Got your attention? Hell yeah! And yes, you read that right. I am totally psyched to be let you in on an offer that my culinary & wine tours business, Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences, just launched for all of 2010. Come on, you knew I made a...
The Uruguayan Riviera: Punta del Este
Punta. That is, Punta del Este. Just call it "Punta" to be cool and in the know like all the Argentines, Uruguayans, Chileans, Brazilians, and international jetsetters who flock there each summer from December to February. It's the glamour puss coast where the elite...
Picnic Perfect
Photo Credit: GibaN. The last time I went on a picnic was a very hot afternoon in California. Visiting our friends living in Napa, we first journeyed north to Calistoga to soak and rejuvenate in their famous mud baths. After, we decided to extend the afternoon...
My Top Five Wines for Poolside Sipping
With this heat as of late, I have been feeling very lethargic. The only form of mid-afternoon relief seems to come in finding (friends) with a nice pool get-up and packing a picnic to hang at their house. The lazy days of summer have officially arrived....
10 Reasons Why I Love Living a Mediterranean Climate
Glorious Produce: The fertile Central Valley north and south of Santiago pumps out tons of fresh produce year round. In Santiago alone there are 400 farmers markets in addition to central depots like Lo Valledor and the Vega Central. In all the cities...
Chile’s Versatile Carmenere: Perfect for your Thanksgiving Table
On Saturday, I read in the Wall Street Journal Dorothy Jaiter and Josh Breche's thoughts on Chile's unusual wine varietal, now a flagship grape, Carmenere, as being a risky grape for Chile. I think the real issue was that the examples of Carmenere that...
Cavas Wine Lodge: A Vignette in Mendoza
Life looks pretty damn good right now, at least from this chaise lounge where my feet dangle lazily in the private splash pool. It is hot, very hot. The ice cold Torrontes and 50-plus sunblock are my saviors for slumbering on this lazy late March afternoon in...
A Dozen “Other” South American Cocktails
On my last trip to the States, I was really excited to see how many Latin cocktails have become mainstream in bars, cocktail lounges, and restaurants. You probably already know them: Mojito, Cuba Libre, Caipirinha, Pisco Sour (Peruvian and Chilean...
Bartender, Bubbly Please
Recently, I got together with a group of gringa girlfriends in Santiago for girl's night. We decided to scout a Mexican bar in the Plaza Ñuñoa, one of the city's epicenters of bars. The motive? Some girl talk (read: therapy) while throwing down some...
Four Reasons Why You Must Attend “Wonders of Chilean Wines” in NYC
For the past week, I have been getting Chicago foodies and wine lovers totally jazzed about, and drinking, the exciting wines of South America--Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. This Sunday, I take my show east to my favorite city, New York, to keep spreading the...
Discover the Wines of South America
This weekend, I jet to the US for series of South American-driven events. While many of them are with private chef associations like Les Dames d'Escoffier, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), New York Women's Culinary Alliance, and universities (including...
Mature Wines: Bodega Bressia
I am sitting on a very cush couch sipping a velvety Malbec, noshing on some cheese, and talking to Walter Bressia. Walter is the owner, founder, and winemaker of Bressia, a boutique winery in Mendoza. The topic of discussion? Mature wines—and why these...
El 18: Chile’s Gastronomic Superbowl
Feliz cumpleaños Chile! Today Chile rings in another Independence day, kicking off the year of its Bicentennial birthday in a big way. Colloquially referred to as "Dieciocho", meaning 18, the day actually celebrates Chile's official rupture from Spain on...
Happy Gillmore
Hacedor de Mundos, Cabernet Franc Reserva 2006 I will confess that this wine has been on my radar for a long time. For one reason or another, perhaps because it was Cabernet Franc which kind of came off as "uninspiring", I put off trying it. On my last visit to my...
Tasting Chile by Land, Sea, and Air
Published in LAN Airlines "IN" Magazine, August 2009. Text: Liz Caskey Photos: Francisco Ramírez Life is perfect. I am on the top deck of the ship, lying in a warm, bubbly thalassotherapy bath with a glass of dry, sparkling wine, scented with a fresh...
Chile in a Bottle
Translated from my monthly column in Chilean publication, Placeres Magazine, Placeres Compartido A common question I get from Readers and clients traveling in Chile is, “What Chilean wine do you recommend?” It’s a tricky one. It would be too easy to simply...
No Reservations Chile Episode Airs Tonight
Tonight, July 13, at 10pm, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Chile episode kicks off the second half of Season Five. I will confess, this episode really kicks butt. Of course, not only because it's Chile--I suppose I had the ultimate preview since I was...
Pasta y Vino with Three Irresistible Wines
As my husband and I have gotten into wine over the years, the number of “collectable” bottles we have acquired as gifts, in our travels, and off our wish list has increased to the point that one night, a couple months ago, we were in a quandry that didn’t have...
and the meaningful