Every year, I put on my favorite apron and embark on a few days of baking for all sorts of end-of-year holidays. It takes a lot of planning, time, and oven coordination, but it seems to fill a lot of people with joy. Like most of 2020, this year, our Fall and Winter holidays are […]
Sip & Swirl
Bring Oktoberfest Home… with Wine, Too!
The lack of 2020 Oktoberfest celebrations is going to be tough for me this year. With a large German component to my heritage, I have to admit that I’ve come to love Oktoberfest celebrations throughout the U.S. The annual biergartens, the meat-based dishes, the music, the potatoes… It’s commonly another reminder that Fall is in […]
The Wine Harvest is Upon Us
For many U.S. wine making regions, September marks a more “official” beginning of the grape harvest. It’s true that in Southern states and in parts of the West Coast, harvest may begin earlier: in August or even during a portion of July. I suppose I “unofficially” declare September as the start of harvest because that […]
Summer Nostalgia in August
Nostalgia. The dictionary defines ‘nostalgia’ as “sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” It recently occurred to me that I grow nostalgic for the summer in the month of August. It’s the month I realize the summer has flown by too fast, once again. It’s the month I […]
A Wine Tied to the 4th of July Holiday
Surprisingly, the signing of the Declaration of Independence is linked to a wine that was used to toast the event. The Oxford Companion of Wine, edited by British wine critic, Jancis Robinson, states that this wine is “probably the world’s most resilient and longest living wine.” But what is it? If the wine is still available […]
