Melbourne, Australia Vue de Monde came highly recommended by co-workers of my daughter, Hilary, and it didn’t take much discussion for us to decide that we wanted to try it.  The restaurant has received critical acclaim for over twenty years.  In 2011, Vue moved to the 55th floor of the Rialto building, providing panoramic views of the city.  Upon arrival,…

              Fully half of our second busy day was spent at Crown Valley. This enormous 8,000 acre property is home to vineyards, Black Angus cattle, elk, long horn steer, watusi, and blackberries. The enterprise also includes a brewery, distillery, and various hospitality properties.  An unexpected feature is the family’s not for profit Tiger Sanctuary…

Last weekend, my daughter and trusty tasting partner, Hilary, and I headed off for a little getaway to Santa Barbara County for some wine tasting. The day was partly cloudy and the clouds added dimension and interesting lighting as we drove along the Pacific and into the Santa Ynez foothills. Even though California hasn’t seen much rain this season, there…

Yes, indeed!  On a recent trip to Cincinnati, I had the pleasure of dining at Abigail Street, a wonderful tapas-style restaurant.  Perusing the menu, there was a section titled “Wines on Tap” (more about that below). We asked our server about the wine of the day and learned that it was a Cabernet Franc made at a local vineyard called…

For the first couple of weeks after the trip to Italy, I tried to behave myself, conserving calories and dollars.  However, that can last just so long!  My daughter, Hilary, visited me in Charleston the last weekend of October and we had great fun, as always, eating and drinking our way around town.  Among the highlights were lunch at 39…

Our departure from Gubbio was not without problems.  It was raining (first time during the trip), but more importantly, there was a local run that morning and the tiny streets were blocked off while the runners got started.  I believe I mentioned the bicycle race that interfered with our day in Florence – what are the chances of encountering two…

Last month I visited my home town of Cincinnati to visit friends and attend the Western and Southern Tennis Masters tournament. The culinary highlight of the trip was a wine tasting dinner at The Summit, a restaurant operated by the culinary arts program at  Cincinnati State.  The wines were presented by Vintage Point, a distributor with an eclectic collection of…

In June I made a short trip to Frederick, MD to visit my daughter and son-in-law.  We had dinner at a favorite spot, The Tasting Room.  Conversation with the sommelier, Jarrett Walsh, led to the decision to “go out on a limb” just a little and try a wine made from 100% Cinsault.  This particular wine is made by Michael…

Sass Winery in Salem, Oregon, was founded by wine maker Jerry Sass in 1989 when he purchased 19.4 acres of land and began planting Pinot Noir vines. The production is small, approximately 4,500 cases per year across all of the varietals. Jerry is passionate about the land, the grapes, and the wine making techniques he employs and the results are…

May has been a tasty month.  A friend, who also has a May birthday, and I celebrated our special days at McCrady’s.  Once again, the four course chef’s tasting menu did not disappoint!  Lee was in the mood for Merlot and we couldn’t resist ordering the Velvet Devil.  The Velvet Devil is made by  Charles Smith, an interesting character who…