BLog
Roast Fruit
What a perfect time of year to discover the delicious flavors you can create by roasting fruit. Roasting fruit intensifies flavors and allows the sugars to caramelize. Almost any fruit can be roasted, even those that do not readily come to mind. Below are some...
GREEN CURRY CHICKEN
I love green curry so I decided to put together a chicken curry and challenge my sister to pair it with a fun wine from Locals. This is a simple, rich dish. It can be spicy or quite mild according to your tastes. It comes together in...
Cabbage and Sausage Roast
Cabbage and Sausage Roast (With credit to the New York Times for a lot of guidance and inspiration.) The Wine: The beauty of this dish is the complex flavors and a variety of textures that arise out of the basic simplicity of the ingredients. What this does is open up...
From Disappointment to Discovery
For years I've struggled to make a good burger at home. I get a good burger at a restaurant and it always sends me back to the drawing board. Breadcrumbs, panko, egg, different seasonings, different fat content. I’ve tried them all and then some. I knew what I should...
What To Drink?
In my last blog entry I looked into what wines pair well with spicy food. This time I’m taking a different approach. I’m going to describe a meal I made recently and let Carolyn pick the wines. The Meal: I went to our local great fish shop in search of a simple nice...
Don’t Let Habit Stand In The Way of New Experiences
Even though the weather is quite warm, that does not stop my desire for spicy food. In fact, there’s a real pleasure to eating a spicy dish on a warm night. And what to drink with a spicy dish... well, the easy answer immediately comes to mind... a cold beer of...
Wine Country Commuting
A month ago it was raining. The irrigation ditches you dug in September washed out and long webs of water the color of chocolate milk criss-cross your driveway, which is two miles long. Almost to the road, one of your property’s oldest oaks is downed. There are long...
CORKED WINE – WHAT IT IS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
There is a lot of commentary out about “corked” wine. Some of that commentary seems designed to create mystery or intimidation. This post is not that. The goals are simple: Explain what corked wine is, how to tell if wine is corked and what to do if you discover...
The Vinegar Challenge
Have you ever made vinegar? I haven’t but I love cooking and experiments. And, vinegar is all the rage right now as a seasoning for many dishes. Never let it be said that I am not one to get caught up in trends! So, I’ve done (a little) research and feel up for...
THE BLACK GLASS CHALLENGE
We are often told that enjoying wine involves all the multiple senses; taste, smell, appearance, temperature. But you might not be aware of how critical the senses are to the wine drinking experience. One way to get an idea of the importance of all the senses to our...
Shoes at Locals
You're deep in your reverie. What a find! You're sipping some of the best wines you've tasted in ages. Free tastes!!!!!!! Over seventy bottles from ten amazing small production winemakers. Looking up you see one of the coolest curated selection of shoes, yes shoes,...
What Is A GSM Wine?
This Blog entry is one of a series exploring some of the more common questions I get asked by visitors to Locals. We will also delve a little bit into how the questions relate to the Russian River Valley wines and Locals’ wines in particular. Today we are exploring...
Pan Roasted Striped Bass with White Bean and Arugula Salad
Some time back my brother Robert who lives on the East Coast, and I decided to collaborate on food and wine pairings. Robert is an amazing cook and here is one of his favorite meals. Give this recipe a try and pair it with the Parmeson Chardonnay.... I promise you...
Why Pick Up When Patrick Calls
Well, if you are man or woman ages 25 through 75 and single you absolutely shouldn't—the salt and pepper looks and lachrymose sighs are but tarpits of charm. But, if you have a passing interest in wine then keeping him on the line may just learn you a thing or...
The Solipsistic Nature of Wine and Myself
The nature of self is fickle, prone to temper tantrums, runs of bad behavior, and can easily be abraded when brushing up against the ideals and ideas of others. But without the reflections seen in the shining eyes of an audience the self could lack validity--after...
