Jeff! Where Have You Been?

If you have followed my blog for some time, you might have noticed a dramatic slowdown in my posting frequency over the last two years. Today I am returning to more active posting. What happened? Read on. Short attention span? Here’s the TL;DR: Sold the House, Moved to France 2021: The InvitationOur son moved to … Continue reading

Celebrate Earth Day with Female Winemakers in the Rhône

Women Taking Leadership Positions in Rhone WineriesAll over France, women are establishing a real presence in the wine industry. In the Rhône Valley, some women are taking their commitments to sustainability into the vineyard and winery. Today on Earth Day 2024, we’re highlighting three winemakers working in the Côtes du Rhône and Cótes du Rhône … Continue reading

Marquessa – a Marquette Hybrid Appellation #WorldWineTravel

World Wine Travel Writers Explore Hybrid Grapes/WinesThis month, our writers are looking into hybrid grapes and the wines made from them. Hybrid grapes are becoming increasingly important as they can be bred for increased disease resistance and tolerance to different temperatures while hopefully retaining the ability to make tasty wine. Keeping all these features is … Continue reading

Explore Hybrid and PIWI Wines with #WorldWineTravel

Wines Made from Hybrid GrapesThis month, our World Wine Travel writers are exploring wines made from hybrid grapes. One might ask what is a hybrid grape? We’ll explore what hybrid grapes are, why they are increasingly important given a changing climate, and what they offer. And to answer the question of whether wines made from … Continue reading

Cabin Chores, Pizza and a Great Bottle of Wine

Spring = Cabin ChoresWe co-own a cabin a couple hours north of Minneapolis. Spring and fall are our seasons for doing chores, making improvements, fixing whatever is broken; there might be some fun had along the way. I particularly love the early spring as our section of the lake is often deserted, so much peace … Continue reading

Tartiflette: Quick! Before Spring Arrives

Tartiflette – A French Alps ClassicTartiflette is a classic cold weather dish from the Haut-Savoie region in the French Alps. It’s perfect on a snowy or even cold rainy night with its’ rich potatoes, stinky washed-rind Reblochon cheese and lardons-fumé (smoked bacon). Make lots because you’ll eat more than you predict and the leftovers are … Continue reading

Wine and Hip Hop – Why Not?

Wine & Hip Hop at Château du Clos de VougeotWhat do wine and hip hop have to do with one another? When I saw the event posted, I knew I wanted to find out for myself. Hip hop was in it’s infancy way back when I was in college, and I never really jumped on … Continue reading

How to Gift a Wine for Your Wine Geek Friend #winophiles

French Winophiles Explore French Wines as GiftsThis month, our French Winophiles are exploring French Wines as gifts. Did you receive a French wine over the holidays? Did you give one? Do you wish you would have received one? This might seem a bit late, but there are lots of gift giving opportunities in a year: … Continue reading

A Burgundian Approach to Beaujolais #Winophiles

Winophiles Celebrate All the Forms of BeaujolaisThe third Thursday in November is the annual release date for Beaujolais Nouveau, that fresh and fruity 1st wine of the year. A great marketing tool, Beaujolais Nouveau became very successful, unfortunately at the cost to more serious wines from the region. This year, our French Winophiles are celebrating … Continue reading

Why is Argentine Wine Unique? #WorldWineTravel

World Wine Travel Writers Celebrate ArgentinaThis month, our World Wine Travel writers are exploring wines of Argentina. Many of our writers received samples thanks to Trapiche and Mascota wineries, though other posts are welcome. Look further down in this post for a list of links to all our finds. You’re invited to join our chat … Continue reading