In the current Intermezzo: Foraging in California wilds

Foraging was common practice growing up on a hillside farm in West Virginia - wild greens, blackberries by the bucket, walnuts and hickory nuts,sassafras tea, an occasional squirrel or rabbit. I got back to my roots, so to speak, in the mountains of Mendocinio and Marin counties of California for this text-and-pix piece for Intermezzo. Unlike with the city sidewalks, what you almost step on there may be something good to eat.

In the current Drinks Business: Why California is still winning

I love writing for the London-based publication, The Drinks Business, because the editors allow me to fully explore interesting wine topics. In this case, they asked me to examine current wine trends in the U.S. and how they were impacting California's American wine sales. The headline metaphor is not mine, but it accurately reflects what they are doing out on the coast. If you want to know more, please send me an e-mail.

In This May's Wine Enthusiast: The Grape Growers of Napa Valley

Not everyone in Napa Valley wants to make wine. Here is the opening spread of my article on "Meet the Grape Growers of Napa Valley" in the May issue of Wine Enthusiast.

A Drinker's Notebook No. 5: Nosing with Enrique Tirado

One of the treats in being a wine writer is that I get the opportunity to taste a wine with the person who made it. Recently I sat down at the Benjamin Steakhouse in New York with Concha y Toro's Enrique Tirado, who has been making their iconic Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Don Melchor, since 1997. In front of us were glasses of the 1995, 2001, 2005 and 2009 vintages. A shipment of the latter, Tirado said, was somewhere on the high seas and will be the "current vintage" when it arrives in the United States. After we sniffed, swirled, sipped and spat, we discussed the wines and why each tasted as delicious as it did. Although my favorite at the moment is the 2005, it was interesting to note the family resemblances of all four - delicious, concentrated, dark-berry flavors, big tannins that are nevertheless harmonious, lean finishes, some mint and some earth. And all remind me of why Chile is one of the world's best producers of both high-end and affordable Cabernets.

Getting It Write

The new May/June issue of Writer's Digest arrived in the mail yesterday with my "anti-revision" article in it. It's part of a very well done section telling fiction and non-fiction writers how to handle revisions or to avoid them entirely. I've posted the cover and the first page of the article. You can pick up the issue at most major newsstands or order a subscription online.

Burgundy's Petit Negociants

Just published in The Drinks Business. The article comes from two trips to Burgundy last year, the first for Grands Jours, and the second for the auction at Hospices de Beaune. During my travels, I talked with several small producers who nevertheless made wines from the best vineyards. I asked how that happened. Here's the answer.

Pouilly Fuisse Going Ier Cru

My article on Pouilly Fuisse's path to having some of its vineyards designated premier cru is published in the April 2013 edition of Wine & Spirits.