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Bright fruit and balanced acidity make it perfect for spring
Bursting with the flavors of spring; sweet cherries and luscious ripe strawberries, Anna de Codorniu Brut Rose ($12.95) is the perfect Spanish Cava to welcome spring. With its composition of mostly Pinto Noir (70%), with the rest Chardonnay (30%), the flavor balance is perfect.
Wine of the Week: Harper Voit Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – Strandline - $36
Oregon's Willamette Valley, at 150 miles, is the longest valley in the Pacific Northwest region, and that state's largest wine producing region. Its rich alluvial soils, caused by Ice Age flooding, produce some of the most luscious grapes imaginable. Chief among them is the delicate Pinot Noir grape. Finicky and hard to grow in most environs, the grape is right at home here in the cool, mineral rich terroir of the Willamette Valley.
Spring in NYC-Hotel Elysee/Il Gattopardo Restaurant
Spring is finally here! Its a terrific time to take a spontaneous weekend trip to the Big Apple to stroll its brownstone lined streets, enjoy a cup of cappuccino at a sidewalk cafe, spend a weekend at a lovely boutique hotel and dine in a fine continental restaurant. There are just as many blossoming trees to be viewed while meandering through many of the city's charming neighborhoods as there are in Georgetown. Contrary to stereotype, there are a number of quiet, cozy areas of the city ticked away along the side streets, where you can find a lovely English-styled hotel with complimentary buffet breakfast and a delightful complimentary evening cocktail with an intimate library and expansive views of the charming surroundings.
Wine of the Week: Volcanic Wines Heat Up The Wine World
Volcanic Wines are heating up around the globe!
Winnie Mandela dies in South Africa on heels of documentary Winnie release
The announcement that the "Mother of South Africa"--Winnie Mandela--has died at age 81 comes just weeks after her legacy was honored with the release of the Sundance Best Director Award winning documentary "Winnie" across the country.
Winnie Mandela Dies in South Africa at 81 as new documentary Winnie is released
The announcement that the "Mother of South Africa." Winnie Mandela has died at 81 comes just weeks after her legacy was honored with the release of the Sundance Best Director Award winning documentary "Winnie" across the country. "The U.S. was given a very sanitized version of the transition of power to Nelson Mandela," French director Pascale Lamche said of the film, " and a rather confusing and conflicted portrait of Winnie Mandela, which either presented her as a saint or drug her down to the level of sinner in the days after the fall of apartheid," Instead, the film gives a rather complex and nuanced portrayal of the actual events that surrounded Nelson Mandela's incarceration, and the concurrent movement, led by Winnie Mandela, that kept her husband's memory, legacy and cause alive and which led to the firestorm that swept him into power. Her thanks was a humiliating public trial for sedition, which was played out in cringe-inducing detail in the film. Chief among those who betrayed her was her closest friend, Bishop Desmond Tutu, an act which elicited both tears and the subsequent ire of Winnie Mandela. The vicious attacks led by her enemies and the subterfuge of the ANC are all explored in depth in the film.
Wine of the Week: Grgich Estate Posip - $23
One of Napa Valley's most famous winemakers, Mike Grgich, founder of Grgich Hills Estate and credited with creating the wine that won the Paris Competition in 1974, which put California wine on the map, has reached back to his cultural roots to create an outstanding portfolio of wines from Croatia. Not a great deal is known about Croatian wine, but the country has been producing wine for two thousand years, after grapes were introduced by the Phoenicians and Ancient Greeks. Located just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy on the Dalmatian Coast, the region has ideal climate and soil conditions for growing wine grapes. Much of the white wine is made from the native Posip grape or the dry Grasevina grape and reds from Malvasia of Piavac Mali.
Wine of the Week: A Goldmine of Planet Bordeaux wines arrive
Bordeaux, France, the world capitol of fine wine, is one of the most progressive regions in the world in terms of its commitment to creating sustainable wines.
Wine of the Week: Champagne Henriot: A powerful statement from an early woman winemaker
Vinexpo brought a host of new and old wine favorites including a selection of Champagne from the house of Henriot, which was founded by a woman. The House of Henriot was officially founded by Apoline Henriot in 1808.
Wine of the Week: Frescobaldi Remole 2016 from Tuscany - $9.99
The recent Food Network South Beach Food and Wine Festival was a showcase for some of the world's greatest wines and an opportunity for members of the public to taste the newest wines to come to their favorite wine shop this spring and summer.