Gourmet Reviewer

Sadly our country is ranked as one of the worst in the world, at least health wise. Obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, and of course the worst, cancer. Cancer has been on the rise for decades, and not many of us actually question why. Now 1 in 3 will have some form of cancer. It used to be 1 in 33 and before that 1 in 100. What has changed so drastically? Our diet. I have not eaten 'deli' (lunch meat) meats for several years, but my oldest son is visiting, and wanted some for sandwiches. Thinking nothing of it, I threw some in the cart when we were shopping. Now, when you purchase lunch meat, you know it is processed, so you think "If I get the more expensive one, it will be better.", maybe taste better, maybe better for me. After all we have always learned,  'you get what you pay for'. For the most part, when it comes to food this is true. After all, eggs from chickens that are cage free, hormone free, a...

Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyard While enjoying a glass of wine, we do not think about the vineyard that it came from, the problems vintners face, the difficulty growing a particular grape. We just enjoy. Sipping on a glass of wine can bring back memories, it can also make us smile with the aromas. Yesterday while drinking a brand I had not yet tried of Pinot Nior, Meiomi 2014, I wondered what made this brand so different and acidic than others I had previously tried. The year, the region, the soil, the sun, the amount of rain that particular year, temperatures, so many things affect a harvest, it's flavors, and it's yield. California saw this years harvest at about 50% off the norm, though it's rumored the flavors this year are ideal, so expect the prices for 2015 to be more than 2014. Pinot noir grapes at Santenay , in Burgundy My question was still, why so acidic? According to "Pinot Noir is also one of the more difficult wines to ferment. Part...

I have lived abroad for many years, and returning to the US, I realized that most service here is basically like you get at a taco stand in Mexico, which means, your drinks arrive, then your food, and there you go. God forbid you should want or need anything else. Now this is not, obviously, at every restaurant in the U.S. just at most. When we go to a restaurant, we are paying for someone to take care of us. This seems to be lost on servers in the U.S. We are paying you to bring us our drinks (plural), our meal (the way we order it), and to come back and make sure everything is good, to see if we would like anything else. When we order a bottle of wine, you should pour it, and correctly. A bottle costs about $60 (on average for a decent wine), and you probably expect at least a 20% tip. Let's say you make $8.00 and hour, and our meal takes about an hour (for ease of calculation), and let's say there are three of us. Let's also say the average appetizer plate is $10.0...

The California wine industry lost two of it's iconic founders this last week. Raymond Duncan,  co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars, helping to raise the California Cabernet Saubignon to the status it holds today. He also opened another cellar with his sons, Twomey Cellers. Twomey produces Merlot using the "soutirage traditionne" from the Bordeaux region, they also have several varieties of Pinot Nior and Sauvignon Blancs. via - Wine Spectator  The Schug Winery lost their father and founder this past weekend, and California lost the Pinot Nior champion, pushing it before it was popular and always believing in it, having been raised on a Pinot vineyard in Germany’s Rhine River Valley. One of the pioneers of the wildly popular Meritage, blend wines. One of the first to recognizing the potential in the Carneros region. via -  The Press Democrat Our hearts go out to these two families as they mourn the loss of their patriarchs.

The Oregon and Washington wine‬ industry has shown an astounding growth in recent years. With Pinot Noir being the staple wine of the Pacific Northwest's and it's most famous varietal. The area now seems to produce nearly as much Cabernet Sauvignon  as Pinot Noir, and it is on our watch list for the stronger heavier varieties as well. Washington and Oregon are now producing grape varietals such as the light Sangiovese (used to make Chianti), one of my favorites is the very versatile Zinfandel, and of course Barbera. If you are looking to do some wine tasting this weekend, make sure to check the link below for an Oregon or Washington winery near you with a tasting room. http://www.oregonwines.com/