By day, the island of Capri off the coast of Napoli, can be a tourist nightmare from hell. With swarms of turistas arriving by hyrdofoil from the mainland seemingly every fifteen minutes — who descend upon chic shops on the Via Camerelle such as Bulgheri, Canfora, and Pucci and Gucci — Capri is a Disneylandia. Ah, but by night, Capri is an oasis of tranquility, charm, and loveliness. Sitting in the tiny Piazzetta, as it’s known, one talks, smokes, and sips on limoncello. But for me, it’s the local wine — the white Falanghina, Greco and Biancolella varieties, or the Capri Rosso, made for the most part from Piedirosso – that gives the true taste, literally, of the island.

The Chardonnay grape is a popular varietal in California, both in the vineyards and in people’s glasses. Probably one of the main reasons for its popularity is its ability to play so well with different foods. Chardonnays can have a range of light flavors consisting of citrus notes to subtleties of apple or pear. It’s balanced with a kick of acidity and the mellow rounding-out of its flavor by being aged in oak barrels. This combination makes Chardonnay an ideal feature ingredient for making risotto. A traditional Italian dish, risotto is creamy rice infused with the flavor of its cooking liquid, usually a combination of wine and broth. The high starch content of the Arborio rice is what provides the thickened, rich sauce that gives risotto its signature consistency. The trick behind risotto is to keep mixing the rice to develop this creaminess, so while it’s a dish that requires [...]

When it comes to food, it has become de rigueur to be a so-called locavore. The notion of a locavore is someone who gathers or eats food from within a nebulously defined distance — for argument sake let’s say one hundred miles — from where said foodstuffs are being consumed. But when it comes to wine, thinking locally, for some strange reason, doesn’t seem to be a concern. The new paradigm is reserved for the indigenous domain of the food world. Now if you’re in a restaurant in most any appellation from Spain to France to Italy, you will encounter plenty of local wine. One will never find wines from Burgundy, for instance, while in Bordeaux. But in California? Fergetit. Here, in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are oh-so-cosmopolitan that our wine lists are filthy with bottles from Southern Italy, Northern Spain, Greece, Croatia, and Timbuktu.

Secrets of the Sommeliers Authors: Rajat Parr & Jordan Mackay Subject: Wine Tasting, Buying & Storing Synopsis & Review: To typical diners, a sommelier can appear a bit like Batman — mysterious and hidden in the shadows of a restaurant’s chaos until help is sought by a well-heeled, wine-list-wielding patron. No wonder, really, since there’s never been an insider’s look into the psyche of the sommelier. Until now. Aptly named “Secrets of the Sommeliers,” this tome to understanding, purchasing and savoring classic Old World wines — and their worthy contemporaries — is one of the most relevant books about wine knowledge we’ve seen to date. In contrast to the hundreds of fermented grape guides out there, this is told from the service perspective, which gives collectors and novices alike a rare look into how the finest restaurants in the world run their wine programs. From getting the best deals on [...]

Passitos are made from the indigenous Umbrian grape varietal, Sagrantino, which is arguably one of the most tannic varietals from Italy! Dry Sagrantino table wines are big, full-bodied and intense red wines packed full of tannin and acidity, basically wines that you can cut your teeth! So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered the candy coated gem was actually Sagrantino!

I was lucky to speak with Filippo Antonelli, one of Montefalco’s very best producers, and he was kind enough to walk me through the Passito production process while I sampled his wine, he explained that the grape clusters are selected then they are left to dry on the trellis for up to two months. The grapes are then harvested and pressed to ferment with the must and skins. From there the wine is sent to age for 12 months in wooden cask followed by 16-18 months in bottle.

Zinfandel is truly a versatile red wine. Or so was the consensus after we tasted dozens of fruit-forward, dry, smokey, sweet and savory Zins at the Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing at Fort Mason on Jan. 27. Put on by ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers), the kickoff event to a weekend of wine tasting married 50 Zins from California and beyond with bites from 50 local eateries. A few favorites included lamb lollipops from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse paired elegantly with Klinker Brick Winery’s “Old Ghost,” decadent porcini mushroom-filled tortellini with truffle oil from Il Davide Restaurant, and pink Champagne cupcakes from Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar. From chocolate to hearty meat dishes to housemade jerky from Krave (think: smoked chipotle jerky paired with a spicy Mantra Winery red), the event was proof that Zinfandel pairs swimmingly with a wide array of different dishes. In its 20th year, the ZAP Zinfandel [...]

“Stay busy, get plenty of exercise, and don’t drink too much. Then again, don’t drink too little.” — Herman “Jackrabbit” Smith-Johannsen (born June 15, 1875 – died January 5, 1987) We’ve all heard the dangers of drinking too much. And even though cultures around the world tout a nightly glass of vino, or a daily dose of vodka, Americans don’t talk enough about the benefits of alcohol. Beyond the obvious anecdotal advantages – from establishing camaraderie with coworkers at happy hour to taking the edge off of stage fright – there is actual scientific evidence that alcohol is beneficial to the human animal.

Supposition: Organic wines don’t age well. Supposition: Organic wines don’t contain sulfites. Supposition: Organic wines are better for you. Supposition: Organic wines are better than non-green wines. All of the above may or may not be true – to a certain extent. Proving any or all of the above is akin to proving the existence of God. In the end, all of the above are bubbe meises (grandma’s tales to you) because, do we really know, really? But one thing I wish to make clear, green wine or natural wine, organic wine or biodynamic wine is most likely better for every one and every thing.