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Hello again! It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but life took some funny turns so I couldn’t devote the time I wanted to. So, rather than just post some junk, (there’s enough of that around anyway) I decided to stop writing and reassess. Well, I’ve move to a new house to be closer to my family down here in the Carolinas. I have also added a new granddaughter. So many other things,…

“Latin is a language, as dead as dead can be. First it killed the Romans. Now it’s killing me!”I learned this poem as a young Latin Scholar. (I took Latin for three years back in high school.) I know I have mentioned this before but it is worth repeating and is very pertinent here. Very often what attracts me to a wine is an attractive label. Something that catches my eye, makes it interesting.…

“Wine improves with age. I improve with wine.” As I write some of these blogs I sometimes get a little caught up in the emotion. For a variety of reasons. Well, this is one of those columns. My son and his wife( my daughter) gave me this bottle as a Christmas present. Now, he knows little or nothing about wine. He doesn’t even like it (which leads me to question his lineage frankly) but it means…

“Good wine is a good familiar creature, if used well.” from Othello Margaux is a wine growing commune located in Haut-Medoc in the Bordeaux Region of France, which in turn is centered in the village of Margaux. This area contains several other small villages and is located on the bank of the Gironde, an estuary with its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean. Here in this wine growing region, the soil is…

(Republished from an earlier date at the suggestion of a friend. And I was so proud of myself for figuring out how to do it too!!! Enjoy this.) “A tavola non si invecchia” (At the table, you don’t get old) Italian cooking is a lot of things: fragrant, flavorful, satisfying and on and on. In most cases the ingredients are simple, even home-grown, and just produce some of the finest eating in the…

That’s a pork roast back there “The wine cup is the little silver well, where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell,” Shakespeare Let me begin by saying this, repeating this actually…when you see the words “Montepulciano D’Abruzzo” on the bottle, the wine inside that bottle is of a superior quality. As I have told my sons and many others, if you see that designation on the label, you can’t go…

This is a great recipe, delicious and so easy to prepare. The “stuffing” takes a few minutes but seeps into the meat giving it a succulent flavor and keeping it juicy as everything melds into a taste sensation. Pork Loin-about 3-4 pounds4 cloves pressed garlic¼ cup plain bread crumbsSalt to tasteDash each of cumin and turmeric¼ cup EVOO Stand the pork up on its end and, with a very long knife,…

Name an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t got around to visiting. Here in the Carolinas I would like to visit the wine country. Then a drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains. A lot to see here. Funny how so many people travel the world but never appreciate the splendor of their own back yard.

“That’s what they do in Argentina. Have a little wine and talk. Then have some coffee and talk. Then, go back to the wine.” Malbec is the traditional wine of Argentina. Similar in body and taste to Cabernet Sauvignon, it boasts more of a smoky flavor and a dark fruit finish making it a favorite in a land where beef is a staple and the Gauchos still ride free. Originally grown in France, it is…

“Life imitates art.” It is never my intent to be political or to pit one political party against the other. I have my own views there. But this is something that I feel needs to be said. The other night my wife and I sat and watched this movie. It was a painful film to watch for many reasons. One, it was a very low budget movie, and at times very difficult to understand. The cast was relatively…

This will be the 71st New Year these eyes have seen, and believe me They’ve seen a lot. A WHOLE lot! Each year starts out the same, new hopes, new resolutions and a new determination to do. to be and to make things better. This year is no different. 2023 will be behind us with all the conflict and non-resolution. But looking forward, we have so much to look forward to. We’re still here for one…

In this time of year it is so important to remember all the good things we’ve been given. Remember the reason for the season. Remember all the gifts, all the memories and the precious gift of life given to us. I wish all of you the best in this Holy Season of Christmas. “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the…

Every once in a while you see a film that hits you just right. Drama, comedy or dramedy there is something about it that makes you sit and watch it. Curiosity is peaked for some unknown reason. But at the end you know you’ve seen something special. This is one of those times. Star in the Night is an award winning short film from 1945. With a cast of relative unknowns it is the story of Christmas…

“Feast Mode Activated!!” Here it is. The Christmas season and everything seems to come out. So you go to your local grocer, novelty shop or specialty store, and there it is. The traditional red and gold box screams at you. Not far away from the other mystery tradition, fruitcake. The Panettone. You see it this time every year. Who knows. That box could be the same one that was on the shelf last…