Recent Posts

Lap pool at DumaTau photo

DumaTau: Elephants & Luxury Accommodations on the Okavango Delta’s Linyanti River

It is primarily the animals and the landscape that draw us to a photo safari location, not the luxurious accommodations. I always question whether fancy accommodations will separate us from the views and the sounds of the African night. Happily the view and the chorus of nighttime voices were thoroughly enjoyable from our tented suite at DumaTau. Click on individual […]

Cozy Ports featured photo

Cozy Up With A Glass of Port

A chilly day is followed by an even colder evening. You sit fireside wanting just a little taste of something to accompany a good movie after dinner. You’re not craving dessert exactly, just a little something sweet and warming; a glass of Port might be just the thing to satisfy. Port is made in a range of styles with flavors […]

Eight at the Gate featured photo

Eight at the Gate: It’s All About Family and Wine

Including the word family in a winery’s name is the most direct way to indicate the enterprise is a family operation, but it’s certainly not the most creative way to do so. Eight at the Gate, however, might be the smartest way I’ve seen to include family in a winery’s name. How is that you might wonder? Well, when two […]

Smith-Madrone Chardonnay and Cabernet featured photo

Smith-Madrone: Wines That Stand the Taste of Time

Brothers Stu and Charles Smith have been making wine on Spring Mountain above Napa Valley since the early 1970s. The mountainside location sets Smith-Madrone apart from the valley and so does the brothers’ winemaking style. They make Cabernet Sauvignon in an elegant, old-world style along with lively, oaked Chardonnay and Riesling — yes, Riesling, because they both really love Riesling. […]

Franciacorta for the holidays photo

Franciacorta: A Name to Know if You Love Sparkling Wine

Franciacorta is a small wine region that lies in northern Italy’s Lombardia (Lombardy) region. Only sparkling wines made here using the traditional method, metodo classico, may be called Franciacorta. Chardonnay, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and Pinot Bianco are the main grape varieties. Erbamat, an indigenous white variety with naturally high acidity levels, has also been approved recently. Why should you […]

2021 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau featured photo

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau: A First Taste of the 2021 Vintage

Every year, Beaujolais Nouveau Day falls on the third Thursday in November and celebrates the end of harvest in Beaujolais. The early release date gives consumers a first taste of the vintage. Les Vins Georges Duboeuf has been a big promoter of Beaujolais Nouveau over the years and makes a Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé and Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau. This year […]