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When and Where Wine is Not Appropriate: Tropical Brazil
Lessons learned? Go with the local (beverage) culture, definitely pack lightly and if you really, REALLY want to take some wine, take one bottle, not four. But as they say in Brazil, TUDO BEM Okay, I will admit that there are times when wine just won’t fit the bill...
Me & My Microplane
Living down here in South America, at times I feel a little out of the gourmet loop in terms of kitchen gadgets. While we have the basics, there is no Williams-Sonoma, Sur Le Table, and imagine, Food Network. Back in October, a couple food-and-wine minded clients were...
The Spice of Life
Published in Placeres Magazine-January/February 2007 When it comes to Indian food, what the majority of the world considers as authentic, being most of the food served in restaurants is in essence Northern Indian cuisine; a meat-based cuisine passed down from the...
Buenos Aires is Smoke Free
Well, back from BA on a recent business trip, I could hardly believe this shocker: BA is smoke free, that is the restaurants, bars, and (cough) even cafés. For years, I always contemplated and experienced BA and its culture through a lingering, thick haze of nicotine...
Wining & Dining Mendoza Wine Country
Appeared in LAN Airlines-IN Magazine: November 2006 Unedited version: In Mendoza, it seems that all roads lead to a winery given that more than 70% of all wine production in Argentina is concentrated here. Mendoza’s wine scene is booming and has come into its...
Is that a “horse” in my wine?
I asked this somewhat grotesque wine question at a dinner party not long ago, although my intentions were quite innocent; I simply wanted to understand why more and more I was running across these somewhat jarring “mousey”, “poopy”, “sweaty saddle” or “barnyard”...
Feliz 18: Empanada and BBQ mania
Ahhh, the smell of meat grilling. Santiago has gone up in a big cloud of smoke--from the carbon on the grills that is. Today is Day 4 of the 5-day Independence Day long weekend here in Chile; today being the actual Independence Day, September 18. Festivities...
El Principal: Pure High Maipo Terroir
The Story, The basic story is one repeated time and again in South America: French know-how plus Chilean terroir equals outstanding wines—or in the case of El Principal winery, that is how the story originally started, but from their it morphed into its own. The late...
A Breath of Fresh Air: Casas del Bosque Syrah 2003
Last night we had the ultimate wine-food pairing task: Indian food. I find that wine is often shrouded by this highly condimented cuisine so I was at a loss of what wine to choose that would stand up to something as "assertive" as the three curries I had prepared....
Old grapes Find New World (Financial Times)
Perusing the international online newspapers yesterday, I found this intriguing (back) article from the Financial Times by Andrew Jefford on a topic close to my heart—and neck of the woods: Argentinean Malbec. I was particularly excited to read about them highlighting...
Made in Chile: Emporio Nacional
I just stumbled upon my gastronomic discovery of 2006 in Santiago: Emporio Nacional. It is a “Made in Chile” goodie store; a gourmet delicatessen sporting Chile’s finest temptations from jams like Cochayuyo (that seaweed I never know WHAT to do with) or spicy...
“Vinos de Chile” on the radar: The Primo Wine Fair in Chile
Ladies and Gentlemen: once again, the wine fair in Santiago known as Vinos de Chile (in its 12th version) will take place at the Hotel Plaza San Francisco September 27, 28, and 29. I am not a huge fan of large wine fairs as they are crowded, overwhelming, and in my...
New World “Fun”
Friday night, innocent cosmopolitans with friends at the Ritz’s new martini lounge led to an impromptu dinner party at my apartment. With freshly made Moussaka lurking in my oven and no company to share it with, I decided to invite over my drinking companions and have...
The Accidental Connoisseur (Book Review)
I just finished one of the most insightful and intelligent books about the wine world I have had the pleasure of reading in some time: The Accidental Connoisseur. Part of its lure is its engaging text written by Lawrence Osborne, a terrific writer who is...
“G” Debuts
I recently had the chance to try “G”, the new super-Chilean wine from Emiliana Vineyards, Chile’s pioneer organic and first fully certified biodynamic vineyards. The private tasting, held in (parent) holding company Viña Concha y Toro’s wine store, Vinos CyT,...
More than Malbec: Bodega O. Fournier (Mendoza, Argentina)
For those who have been following the Argentine wine industry over the past years, you may be aware that there is much more out there than Malbec, and well, more Malbec. Sparkling wine powerhouses like Chandon have maintained investments in Mendoza for more than 4...
Las Doscientas: 200% Olive Oil
In Chile there has been a major increase in good quality, low-acid extra virgin olive oil production in the past couple years, although still only a fraction of it is being exported. That picture is rapidly changing and soon, I imagine that many Chilean oils will end...
Some Argentinean Elegance-and Inspiration
I am sitting here about to kick the rest of what is in my decanter: a 2002 Clos des Andes I recently brought back from another trip to Mendoza, Argentina. I must confess: I am utterly smitten with Argentina and many of its wines. They are totally different than...
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