Select Articles on Wine, Dining, and Travel

ALPINE INSPIRED

  1. SWISS WINE SEASON DISPATCH — TRINK MAGAZINE — “Yet even customers who have a working knowledge of Swiss wines find opportunities to explore. A sample weekly menu could include Walliser wines beyond the famed Heida: a Pinot Gris-Chardonnay blend from Cave Mabillard-Fuchs, for example, or the “Kyrios” cuvée from Christophe Rey, a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay, Syrah, and Gamaret.”

  2. IS PIEDMONT REALLY ALPINE — THE ALPINE WINE SOCIETY — “As I looked to understand what Alto Piemonte would mean to us, I became interested in what Alto Piemonte meant to Piedmont at large, and how the distinction could be a way of thinking about identity and quality of wine in general. The question then became less about whether or not Alto Piemonte is Alpine, and more about whether it could be.”

  3. HEIDA & SEEK — THE ALPINE WINE SOCIETY — “Still, I thought of the billboards for Tag Heuer and Patek Phillippe dotting the major arteries in and out of Manhattan, and I wondered if it would ever be possible for American consumers to covet Heida with the same rationale: it’s a high-quality, hand-crafted product, composed of meticulously-sourced materials.  A Swiss wine in your glass, and a Swiss watch on your wrist...could the Heida craze just be an influencer plug away? “

  4. KEUNHOF ESTATE, THE ULTIMATE ALPINE WINE — THE ALPINE WINE SOCIETY — “Like many of the other local wineries, Kuenhof makes wines with varietals closely associated with Germanic wine regions, including their Gewurtztraminer, which we have yet to try. They reflect a common theme we’ve observed across the Alpine range, of shifting borders and enduring attachments to other cultures, with inherited languages, culinary traditions, and of course grape varieties to show for it. And so it may read "Product of Italy" on the back of the Kuenhof bottles, but the story is of course more complicated.”

  5. THE ALPINE GEM ON NEW YORK’S NORTH FORK — THE ALPINE WINE SOCIETY — “My veal agnolotti cacio e pepe were as good as Northern Italian-style pasta gets, while my friend’s lamb bolognese, prepared with warm spices and garnished with mint, hinted at cuisines that have crossed Alpine borders more recently. And for dessert, owner Christoph Mueller's home recipe for caramelized walnut torte, topped with Chartreuse-infused whipped cream, seemed more authentic and meaningful than a standard Swiss chocolate confection (and made for better leftovers for breakfast).”

  6. DEFINING SWISS STAPES AT STABLE IN D.C. — THE ALPINE WINE SOCIETY — “The wine list was happily a Swiss-centric selection, and afforded a rare white merlot tasting. This one hailed from Angelo Delea in Ticino and had chasselas blended into it as well, making for an inviting, gently fruity aperitif. A surprisingly dark and spicy gamay from Cave de la Cote Rouge, and an earthy pinot noir from Château d’Auvernier both paired great with our cheesy main course, as we’ve come to expect from high-acid, lighter-bodied Alpine reds.”

WINE & CULTURE

  1. — Aligoté And The Frontiers of Burgundy — THE NEW WINE REVIEW —“It also reminds us that famous royal second fiddles tend to have a lot more fun than their crowned siblings. Princess Margaret. Prince Harry, before he started shilling sad memoirs and chasing Netflix deals. Chardonnay must live up to the expectations that come along with the mythical status of White Burgundy, while Aligoté can more or less cut loose—and star in some of the region’s most of-the-moment wines from unorthodox producers.”

  2. THE NEXT GREAT PINOT NOIRS FROM FRANCE? — THE NEW WINE REVIEW — “When tasting red Coteaux Champenois, I often notice that the nose has a lot in common with aged Burgundy. I can’t say if this is due to some witchcraft of the Champagne terroir, which somehow spins the illusion of an older wine.”

  3. SELOSSE, UNDER SURVEILLANCE — THE NEW WINE REVIEW — “The benchmark grower Champagne producer employs a novel technology—NFC chips—in a bid to stop its prized cuvées from being flipped on the secondary market. Now if only everyone would play along.”

  4. MY ROSE GLOW UP - EVERYDAY DRINKING — “As students of wine learn, rosé is high on the list of Things That Have Scared Americans, up there with microwaves, Mad Cow, riesling and Sherry.”

  5. MALCONTENT IN THE MIDDLE — EVERYDAY DRINKING — “I grew up in Queens, where these types of middlebrow restaurants didn’t exist for most of my childhood … If you wanted to get fancy, you would “go into the city,” a ritual that had a charming kind of deliberateness to it, and makes me think of Carmela donning a skirt suit for date night in the early seasons of The Sopranos.”

  6. IN VINO, VERY UNSURE — EVERYDAY DRINKING — “I’m led to think of the last line of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise: “I know myself…but that is all.” Sometimes, not knowing is okay. With a wine like the 2015 Caillerets, it can be glorious.”

  7. AS AMERICAN AS BLAUFRANKISCH — EVERYDAY DRINKING — “For some, the signature red grape of Burgenland is obscure or "challenging." For me, it's the taste of my immigrant ancestors, and peppery perfection.”