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Syrah & Gouda — The Pairing You Didn’t See Coming
This one surprises people. The obvious pairings for Northern Rhône Syrah are the bold ones — red meat, game, roasted lamb, anything with enough presence to meet the wine's structure. These work. They are correct. But there is a quieter pairing that rewards...
Peppercorn-Crusted Ribeye with Northern Rhône Syrah — A Pairing That Makes Sense
The peppercorn in the crust and the peppercorn in the wine are not a coincidence. Northern Rhône Syrah has a signature note — rotundone, a compound in the grape's skin that registers on the palate as cracked black pepper. When you put a peppercorn-crusted ribeye in...
Syrah — The Grape That Knows What It Is
Syrah knows what it is. It does not try to be approachable before it is ready. It does not soften itself for a crowd. It has a set of qualities — pepper, dark fruit, iron, structure — and it brings them to every wine it makes, from a $20 Saint-Joseph to a $200...
The Northern Rhône — Where Syrah Works Alone
We left Châteauneuf-du-Pape early on a Friday morning in November — cold, clear, the sun still low over the plain. The drive north took nearly two hours. By the time we reached Tain-l'Hermitage, the light had settled into that particular winter quality the Rhône does:...
Mushroom & Tapenade Crostini with GSM — A Pairing Built on Earth
Some pairings work because they contrast. A crisp white wine against a rich cream sauce. Champagne against oysters. The wine cuts through the food and both become sharper for it. This is not one of those pairings. Mushroom and tapenade crostini with a GSM blend works...
The GSM Blend — What Actually Matters About These Three Grapes
Wine blends are relationships. And like most relationships, the interesting ones aren't about any single participant — they're about what happens between them. The GSM blend is one of the most elegant examples of this in the wine world. Grenache, Syrah, and...
The Rhône Valley — Where Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre Come Home
There is a castle on a hill above Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Or what remains of one. The tower is partial now — the rest carried off over centuries for building stone — but from the top you can see most of what matters: the Rhône below, pale and wide; the garrigue-covered...
Roast Lamb & Burgundy Pinot Noir: Your Easter Table, Planned
Easter Sunday is in three days. If you are planning a roast lamb, today is the day to think about what goes in the glass alongside it. Not because wine is the point of Easter, but because the right bottle — opened at the right temperature, poured at the right...
Pinot Noir: The Grape That Demands Respect
Pinot Noir is the most difficult major red grape in the world to grow. This is not a provocation. It is a well-established viticultural fact. Pinot Noir is thin-skinned and therefore vulnerable to frost, rot, and disease. It buds early, which exposes it to...
Burgundy Pinot Noir: The Red Side of the Greatest Wine Region on Earth
We are spending three weeks in Burgundy — the region, the white wines, the Chardonnay map from Chablis to Côte de Beaune. This week we turn to the red side. One grape. One region. A range that extends from approachable, honest, genuinely affordable wines to some of...
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Meet Anne
Meet your guide through Food Wine and Flavor. Anne holds WSET3, CSW, FWS (French Wine Scholar) and CSWS (Certified Sherry Wines Specialist) certifications as well as a passion for Savoring the Good Stuff!
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