Hope everyone had a fun holiday weekend. It was my first 4th of July in the city in 6 years! My best friend and former roommate flew in from Chicago and we ate and drank our way through the city, the perfect way to spend a 3-day weekend if you ask me! To top it off we had what felt like a private viewing and…
One wine recommended to us while in Provence was the 2012 Cassis from Clos Ste. Magdeleine. Slightly richer and weightier, the wine was a blend of Marsanne, Ugni Blanc, Clairette, and Bourboulenc hailing from the town Cassis appellation, just south of St. Remy on the Mediterranean sea. My experience with some of these grapes in the past has yielded floral and overly fruity wines, but…
One of our most memorable days in Provence was our tour through the hill-towns of the Luberon. Julie set us up with our fabulous guide, Philippe. He picked us up bright and early at the hotel and drove us through each town, sharing stories and insider info about the region along the way. We started the day with a stop in the melon capitol of…
When in Provence, it’s only appropriate to do as the locals do and drink rosé! My Chardonnay-loving mother even came around to the pink drink! Rosé is certainly having a moment these days. For those curious about what makes a rosé, it’s a style of wine, like red or white, the color is determined by the amount of time that the juice is kept in…
It’s officially summer! Hopefully the rain will see itself out now; enough with this June gloom! Last year I created my first summer bucket list to remind myself to take advantage of this short but glorious season. This year, with hopefully more weekends in NYC, I hope to take full advantage of this city with some fun trips planned in between, because obviously I can’t…
Last month Mom and I crossed the pond for our second annual Euro-tour. After our amazing experience in Beaune last year, we decided to further indulge our inner francophiles and explore more in France. First stop was St. Remy de Provence in southern France. Fresh off the plane and first sip of rosé at 8am NY time We made St. Remy our home base…
I’m back, sorry for the absence, lots going on around here. But I still have so much to catch you up on! First, a preview to our Euro-travels. We spent our first day in France visiting Châteauneuf du Pape. The city is known as the “new castle of the Pope” named for the palace in which the first Pope of France (Pope Clement V) resided in the…
In prep for my Barcelona tapas extravaganza, I recently visited Casa Mono in Gramercy for a warm-up. I’m a huge Mario Batali fan but hadn’t made a point to try his Spanish offerings (although this may be some of his favorite cuisine as I’ve learned from diligently watching daily episodes of The Chew). We settled in to 2 seats at the chef’s counter, which made…
Bonjour, buenos dias, hello! I’m back. What a whirlwind of a month, can’t quite believe it’s over. I have so many adventures to share with you. But first, earlier this month we enjoyed a lovely bottle of white Burgundy at Cochon restaurant to kick off our girls’ weekend in New Orleans. The 2013 Montagny 1er Cru by Jean-Marc Boillot was everything I love in a…
I recently visited the Ten Bells Wine Bar on the lower east side. This place has been on my list for quite some time and I’m kicking myself for not getting down there sooner! It’s cozy without being cramped, on a Friday night at 7pm we were quickly seated at 2 bar stools. They have a great selection of natural and biodynamic wines as well…
