Author: admin

Click to enlarge or click here for link. If any of you are vacationing in the northern California wine country this summer, you’re probably just as much interested in where to dine as where the multitude of tasting rooms are located. I’ve had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time, particularly in Napa,…

Summer’s coming with a fury and, like a creature shedding fur, I’m transitioning from the heavy reds of winter to lighter and more refreshing wines which are better suited to the tropical temperatures to come. I’m also altering my food choices by selecting lighter meals with more fresh veggies and fruits. I am not, however,…

Aging wine with the hope that it will morph into something sublime is risky, but to me it’s worth the gamble. One of the benefits of surviving youthful excess, war, marriage, physical infirmities, children and several decades of stressful living is that I have accumulated several cases of older wine. As a matter of fact,…

“Don’t cry for me Argentina!” That musical refrain comes to mind whenever I open one of the lovely wines from that mysterious country. This is a land where the vibrant wine industry is in its infancy, and where the political and economic conditions are as fragile as when Evita captured the hearts of the world…

Blogger John Brown has fond memories of imbibing screw-cap wines beneath the South Side Bridge. Photo by Walker DeVille for the DowntownWV blog Some of you seem shocked many wineries are now using screw cap closures instead of the more traditional cork to finish their wines. With all due respect to tradition and the desirability…

As a former Congressional employee, I get nostalgic when I reflect on the District of Columbia, particularly as it relates to my two favorite passions: great restaurants and exceptional wines. Back in those post-Watergate days, my income was insufficient to support the sybaritic yearnings I harbored; therefore I was not a frequent patron at the…

Try blue cheese with Port and Zinfandel. You may have noticed that I rarely write about wine without mentioning what I consider a complementing dish. In my humble estimation, drinking a glass of wine without food is like listening to a concert while wearing ear muffs. This is particularly true for red wine where the…

So there I was at Paolo’s in Georgetown, chillin’ at the bar with a glass of Chianti Classico after a long day of doing my bureaucratic thing for the state. It was the early 1990s, Bill Clinton was about to be inaugurated and Washington was pretty electric. As I sat at the bar, I overheard…

The 18th hole at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W.Va. Stonewall photo Your traveling wino has been crisscrossing West-By-Golly, sampling the food and wine wares of some fine establishments. I can happily report that the state of sipping and supping is improving in these here hills. Today, I’m going to regale you with my experiences in…

Among the many full-bodied red wines that can nicely enhance foods such as beef stew, gumbo, chili, roasted meats and pastas, my favorite is Zinfandel. I’m talking seriously purple Zin — not the pink stuff that makes Aunt Lavinia feel like she’s a clever conversationalist. This is wine that will leave an indelible stain on…