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Category Archives: Wine
Etretat
We got up at 10:00 am, but I’m going to use the one hour time change between England and France as the excuse. They have a nice assortment of workout machine on the gym, although I realized that when Linda … Continue reading
Southampton
Eddie Manning’s limo service provided our transfer to Southampton, and despite the skepticism with which we viewed the mountain of luggage for the five of us, it fit easily into the back of the seven-passenger Mercedes van. We were at … Continue reading
The Phantom of Westminster Abbey and Clos Maggiore
Linda and I spent today on our own while our friends were off doing other stuff. We slept in and then found a nearby teeny tiny Japanese restaurant, Ichi-Ricki, for lunch. I’m glad the reviews I’d read warned me it … Continue reading
Luma
Ron and Bev hosted a dinner at Luma for Allan Frischman, in town from Hart Davis Hart. Also in attendance were Keith and Parlo, and Andres and Paula. Linda had early construction site meetings all week and couldn’t attend. Because … Continue reading
1985 & 1985 Bordeaux
Every year Hart Davis Hart hosts a comprehensive Bordeaux retrospective, and this year’s event focused on 1985 and 1986 Bordeaux. HDH pulled out all the stops, with two bottles of almost every notable wine, including the first growths. There was … Continue reading
White Christmas in June at Luma
Our wine group met in the private room downstairs at Luma for our first ever white wine tasting. The wines were divided into flights of Burgundy, Bordeaux, and–after dinner–Sauternes. It was fun tho have some great white wines for a … Continue reading
V&A Chef’s Table 60s Bordeaux
Our focus was on Bordeaux from the 1960s at the Victoria & Albert’s Chef’s Table on Saturday. Ron, Bev, Keith, Parlo, Linda and I assembled a collection of wines including some big names from 1961 and 1964. Perhaps it was … Continue reading
Victoria & Albert’s Dining Room
We usually go to the chef’s table or eat in the Victoria Room at V&A, but Ron invited us on the spur of the moment to bring some nice wines to Victoria and Albert’s for dinner, and only the dining … Continue reading
Four Decades of Margaux
It had been many years since we did a vertical of a first growth. Linda and I have been collecting Chateau Margaux for almost 30 years, and decided it was time to give them a try. I split our collection … Continue reading
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Lunch at Capital Grille
A typical 5-1/2 hour lunch with Ron & Bev at Capital Grille. Also in attendance: Andres, Paula (for 20 minutes!), Keith, Parlo, and Carter. Thanks to Ron for setting this up, and to everyone who brought phenomenal wines. A great … Continue reading
An Evening with the Sommelier
Last night was the bi-monthly Vine and Dine at the Rosen Everglades restaurant. Linda, Matin, Dani and I attended. This is always a fun event because of the dedicated staff. I think Chef Fred enjoys getting to try some different … Continue reading
Aged Rioja
Keith Edwards organized a stellar tasting of old Spanish Riojas. The event was held at the Bull & Bear restaurant at the Waldof Astoria. Attendees included Keith and his wife Parlo, Russell Edghill, Ron and Bev Siegel, Linda and I, … Continue reading
Amaros
Amaros are Italian digestifs that are an herbal combination of bitter and sweet. They are made by adding herbs and sugar to grappa, a rather nasty spirit distilled from the dregs of Italian wine-making. I first encountered them at The … Continue reading
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The Table
The Table is a unique restaurant in the Dellagio complex on Sandlake Road. The Table offers up to 18 guests seating at a single table, similar to a dinner party. The experience begins at 7:00 p.m. with wine and passed … Continue reading
Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards at Everglades
The Vine and Dine events at the Rosen Centre Hotel are always fun. We enjoy the home grown atmosphere, and Chef Fred Vlachos rises to the challenge with some interesting dishes that I suspect are a stretch for him, but … Continue reading
Adobe Road at Luma
Luma and Adobe Road put on what was perhaps the best food and wine pairing dinner I’ve ever attended. It was held in the private room in the basement, which had been cleared out to accommodate more than 30 guests … Continue reading
Scott Joseph’s Supper Club at Taps Wine, Beer and Eatery
Scott Joseph’s Supper Club is a group that meets at different restaurants around town. It’s usually a fairly upscale wine and dine experience, so I was a bit surprised when this event was posted at a wine and beer bar. … Continue reading
Berns Burgs
Last night we explored some old Burgundies at Berns Steakhouse in Tampa, with our friends Ron and Bev Siegel. Our tasting began before we even arrived. Our driver Angelica picked us up at 4:45 pm and we met up with … Continue reading
1996 Champagne at Vintage Vino
Ron arranged this tasting and dinner at Vintage Vino in Kissimmee, and provided nine Champagnes from the classic 1996 vintage. Our group of eight included Ron, Bev, Keith, Parlo, Andres, Paula, Linda and me. We began with sushi, a cheese … Continue reading
Rocco’s Italian Grille
It had been a while since we’d been to Rocco’s. The food is always great, but we’d had some disastrous wine service during a Wine Syndicate event, and hadn’t been back. Saturday Ron and Bev invited us to join them, … Continue reading
Queenstown
We arrived at the Queenstown airport (actually in Frankton) about 6pm, and as predicted no one was there except security and the janitor. Since our luggage had magically preceded us, we were in Queenstown within minutes. The Crowne Plaza Queenstown … Continue reading
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Waiheke Island
For our first day on the Tauck tour we met our group at the bus at 8:15 and headed to the ferry dock for the 40 minute trip to Waiheke Island. The island is a beautifully unspoiled place, with 8500 … Continue reading
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Hunter Valley Wineries
This post was shamelessly cribbed from Dani’s blog. Today we went to the Hunter Vally wine country. This was exciting for Dani because it was her first time on a wine tour someplace where she’s over the legal drinking age. … Continue reading
Yorktown and Clamagore
Dani was up late editing her Duchess of Malfi video, so she slept in, and when she got up we walked a few blocks to The Pit Stop Deli for some tasty sandwiches. Then we drove across Charleston’s impressive Bridge … Continue reading
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Bull and Bear
Ron organized a last dinner before my trip to Evanston, and we met at The Bull and Bear at the Waldorf Astoria. Dani flew in Friday, so she was able to join us. The five of us spent a lovely … Continue reading
Blind Misconceptions
For our Wine Syndicate group’s quarterly dinner we challenged ourselves to correlate price with quality. We failed. Meeting at The Capital Grille, we poured six pairs of wine, completely blind except for knowing the wines’ prices, but not which price … Continue reading
The Science of Wine
This fund raiser for the Orlando Science Museum was everything we hoped the event two weeks ago at Dellagio would be, but wasn’t. There were over 100 wines arranged around the fourth floor of the museum. Each table had 4 … Continue reading
1982 Bordeaux
Ron organized this 1982 Bordeaux tasting at Bull & Bear. Words cannot express how much better a tasting this was than the 1986 Bordeaux event in New York last week. That said, I still don’t see what all the fuss … Continue reading
Eleven Madison Park
A jam-packed day of culinary adventure in New York City! The City’s Top Rated Zagat Restaurant — But Why? Our day began with Lunch at Le Bernardin, the city’s top rated food according to Zagat, the only place rated 29/30. … Continue reading
13 Vintages of Dominus
Ron Siegel set up this tasting at Vintage Vino in Kissimmee, with dinner provided from the restaurant next door, Chef John’s Lakeside. We were joined by Keith and Parla Edwards. I contributed a bottle of the 1986 Dominus. I hadn’t ever … Continue reading
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