Category: WINE

The name of this Italian hill town in Tuscany, Montalcino, is derived from the Latin “Mons Ilcinnus,” or mountain of holm oak and it is the oak tree that appears on the commune’s logo. In the Middle Ages (5th – 15 century), the area was dotted with tanneries used for shoes and leather goods. Today […]

 New Yorkers do not need much of a an excuse to have a party. A few bottles of wine, a tray or two of sustainable fruits, vegies, and sushi, and the festivities begin.           Recently, a pop-up party was held at the Leesa Mattress shop in SoHo where locals and neighbors dropped into the shop […]

Getting Ready for Prime Time      While not yet a popular tourism destination for travelers from the USA, Bulgaria attracted approximately 10 million tourists (2015) from Greece, Romania, Turkey and Russia – accounting for 50 percent of all visitors. Tourism contributed 15 percent to the economy’s GDP and supports 150,000 (2014) jobs. Currently there are 9 […]

 Between online pop-ups, Groupon discount coupons, television advertising, and in-store flyers, holiday gifting is made to appear as a very complex decision-making process. In fact, holiday gift giving is extremely easy – everyone on the list gets Taittinger Champagne, Calvisius Caviar, and a hotel suite at the Surrey Hotel. Of course, it would be delightful […]

It sparkles. It bubbles. Is it Champagne, Cava, Asti Spumante, Prosecco, Sekt? Determine where the grapes are grown and how they are fermented 1.  If they are from the Champagne region of France and are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Pinot Meunier – it is likely that you have Champagne in your glass (and the bubbles […]

The Taste of Planet Bordeaux recently held a wine/pairing seminar at restaurant BoBo in New York’s Greenwich Village. The event was hosted by Michael Madrigale, Ambassador for Bordeaux, who introduced us to the pleasures available to the eye, nose and palate by teaming Calvisiusm caviar with wines from Bordeaux. Bobo’s Chef, Nelson Maldonado, developed a creative menu […]

  It costs a fortune – the teeny tiny salt-cured fish eggs of the Acipenseridae family known as caviar. According to the FDA (Food & Drug Administration), the fish roe of the sturgeon is the only fish egg that can be classified as caviar. We covet the roe and will spend whatever it takes to […]

If you consider 8,000 acres of land devoted to viticulture (2012 USDA Agriculture Survey), then you will believe that Texas is very serious about its wine industry. In the Beginning The Texas wine story begins in the mid-17th century when the Franciscan’s established the first vineyard in North America at Ysleta on the Rio Grande […]

I’ve always followed the rule that anything worth doing is worth doing excessively.” – Robert Parker The Time before Parker The wine industry as we currently know it did not exist when Robert Parker entered it in 1967. Although he was a history major and a law school graduate and practiced as an attorney for […]

When you receive an invitation from Marie-Christina Batich to join her for a wine /dine media event and you are smart – you will immediately RSVP. It is a certainty that the opportunity to taste interesting wines paired with unique cuisine will add up to an excellent investment of time and energy and lead to […]