Back in September I reviewed the 2007 Veramonte Riserva Sauvignon Blanc - a tasty, great value wine.
Last month I had the privilege to get my hands on a pre-release of the 2008 Riserva. I chose Thanksgiving as the occasion to open the bottle, so I could get some general thoughts from some of my family [...]

Last weekend Isabell and I made a trip up to Seattle to see some of our friends. On Sunday night we had a rendezvous of the powers that be for Tavola Rosso for a dinner at Olivar, a Spanish-French fusion restaurant on Capitol Hill. This particular dinner was significant, as it was a mini-celebration of [...]

For the most part I feel like a drink a pretty wide range of wines from all over the world. But last night I tried a wine from a region that I had never had before: the Gigondas of the Rhone Valley in France. And what a treat this wine was! I love big, strong, [...]

Summer days (and nights) down here in Texas are pretty warm to say the least. You might recall Emily Resling’s post on summer “patio pounder” wines - well I have one that absolutely must be added to the list. Veramonte’s 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is zesty and refreshing. It has flavors and aromas of citrus, melon [...]

It is with a bit of sadness that I write this post, as it is in regards to the last dinner my wife and I had in Seattle as residents. We are headed down to Austin, Texas - far from the wine hotbed of Washington - but nonetheless this venture will offer us, as well [...]

Let me first start by saying I have 1/4 Chicago in my blood - my mother’s side of the family has been in the area since the late 1800’s when my great-great grandfather subdivided a neighborhood eight blocks north of Wrigley Field (Rascher Avenue is named after him). Maybe it’s this history that makes me [...]

Our wine of choice at dinner last night was a Spanish grenache, Borsao’s Tres Picos. The last grenache we had was from Washington’s Alexandria Nicole winery, so we were eager to look for the differences. Right off the bat Isabell simply said, “Tastes like a Spanish wine.” The wine took a while to open up, [...]

While tasting dozens of wines at the Washington Wine Highway last weekend, Sean and I started discussing the role (or lack thereof) of terroir - a sense of place - in Washington wines. A solid majority of the wines we tasted, though labeled as a single varietal (mostly cab, merlot and syrah), were blends from several different vineyards.

These were the words spoken by my good friend and fellow Tavola Rosso contributor, Emily on the patio at Ibiza in Houston last week. It had been a few months since Isabell and I had gotten together with Emily, so this was a little cause for celebration; hence: “Should we start with bubbly?” We did [...]

Isabell and I just returned from a relaxing trip to Maui. Not only was the trip a nice break from the drab Pacific Northwest weather, but it was a great opportunity to eat great food at some of the best restaurants in the islands. Here are the highlights:

Dinner at Mama’s Fish House. While Mama’s is [...]