Wine. Flowers. The Art of Living Well.
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →