On the Wine Trail in Italy

You know, there come along those once in a lifetime restaurants. For me,some of them are Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan, Chez Panisse in Berkeley,Barbetta in Manhattan. All marching to the beat of their own different drummer,but noteworthy and unforgettable...

What happens when you aggrandize andenshrine something that for generations has served as daily ritual
The news keeps contradicting itself. Alcohol causescancer. Alcohol prevents loneliness. Wine sales collapsing. Warehousesoverflowing with unsold inventory. Public health crisis. Social connectioncrisis. All true at once, all missing the point....

"Vale più un rimprovero di un amico che un bacio di un nemico"
Year after year, I've witnessed theItalian wine paradox in America. Producers, consorzi, and government wineagencies trace the same familiar circuit: New York to Chicago to San Francisco,ending up in sunny LA or Miami. Meanwhile, cities like Houston...

Itwas finally a clear day in San Diego. I was visiting a friend whose brighter dayswere behind him. But he said, “Let’s take a ride around the island (Coronado,where he lives) and get some fresh air and sunshine. Uncharacteristically, ithad been raining...