I dare say there is not an adult in this country that has not eaten a Clif Bar at some point in their life. Thanks to the success of those bars, Clif Family has also ventured into winemaking in Napa Valley. And like anything that they do, they do it incredibly well, and they go big. Many successful wineries in Napa may offer five wines. At Clif Family, I counted 24 on their website. As I said, they go BIG. Clif Family Winery On A Whim During my May of 2018 trip to Napa, we made a last-minute stop at…
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Wine bars have exploded all over Charleston. For the longest time, the best that I could tell, there were just two, Bin 152 on lower King St. and Avondale Wine and Cheese in West Ashley. Then the trend hit Charleston, and there seemed to be a new one opening every few months, as well as pre-existing bars tweaking their offerings to become a wine bar. My unofficial count at this point is fourteen. Some might argue that there are more, but I am happy with my count. But there was one I kept coming up in conversation, Wine & Company,…
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Three White Wines beyond The Big Three If you drink white wine, it is more than likely a Chardonnay, Pinot Gris/Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc. And if you like one of them you probably are not fond of the other two. That is just the way it is as we are conditioned to stick with what we know. But I am here to tell you that there is so much more in the white wine world to be consumed and you are truly missing out on some great juice. I have recently been on a white wine quest, and I wanted…
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While I am not a fan of canned, jarred, or frozen peaches, I do love fresh ripe peaches right off the tree. There is nothing better than biting into one, slurping as you go, but still the juice runs down your chin. Over the past couple of weeks, South Carolina and Georgia peaches are abundant. (did you know that South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia?) Local peaches are picked ripe so you can not let them sit too long. After eating a couple right out of the basket, it is then time for cobbler. Biscuit? Crumble? Or Batter Cobbler?…
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Before we talk plate and glass, I have to share this series of images. These pictures of two of my favorite beings just make me smile. Breezy thinks she is a lap dog, and Gary loves all the “kisses.” She really wants to lick his eye, but his glasses are blocking her access. What Is In My Glass and On My Plate Glass – 2016 Daou Soul of the Lion, Adelaida District, Paso Robles, California This wine is an extraordinary sip. And for that, I must thank my sister. She went to a Daou Vineyards and Winery Dinner and ordered…
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Better Than I Imagined Gruyère cheese has become one of my favorite cheeses since my time living in Sweden after high school. Yes, Gruyère is a type of Swiss, not a Swedish cheese but it was in Sweden where I ate it for the first time and it turned me into a cheese-crazed person. I have been thinking about making this tart for decades but the puff pastry scared the crap out of me. I thought that there is no way I would be successful in making it. Then I learned that most folks I know that use puff pastry,…
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EVO Pizzeria Long before everyone was making brick-oven pizza, EVO Pizzeria was doing it in the Park Circle area of North Charleston. To me, brick-ovens makes the best pizza, so I loved going there whenever I had a craving. While EVO remains one of my favorite spots still today, now there are brick-oven pizzerias all over town. So while EVO reigns supreme in my eyes, I rarely made the drive anymore. So when I heard that EVO Pizzeria was joining forces with Holy City Brewing to open a spacious location in the old DeSano Pizza building downtown, I was out…
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A Horse of a Different Color When the Ehlers Estate 2018 Sylviane Rosé was released last Spring, I was super stoked. The 2017 vintage was my #1 favorite wine last year. Everyone I knew that tried this vintage swooned over it. It was a 100% Cabernet Franc rosé that really knocked it out of the park. So with the 2018 vintage released, I was ordering my first case, no problem, with more to follow I was sure. Now I knew that there was a new winemaker at Ehlers. After all, I did run a Q&A with her last fall. (You…
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This past weekend, Gary and I had a house guest. Katia, who was my classmate in D.C. when I was taking the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Certification. We hit it off and became study partners and subsequently friends. She reached out looking for hotel and restaurant recommendations for a weekend trip to Charleston. I recommended the “Hotel de Dean-Link,” which is the same location as our Church of the Screened in Porch. She loved that idea and chose to stay with us. She toured Charleston on her own Friday and Sunday but on Saturday we all…
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I made this gluten-free cake on my second day of baking with my sister. I also made a classic Victoria’s Sandwich, but I was less happy with that, and this was so delicious. Now before I get to this fab gluten-free recipe, I want to explain that the cookbook I reference is my British cookbook from the GBBO show. For that reason, the recipe is in grams instead of cups, and I like it that way. We all know that my efforts in baking have been “iffy” at best. So translating the measurements seemed silly when grams is a much…
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I had gone back and forth on whether or not I should post the incredibly delicious short ribs that are based on a Marcus Samuelsson recipe that he prepared for President Obama about eight years ago. They were the main course at a dinner party we had. The reason for this debate is because there was a 5-hour power outage during the day that delayed EVERYTHING. (Yes, I have an electric stove.) The power came back on two hours before dinner was to be served, and an hour before the guests arrived. And did I mention that the short ribs…
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