Geek: Malvasia Bianca’s DNA

Author of the immortal phrase “In wine there is truth” and one of the earliest writers to describe grape cultivation and winemaking practices as well as the concept of terroir, Pliny the Elder appears to have appreciated the floral loveliness of wines produced from Malvasia grapes. Although he may not call them “Malvasia,” Pliny gives [...]

Tendril is the color and aroma blog

Tendril: a specialized lateral organ strongly possessing a twining tendency causing it to encircle any object encountered
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Our color and aroma blog Tendril features voices, images, and stories, from wine country as well as those places around the world where people come together to enjoy the magic of the grape. This blog connects people around the world [...]

Wine Finds: October

2004 Graeser Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate—Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley
Tucked into the oft damp hillside of Diamond Mountain District in Napa Valley is a small family owned and operated joint called Graeser Winery.  This is not what you would expect from a Napa Valley Winery because when you get up into the Diamond Mountain District, you [...]

The Mission Grape: Spain’s Gift to California

photo by Eric Stoner
It took the Franciscans 65 years to build California’s 21 missions and only a few decades for many of their buildings and possessions to fade away. However, the Franciscans left behind one thing that survives today — their import of the Spanish wine grape known in California as the “Mission grape.” A [...]

Recipe: James Beard’s persimmon bread

Calling for whiskey and squishy-ripe persimmons, this Beard classic is one of the best things I’ve ever made. Using a really tasty single malt may seem like a waste until you taste the results: !
– Editor

3½ cups sifted flour
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 to 2½ cups sugar
1 cup melted unsalted butter, [...]

Wine Anxiety?

Let’s face it: we have no shortage of choices when shopping for a bottle of wine.   Sometimes confronting all those bottles, with their little swirly scripts and, frequently, terms in a foreign language, might make your head hurt when all you want is to find a good bottle that’s going to remind you why [...]

Microgreens: the caviar of greens

Intense: Smaller vegetables reliably deliver more flavor than larger ones. It’s the same with greens.
Various: Basil, beet, radish, arugula, kale, chives, chervil, broccoli, carrot, wasabi, pea, sunflower, dill, fennel, cilantro, chard, etc.
Beautiful: As if a still life came to life in chlorophyll—sprightly colors and textures like impressionistic paint strokes.
Versatile: Provide a bed for a warm [...]

Recipe: winter squash soup

French cooking exemplifies purity. Much like the notable Gallic restraint practiced with the grape by les vignerons, the French chef prioritizes the unadulterated purity of the vegetable. The following recipe foregrounds the rich flavor of its primary ingredient, winter squash.
At every turn, the holidays invite one to make this creamy soup. Pocket some squash from [...]

Coffee Beans and Wine Grapes: Related Passions of the Palate

Aside from the obvious differences, coffee and wine have a lot in common. For one thing, you can’t always have as much as you would like without a side effect. Too much coffee might make you a bit twitchy. But you can drink as much as you like of the strongest coffee in the world [...]

Martin Diedrich: A Passion for Coffee

Just before Thanksgiving 2008, Martin Diedrich invited me to come by his coffee house in Newport Beach to sample his newly roasted coffees.
The name should be familiar:  Martin Diedrich founded Diedrich’s Coffee, the late, lamented chain of coffee shops absorbed last year by Starbucks.  Gladly freed from a corporate association, Diedrich has founded a new [...]

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