heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut in wedges 3 shallots,...
Wine deals: what’s the best buy now?
Lifehacker ran a piece that urged readers to buy wine after Thanksgiving and during the first two weeks of December to “lock in pre-holiday bargains.” Really? Perhaps I live under a rock but I hadn’t noticed seasonal discounting that disappears as the holidays approach. Have you? Instead, I see a parade of deal-of-the-day web sites...
Sips: Beyond Champagne, Bubbly from Alsace — Lucien Albrecht’s Blanc de Blancs
In these persistently challenging economic times, Champagne may be prohibitive or seem extravagant this holiday season. Fortunately, there is no shortage of moderately priced sparkling wines from which to choose. Do they offer the cachet or unmis...
Via hologram Dom Perignon declares 2003 vintage
2003 was a tough year to be a grape in Champagne. First they had to contend with an unusually cold winter followed by a deceptively warm spring only to be zapped by hail and not once, but twice by frost, the worst of which was on April 11th destroying ...
BNO Year-End: Burgundies, Champagne, and Much More!
Santa came early to a gathering of wine friends, who humbly name themselves the BNO, aka "Boys' Night Out". Extravagance is not lacking in these gatherings, and sometimes extravaganza, too. Yet, last night's soirée set a new bar. Bottles of Champagne ...
Champagne: Understanding the Four Initiatives
"How theatrical!" Was the response as we entered the red velvet walls of Le Theatre in Epernay, a charming town with its petite pretty parks and Belle Epoque buildings.
18th century Paris and some modern romantic arty types of pieces (silouttes anyone?) decorated the restaurant's red walls.
"Welcome!" said the movie star handsome Philippe Wilbrotte with his...
Damn, This Was Good! (6)
LL said a couple of nights ago, “We have any Champagne around this joint?” Not having any Champagne around the joint, I hopped in the old chariot, scooted to the nearest package store, as liquor stores used to be called, and snatched a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé from the refrigerator case. This gesture...
Lobstah and a surprising cavah
During the recent, week-long power outage, we sought refuge in an undisclosed location that may or may not have been the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We found a bottle of “brut nature” cava German Gilabert (about $15; find this wine) at a local wine shop and got some lobstah rolls. This is hipster cava with a...
Wines We Drank in NYC Last Weekend
We made a quick trip to New York — up Friday morning, back Sunday afternoon — to celebrate a friend’s birthday with other friends we had not seen in three or four years. Naturally the festivities included a great deal of eating and drinking, as in a small dinner Friday, a large birthday bash dinner...
Are you for Champagne disgorgement dates? We are!
When you’re shopping for bubbly between now until New Year’s Eve, how will you know how long that nonvintage bottle has been on the shelf? If there were a disgorgement date on the label, you would have a better clue. Over the weekend, Jancis Robinson tasted two Krug Grande Cuvée wines and commented on Twitter...
