Last night I enjoyed dinner with my dear friends, Andrea and John, at their home.  I took a bottle of Alexana 2007 Revana Vineyard Pinot Noir for us to drink with dinner.  We enjoyed a sparkling Vouvray with caviar canapes while John, who is quite the chef, completed dinner preparations. The first course was a fabulous dish of fresh asparagus in carbonara…

Charleston celebrated the Charleston Wine and Food Festival this weekend.  The weather did not cooperate Saturday, but the Festival was able to make rapid adjustments to ensure that events weren’t adversely affected.  Two years ago, I attended this event and was glad that I selected it, again, this year.  There were fewer wineries this year and more emphasis on food, and many of…

A friend and I made a return visit to McCrady’s for dinner last night and it was another extraordinary, well paced feast for the eyes and palate.  Pictured is the fish course I chose, lupina, with fresh sorrel sauce, fingerling potatoes, and sun chokes.  I took a bottle of Ken Wright 2008 Savoya Vineyard Pinot Noir to drink with dinner.  Like Ken’s Meredith Mitchell Vineyard Pinot that was enjoyed with family…

My Total Wine store located at 1820 Ashley River Road puts on great wine classes.  There is usually one class per month on Saturdays from 3-5 with popular classes repeating on Thursdaysof the same week from 6:30-8:30. For any of you with a Total Wine in the area, the classes and special events are well worth checking out. Yesterday’s subject region was the Pacific Northwest featuring wines…

Continuing my exploration of Charleston area wine shops and wine bars that I have never visited, I stopped in at In Good Tasteon Friday evening.  In Good Taste is a cozy shop that has been in business for over 25 years and is owned by Jacki Boyd.  The store offers wines, whole bean coffees, teas, cheeses, and an assortment of…

Charleston Restaurant Week is in full swing.  On Wednesday, a friend and I tried one of the city’s newer restaurants, The Grocery.  This is another eatery dedicated to serving fresh, locally sourced products.  It has a rather bare bones decor, which suits the building that houses it as well as its name. We selected J. Christopher 2009 Pinot Noir from Willamette…

A friend recently suggested that I check out a wine bar called How Art Thou Café.  Located on James Island, it features local artists as well as a fairly extensive wine list, coffee, juices, and a light food menu.  The café also hosts Friday evening wine tastings to benefit local charities.  Last night’s was in support of Our Lady of…

McCrady’s Restaurant provided one of the most memorable dining experiences I have had anywhere in years last Friday.  It was so perfect, I just had to write about it.  My friend, Chip, and I were greeted warmly at the reception stand and immediately shown to our beautiful table in front of one of the room’s two enormous fireplaces.  We opted to order…

Happy 2012, friends and followers.  I hope your holidays were joyful.  For me, the month of December was filled with parties, great friends, family, and loads of good food and wine.  I am going to have to clean up my act for at least a month!  On Christmas Eve, my brother, sister-in-law, and I started the evening with a bottle…

‘Tis the season – two Champagne tastings last week!  Harry Root, owner of Grass Roots Wine, presented the consumer version of the grower/producer seminar I attended last month.  He provided loads of valuable information and poured 8 grogeous wines.  I began learning about the importance of soil or “terroir” in Oregon, understanding the differences in the wines made from grapes…