They say that around the world, a bottle of Moët & Chandon is opened every second. If what they say is true, the 282-year old house has got to be one of the most popular Champagne brands in history. In addition to being the official Champagne of the Golden Globes and partnering with stars suchContinue reading "A chef’s table at a private Champagne château"
48 Hours in Reims, Champagne
Reims is an ideal home base for a trip to Champagne. Planning a wine trip in one of France’s wine regions can be overwhelming due to the amount of wineries available to visit. Not only is Reims extremely walkable, but many of the major Maisons are there, such as Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Taittinger, and Lanson.Continue reading "48 Hours in Reims, Champagne"
Wine & “The Bear”
A wine industry perspective on the summer’s new hit show
What it’s like to work a harvest in Napa Valley
When I graduated from the Viticulture & Enology program at UC Davis, my degree had prepared me for what to expect when working a harvest. I also had several friends who had worked in production post-grad so I had a pretty good understanding of what a harvest internship would entail. However, in my 3 yearsContinue reading "What it’s like to work a harvest in Napa Valley"
Where to Taste – Napa
With over 400 wineries and new ones popping up all the time, Napa can be a daunting place to plan a wine getaway if you're not familiar with producers and the different AVAs. This post is by no means comprehensive, but let it serve as a jumping off point for where to look when bookingContinue reading "Where to Taste – Napa"
Life lessons I learned from the French (part 1)
Has there always been this obsession with the French? Their style, their cuisine, how the heck they stay so thin? Of course the French have taught us many things over the course of time, probably without necessarily trying to (which makes it all the more frustrating). When adopting some of the French savoir-faire we oftenContinue reading "Life lessons I learned from the French (part 1)"
La Rentrée
Since moving to France, many people from home have asked me “is it true that the French take all of summer off???” And I’m here to say that it’s partially true. August is dedicated to vacation in France and many people do take the entire month off to reset from the year. It’s not uncommonContinue reading "La Rentrée"
Highlights from the Salon Première Coudée in Paris
Two of my favorites from November 6, 2023 I’ve written about my experience visiting a few different wine salons in Paris, but this week I had the opportunity to visit a more intimate wine tasting event with select, artisan producers thanks to the suggestion of a good friend, colleague and fellow Aggie. The salon tookContinue reading "Highlights from the Salon Première Coudée in Paris"
How an underwater treasure developed into a 40-year experiment and a luxury voyage of a lifetime
In 2010, a Nordic diver discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Finland in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The shipwreck had an incredible treasure: over 100 well-preserved bottles of champagne from the 1840s, and 47 of them were Veuve Clicquot cuvées from the time of Madame Clicquot herself. After several teams of œnologistsContinue reading "How an underwater treasure developed into a 40-year experiment and a luxury voyage of a lifetime "
How to spend a day in the 11th arrondissement of Paris
Every arrondissement, or district, of Paris has its charm. In the 7th you can find the Eiffel Tower and chic shopping streets. In the 18th, the culturally historic Montmartre and its famous Moulin Rouge. And of course, the arrondissements are infamously numbered in a spiral formation, as if to purposefully confuse us. courtesy of https://snippetsofparis.com/eleventh-arrondissement-paris/Continue reading "How to spend a day in the 11th arrondissement of Paris"
What I’m Drinking – LES LUMIÈRES
How a solo trip to Marseille lead to a serendipitous wine discovery that I will never forget The South of France is a state of mind – the rolling lavender fields, the Cypress trees looming over the villages, and of course the wine. It’s a mindset, an almost mystical ideal. With an unusually rainy andContinue reading "What I’m Drinking – LES LUMIÈRES"
Is Swiss wine a thing?
We all think of the Alps, the cheese, the beautiful rolling hills, the cute little villages within hiking distance of one another, the chocolate and of course the watches. What we don't often think of is the wine. Does Switzerland make wine? Yes! And it's quite tasty at that. Grapevines in Switzerland are recorded toContinue reading "Is Swiss wine a thing?"
Let’s go wine tasting on the world’s most active volcano
It’s a widely known fact that Italy is one of the world’s oldest wine growing regions. We often think of Piemonte, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, the list goes on. However, there is a very important part of Italy that has often been overlooked, until recently, and that is Sicily. Wine is grown in many regions of Sicily,Continue reading "Let’s go wine tasting on the world’s most active volcano"
Wine in France & What I’m Drinking
One of the reasons I've long-dreamt of moving to France was the sheer abundance of wine. Wine is truly part of everyday life here and inherent in the culture. Many French people grow up having little tastes of wine here and there at family dinners well before they reach the legal drinking age of 18Continue reading "Wine in France & What I’m Drinking"
The Younger Wine 