Dow Red Wine Hits the Mark!

With the food of Spain, Italy, and France serving as long-standing markers for fine food in the U.S., Portugal is one European nation that is too often overlooked by Americans. But that land is a treasure trove of succulent dishes, including many beef-oriented preparations that highlight the subtleties of Portuguese culinary skills, and exquisite dishes [...]

Banyuls and Chocolate

The holiday season is a perfect time to over-indulge, and chocolate seems to be most people’s first form of over-indulgence. There will be chocolate in the stocking, chocolate under the tree, boxes of chocolate passed around during viewings of It’s a Wonderful Life, and chocolate kisses just before bedtime. And there will be loads of [...]

Port & Pecan Pie

Up there with the most difficult foods to pair with wine is pecan pie.  If anyone can successfully recommend a table wine for this uber-rich creation, we’re all ears.  We asked a couple of sommeliers in Tulsa for their take on the the southern pecan pie pairing.  Tim Baker of  Sonoma Bistro & Wine Bar recommended cappuccino [...]

2007 Dão, Alvaro Castro, Portugal

This week’s pick comes from Gary Vaynerchuk, the star of Wine Library TV:  ”This Portuguese wine from the Dao region acts very Rhone-like with its combination of strawberry and pepper on the nose.  On the palate there are enormous amounts of fruit, surprisingly jammy, with hints of black pepper and a gaminess that I simply love.  [...]

2006 Tinto de Ânfora, Portugal

This week’s pick was offered by Stephanie Frederick, an educator at the Sommelier Society of America in New York City.  Ms. Frederick was impressed with the provenance and uniqueness offered by this wine at such a low price (around $13).  The wine is produced by the esteemed Bacalhoa group and comes from the Alentejo wine [...]