My love for noodle kugel comes from many a dinner with our Jewish friends when Gary and I lived in Chicago. Although I am not a believer in organized religion, I have always had an affinity for one of the Jewish holiday traditions – Passover Seder. The story told at dinner so resonates with me. Fast forward to my Ancestry DNA test, and I learned that I have almost 30% Eastern European Jewish DNA. I know what? How can Jewish be in DNA when it is a religion and a culture? Well, I wondered that myself. And this is what…
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I used to drink a lot of Oregon Pinot Noir back in the day. And then I lost interest. Either my palate changed, the wines that I was drinking changed, or perhaps both. But I completely stopped drinking Oregon until my WWET Willamette Valley experience. And now, I thank my lucky stars that I had this opportunity. That trip re-introduced me to the region with a fresh set of eyes and ears- not to mention a more educated palate. After the trip, I have continued my wine tasting journey of Oregon wine. As such, you will hear a lot more…
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History tells us that wine was first made in Persia some 6,000 years ago. It is believed that one of the king’s wives thought it was poison and drank it to commit suicide. Instead, she laughed and sang and danced around the room. I doubt she really cared how it tasted, but I wish to thank her for her efforts as wine became a magic elixir that followed humans through the millennia. At least for me, it is the perceptions of taste and smell that make wine a magical elixir. How can one beverage deliver so many different flavors and…
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Should I ask most general public wine drinkers, their favorite white wine, one answer will undoubtedly be, I only drink red wine. Although I used to be that person, it puts a frown on my face because I now know what those red only drinkers are missing. The next four replies will be, in no particular order, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling. And the frown will still be hanging on my face because there are so many others that make beautiful, affordable white wines. Janice Robinson, one of the most widely known wine writers in the world, lists…
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* New Ownership * As most of my Charleston following know, Gary and my journey creating this blog, our in-person and virtual wine tastings, and now our wine concierge services started when Gary began his three-year stint working at The Wine Shop of Charleston. We recommended and sent many of you there to purchase wine. If Gary was there when you came in to shop, or it was one of the previous owner’s good days, all was grand. But if it wasn’t, many of you had an unfortunate encounter with her that left you bewildered or annoyed. Thus you found…
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I ended the last post here. If you missed the previous post, you could get caught up here. If not, let’s get on with the weekend getaway. Burntshirt Vineyard – Our Second Stop Since we went to a brand new winery first, it only made sense to go to an older established winery next. Burntshirt Vineyards is one of the older wineries in this region of western North Carolina and currently holds the distinction of being the 2020 North Carolina Vineyard of the Year. Burntshirt Vineyards got its name from Burntshirt Mountain. According to their website, “Mountain lore has it…
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, we, like everyone else, had to cancel all of our vacations, work trips, and weekend getaways. It did not matter where we were going. It just mattered that we were getting out of town. But for months which feels like years, we stayed home for the benefit of society as much as for ourselves. This past weekend we were supposed to be on a New York City getaway with seven friends to wine, dine, and see a couple of Broadway shows. That, of course, did not happen. We have been diligent about mask-wearing, hand…
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New Fall Releases from Acquiesce Winery: A Virtual Tasting Thursday, September 17, 2020 * 6:30pm – 8:00pm EDT Order must be placed by August 30th at 6pm EDT Please join Rick Dean and Gary Link along with a special guest appearance by Sue Tipton, the winemaker, and co-owner of Acquiesce Winery and Vineyard. This is a virtual tasting that any white wine drinker must attend and experience new wines that will make your palate explode with joy. Featuring these four world-class, estate-grown Rhône style wines with amuse bouche pairings About the winery Acquiesce Winery located in the Lodi Appellation…
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Our friend Shawn started making this pizza in June. He has made it at least three times since. How do I know? I check his Instagram. So on a Zoom call with a few friends a couple of weeks ago, we all decided to make this pizza on the same day and enjoy it together on our next Zoom in two weeks. That was last Thursday. It was such a fun way to Zoom with friends. If you are on social media, I can’t imagine that you have not seen this recipe. But just in case here it is. That…
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