Wine. Flowers. The Art of Living Well.
Every wine is shaped by time. But some wines feel like drinking time itself. Rioja is one of them, and it is what kept drawing me back. Rioja speaks in two souls. One is bold and modern, built on concentration and immediate power. The other is classical, refined through extended aging and rooted in a… Continue Reading →
This spring, the peonies in my garden opened three weeks early, blazed for a few days, and dropped every petal overnight. The roses that should wait for May and June started blooming in March. Flowers are confused. If my little California garden can't keep its calendar straight, imagine what's unfolding across the world's great vineyards... Continue Reading →
We all have dates on the calendar that deserve something extraordinary. It could be a romantic evening for two, a milestone dinner with family, or a grand celebration with everyone you love. The venue and the details always matter, but nothing holds a special evening together quite like great food and the right bottle of... Continue Reading →
It's June here in Northern California. The blue hydrangeas along the shaded side of my garden are at their peak. Most food and wine pairing plans start with one or the other. But sometimes, mine start with the flowers. Maybe it's a florist's instinct, or a gardener's. Hydrangeas in my garden | Photo © VinFloria... Continue Reading →
A wine label caught my eye at a local wine shop: Cuvée Chaupin. Crafted by Domaine de la Janasse, this exceptional Châteauneuf-du-Pape comes entirely from century-old Grenache vines in France's southern Rhône. It is one of my personal favorites, though rarely found on local shelves. Thrilled by the discovery, I pulled it from the rack... Continue Reading →
For wine lovers, a prestigious dining destination known as "worth a detour" is a journey in itself. While the cuisine is reason enough to visit, the real excitement lies in exploring their exceptional wine collection. What if that same caliber of wine list could be found at 35,000 feet? This is about the experience every... Continue Reading →
"Would you like some wine with your dinner?" The flight attendant's voice gently pulled me away from the wine list. On any long-haul flight with wine service, the list always gets more of my attention than it probably should. Call it professional habit or personal obsession. That day was no different. Spotting a wine I... Continue Reading →
Driving down the winding roads. Eucalyptus leaves shimmer in the breeze, and endless rows of grapevines slide away. You step onto a sunlit terrace. Wines are poured, and behind the glasses, nothing but open sky and green hills folding into the distance. You settle in and breathe. Ahh... this is what the best wineries with... Continue Reading →
“Other alcoholic drinks are fine, but wine always leaves me with a splitting headache.” A close friend said this to me years ago, back when I was still studying for my wine certification. She grew up in one of Europe's great wine regions but now works in the U.S. tech industry. We first met in... Continue Reading →
I love kimchi. It is an obsession, perhaps. Even after living in the States for most of my adult life, I still make my own kimchi. Korean grocery stores here in Northern California carry a generous selection, much of it genuinely good. Buying is easy, and I often do. Yet I cannot stop tying the... Continue Reading →
Part 1 of this guide, we explored where floral notes in white wine come from, how to smell them, and the first three flowers — rose, jasmine, and elderflower. The journey continues with four more. Four More Floral Notes in White Wine Each of these four florals has its own story — and its own... Continue Reading →
In Part 1 of this guide, violet and rose opened the conversation — two florals that show up differently depending on the wine and the time it has had. Now, four more that take it further. Four More Floral Notes in Red Wine Each of these florals speaks of something more specific: the freshness of... Continue Reading →
When we think of floral aromas in wine, white wines get all the credit. Their florals are bright and immediate, easy to catch right from the first pour. Red wine is different. Its floral aromas sit layered beneath dark fruit, spice, and earth — subtle, yet entirely worth seeking out. Having spent years working with... Continue Reading →
It was one of those perfect afternoons. The vineyard stretched out around the terrace, grape clusters catching the warm sunlight, and a lineup of wines that kept revealing something new with every pour. Wine tasting at a winery. It simply didn't get any better than that. I purchased a few of my favorite bottles to... Continue Reading →
The best organic wineries in California tell you who they are before you even taste the wine. Drive through California wine country in early spring, and you'll run into the most unexpected vineyard crew: sheep and goats grazing between the dormant vines. They look so peaceful, I can never just drive past. I pull over,... Continue Reading →
Something has been shifting on restaurant wine lists, and I've been watching it happen. Chillable reds, once a niche choice, are now turning heads at the table. Not long ago, wine culture revolved around patience. You bought a serious red, stored it, waited years, and opened it on a milestone. The wine demanded reverence. And,... Continue Reading →
There are very few experiences that feel as intimidating as walking into a winery for the first time. The setting seems to assume you already know something — and no one hands you a guide at the door. Consider this yours. A winery visit, done well, is one of the loveliest afternoons you can have... Continue Reading →
Fresh and lovely rose. Sweet and creamy jasmine. Cool and green elderflower. A garden in full bloom? Not quite — it's the glass of wine sitting right in front of you. Arranging flowers in the morning, swirling wine glasses in the evening — these scents have lived in two halves of my world for most... Continue Reading →
Watch a group of children playing in a park, and you will notice something almost instinctive: they are always drawn to the dirt. They dig, press their fingers into the earth, and hold it up to the light, laughing as it crumbles. No one teaches them this. Yet somehow, the ones with soil on their... Continue Reading →
A cheap bottle isn't always a bad choice — but knowing what's really behind that price tag changes everything. From oak chips to hidden additives, here's what mass-market winemaking rarely tells you.