The passion and energy of wine
Grilled steaks, braised ribs, burghers and bourbon barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s all the rage among trend-setting millennials, people aged 23 to 38 who have an affinity for new products and tastes. Some say aging wine in bourbon, rum and Irish whiskey barrels is a marketing gimmick. Others say it’s what the younger generation wants – […]
The Wine Goddess, my wife Mary Lee, handed me a challenge: Select a white wine she had never tasted before to pair with her special dish of mussels, shrimp and linguini in a white clam sauce (no garlic). I smacked my lips and headed to the wine laboratory – better known as my basement fridge […]
Crispy, ‘Fry-Baked’ Eggplant Recipe by Mary Lee Harrington I select firm, but ripe large eggplant to make this dish. The secret is not so much in the sauce, but in frying the eggplant first in a flour and egg mixture and then baking it. I only use Parmesan cheese, no other type of cheese. You […]
What makes the volcanic wines of southern Italy so exciting? That will be the focus of my April 11 adult education seminar at Middlesex Community College’s Nesmith House in Lowell, from 7-9 p.m. Participants will taste up to seven wines – white and red – and pair them with regional cuisine. They’ll be able […]
Mark Vlossak’s winemaking philosophy is simple: “I make wines to go with food.” The founder, owner, and president of St. Innocent Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley says people often wonder why a wine enjoyed at a restaurant disappoints when consumed at home without a meal. Wine must be balanced for food, says Vlossak, a single-vineyard […]
It was only a matter of time before I tried drinking wine out of an aluminum can and, quite frankly, I survived. That doesn’t mean I enjoyed the experience. I didn’t. Lifting the cold can to my lips to get a sip of wine was frustrating. The liquid rushed out as I tilted the can. […]
Je ne sais quoi? I’ve heard the phrase but never understood it until I read it on a wine bottle. Je ne sais quoi is the lovely French way of describing “someone so unique and so exceptional that no words exist to sufficiently capture her essence.” That’s the message behind JNSQ Rose` Cru, one of […]
The results of a survey question I posted on social media two weeks ago have confirmed a popular trend: The “sweet” spot for consumers buying a “decent” bottle of wine is in the $11 to $15 range. Of the 126 people who responded, a solid 70 percent ( 89 respondents) said they spent at least […]
I don’t understand why some Christians give up wine for Lent, the 40-day observance of prayer and penance that extends from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Several years ago, my Catholic pastor set me straight on the subject. “Wine plays an essential part of church liturgy and in Jesus’ life,” this wise man said. “The […]
Now is the time to get to know Barbaresco, the red wine from Italy’s northern Piedmont growing region that plays a great second fiddle to Barolo, its more prestigious and expensive cousin. The 2015 growing season was fabulous, according to wine experts, and I’ve got just the wine to put you on the Barbaresco bandwagon: […]
