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A chef’s secrets for cooking with wine
Cooking with wine is almost as much fun as drinking it. I hardly ever make a savory dish or sauce without adding a splash of wine to it. I first acquired this delicious habit working the line as a sauté cook. (I cooked professionally for almost a decade.) Now, as a wine student with lots…
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Review: Berlucchi ’61 Extra Brut Franciacorta
Celebrations require bubbles…even if all you’re celebrating is that it’s finally 5 PM. For At-Home Happy Hour today we have a lovely bottle of ’61 Extra Brut Franciacorta by Guido Berlucchi & C. Franciacorta–as I’m sure many of my readers already know–is Italy’s answer to Champagne. It’s made in a similar style/method to French fizz,…
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Unboxing the WSJ Wine Club – Wine World Tour Italian Collection
I recently tried a new “flavor” of the Wall Street Journal Wine Club–the Wine World Tour. In this blog post, I share a peek inside the box, as well as my honest review. The WSJ Wine club sends me reams of direct mail offers. You know, the ones that look like this: They usually go…
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So Many Ways to Chardonnay (Total Wine class review)
Total Wine’s West Plano classroom holds 40 people. It’s usually stuffed to the rafters with eager wine learners. But on a recent Thursday evening, only about a dozen folks showed up for “So Many Ways to Chardonnay.” Maybe it was the bout of late-spring thundershowers keeping people away. But more likely, it was another sign…
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Review: De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut
I can’t afford to drink Champagne every day, alas–but at least there’s Crémant. I always keep a Crémant or two in the fridge, and open them without a second thought. If Champagne is designer evening gown, hanging in a closet and awaiting a gala occasion, then Crémant de Loire is like a favorite sundress: Floral,…
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Travelin’ the Grapevine Spring Wine Trail (Grapevine, TX)
Wine Fairy here, reporting from the 2025 Spring Wine Trail in Grapevine, Texas! The 33rd annual festival took place on Saturday, April 12. The sky was Easter-egg blue and it was in the low 60s all morning (cellar temp)! It could not have been a lovelier day to explore Grapevine’s downtown wineries on foot. Here,…
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Review: Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (2023)
Hate on Outback Steakhouse all you want–it’s consistent and a steal for a weeknight dinner. Some days, you just want a sirloin (with A1 sauce!) and some slightly overcooked broccoli. What you don’t want is to get all dressed up, get sneered at by the valet for your ancient Honda, and then have to buy…
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Local Sips: Tasting Tuesday at Antonio Ristorante (Addison, TX)
Do you like Italian wine and Italian food? Of course–everybody does, unless they’re nuts. Would you like to know a weeknight date idea that won’t empty your wallet or leave you so full you swear you’ll never eat again? Then check out Antonio Ristorante in Addison Circle. Antonio’s offers a seasonal 3-course tasting menu on…
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Total buzzkill: Total Wine’s rewards program devalues its best perk
It’s dark days in Dallas, y’all. First, we gave away Luka Dončić to the freakin’ Lakers. Then, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines started charging for bags. Now–because crappy things come in threes–our largest and best chain liquor store appears to be seriously scaling back their rewards program. Will the disappointments never end? Just a couple of months…
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A Pinot Comparison (Saturday Tasting at Blind Bishop)
Pinot is loved for its versatility, and that chameleonic quality was on display at Saturday’s themed wine tasting at Blind Bishop in Dallas. We tried six different expressions of Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio/Gris. It was the first summery day of the season, and wine lovers streamed into the sun-filled tasting room. Two gentleman pourers…
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Under $12 Review: Ed Edmundo Red Blend (2020)
I am not now (nor have I ever been) “serious” about wine. Ew. Perish the thought. But at some point–and it wasn’t too long ago–there was a change. I got a little more…focused about wine. Or disciplined. Or perceptive. Something shifted, and I started paying more attention to what was in the glass. The result…
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How to taste great wine (for less than $5000)
There’s a winery in Napa that now has a $5000 per person tasting fee, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in February 2025. The culprit is Ghost Horse, the same attention-hungry winemaker that is preparing to release a $25,000 bottle of Cabernet. I’m all for people doing whatever they want with their money. But I think…