Over the past few years, interest in fine food has soared in the
Netherlands and the country no longer is a gastronomic desert. In a
strange way, the lack of culinary traditions has allowed Dutch chefs to
think out of the box and experiment. Leading this avant-garde wave is
Restaurant Oud-Sluis in the village of Sluis, population 6,500.
Sure, there's a lot to consider when you buy that special bottle of New
Year's bubbly. But while you're weighing all the obvious questions
about vintages and price, here's a less obvious but equally important
consideration -- namely, how you're going to serve it.
Our cups runneth over this time of year.
So do our recycling bins.
The piles of empty bottles raise the issue of whether there's a greener way to package and ship wine.
Shawn Giordano, a private chef for a family on New York's Upper East
Side, perfected the craft alongside Wolfgang Puck. Giordano started at
Spago Beverly Hills, then continued at several other restaurants owned
by Puck. When he's relaxing at home, Shawn likes to prepare dishes that
remind him of his childhood in the Hudson Valley, where "everything was
homemade." His Italian-American father even pressed grapes to make wine
for the family.
The latest camera? He's got it. Earrings? She'll yawn.
The ultimate holiday-shopping challenge is finding a gift for those people in your life who basically can -- and do -- buy anything for themselves.
Here are suggestions for when money is no object but ideas are scarce.
Fall foliage sends thousands of New Yorkers north in search of
brilliant natural beauty. But how long can you stare at trees, no
matter how colorful? You need something to provide a little structure to the trip, and the Dutchess Wine Trail is as good a framework as any. (Grape vines have leaves, too.)
Spectacular natural scenery, low-key wineries, intimate inns,
first-rate restaurants, easy hiking trails: Northern California's
Anderson Valley and Mendocino coast have all the makings of a relaxing
getaway.
Harvest is the most thrilling time to visit wine country, and you don't have to be a winemaker to be part of the buzz.
From Napa to New York, anyone can help winery crews in the
vineyard or the winery, from picking and sorting grapes to blending and
tasting the wines as they go into barrel.
But today, the home-entertainment system is as common a luxury as an
iPod. Now a new breed of specialty room -- the wine cellar -- is fast
on its way to becoming the next standard in luxury real estate, says
Jim Donald, president of Tuscan Wine Cellars. He estimates that nine out of 10 homes in the high-end areas of most cities have them.
You're at a business dinner. It's the end of the day, you're tired, thirsty and hungry, and the first thing the waiter asks you is what you'd like to drink.
You're still on the clock, technically, so your actions here are considered part of your job performance. You would like a glass of wine, but how exactly should you order it in this situation?
The short answer is sparingly, appropriately and indulgently.
