I just dropped my week-long house guest off at the train station (where IMD Professor Dominiq Thurpin was also taking the train to Geneve-Aeroport) for a tearful goodbye. It was a wonderful week with her in town and it felt so, so, so good to cook again–really for the first time in my 15 monthsContinue reading “Coming and Going”
Tag Archives: wine
Another Weekend in Paris
I woke up early Saturday morning to take the TGV up to Paris, where I met my special lady friend, who was flying in from Houston. After some initial confusion about hotel rooms, we finally got settled just outside of the Gare de Lyon and struck out to enjoy the day. Instead of an aggressiveContinue reading “Another Weekend in Paris”
Weekend in Paris Part Deux
Paris was 24 hours of awesome. My favorite wingman met me at Gare de Lyon, we dropped off my stuff–which all fit in my laptop bag–and kicked off the day with lunch in an outdoor cafe near the Louvre. The sun was shining, the people-watching was great, and we won our first battle against grapes,Continue reading “Weekend in Paris Part Deux”
Barbaresco
Today was full of Bacchanalian goodness. We began in Barbaresco at Bruno Rocca. We were pleased to be greeted by Luisa Rocca, Bruno’s daughter, who led us into the tasting room to begin. No tour, just right down to business–we didn’t object! We learned about the vineyards that Bruno Rocca owns throughout the region andContinue reading “Barbaresco”
Barolo
As today is Sunday, all the wineries were closed and we were unable to book any appointments. All of the local enoteche, however, were open, so we took a leisurely drive around the Barolo valley, stopping every chance we had to taste Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, and even Moscato. Some of the views on ourContinue reading “Barolo”
In Italia!
After a long, beautiful drive along the Mediterranean coast, we arrived tonight at our B&B just outside of Asti in Piemonte. Our home for the next few days is Villa Sampaguita, a charming estate owned and operated by two ex-pats. They served us a multi-course dinner upon our arrival. Everything in it was grown andContinue reading “In Italia!”
Last Day in France
Today was a travel day. We began with a poolside breakfast then toured Chateau Figeac in the St. Emilion AOC. We were part of a larger group here, but our guide was excellent. We finished with a tasting of the Chateau Figeac St. Emilion 1988 (84), which was still as youthful as the day itContinue reading “Last Day in France”
Sauternes
Today we departed from the usual Bordeaux tasting plan by spending the day in Sauternes. We began at first-growth Chateau Guiraud, where our private tour was an excellent introduction to the Sauternes-making process. In contrast with most Medoc tours, this one was much more informal and it was clear that the chateau wasn’t really setContinue reading “Sauternes”
Margaux
Ron wasn’t feeling too well this morning so we skipped our first appointment at Chateau Palmer. We did manage to make our afternoon appointment at Chateau Margaux, though, and I am certainly glad that we did. The estate was beautiful and, again, our guide was very knowledgeable. This time we shared the visit with aContinue reading “Margaux”
Pauillac
It took us a little longer than anticipated to make our way into Bordeaux this morning, but that was OK since Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou (in St. Julien), where we had our first appointment, had decided to cancel all of its tastings this week. This left us with plenty of time to meander around Pauillac and haveContinue reading “Pauillac”