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Toujours, Paris…. Always Paris. For those who have visited Paris, returning provides another opportunity to see old friends, enjoy familiar restaurants and drink at favorite wine bars. But whether it’s a return trip or a first-time visit, the famed “City of Light” always offers chances to experience new discoveries in food, wine and culture around […]

Like most Americans, vermouth has never been a big favorite for me. Sure, it’s an essential ingredient in a classic Negroni cocktail. But drink it straight up? No, thanks. Typically, it is either too sweet or too bitter or both at the same time. Part of the great fun with wine, however, is making discoveries

Alto Adige/Südtirol is Italy’s northernmost and smallest wine producing region accounting for less than 1% of Italy’s vast winegrowing areas. Yet despite being a dot on the map nestled in the mountains, Alto Adige/Südtirol is a giant in the wine world. In recent decades, consumer demand worldwide has steadily grown for Alto Adige/Südtirol’s wines,  which

Mention John Wabeck’s name to restaurant professionals working in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C. and beyond, and they inevitably note two points. First, his extensive wine knowledge and experience are second to none. But he’s also an esteemed mentor known for his dry, self-deprecating humor while taking time to coach, share knowledge, motivate and advise other professionals

The saga of Cantina di Tortona in northwestern Italy’s Piemonte region is a story of tenacity and economic survival, both for winegrowers and a unique grape. Winegrowers collectively own the Cantina di Tortona as a cooperative. The unique grape is Timorasso. In 1931, the farmers and winegrowers of the Tortona hills in southeastern Piemonte faced

Pittsburgh wine enthusiasts finally have the kind of authentic wine bar they have long craved. Since late October 2024, when veteran restaurant professionals and wine sommeliers Tyler Borne (pictured above on the left) and Aaron Gottesman (pictured above on the right) launched Solera Wine Co. in Lawrenceville, the positive response and buzz has continued to

In Italy — no matter the region — meals customarily end with small cups of amaro, a traditional bittersweet herbal liqueur. In America, the amaro tradition has grown steadily in popularity, especially at accomplished, innovative Italian restaurants such as Bar Marco in the Strip District. Jason Renner, Bar Marco’s affable and famously bewhiskered bartender, champions

During the long days of COVID-19 lockdown, everybody had time to contemplate bringing dreams to fruition. Entrepreneur Diana Espinosa March and her husband, Ricardo March, used the time to lay the groundwork for launching Bacan Guaro, a modern take on aguardiente, a traditional clear spirit from Colombia. Born in northern Italy with Italian and Spanish 

When Euan Henderson, the manager of Scotland’s Speyburn Distillery, was a 10-year-old lad, his father, Iain, became distillery manager at Laphroaig Distillery. In 1989, the Henderson family moved to the windswept southwestern Scottish island of Islay (pronounced “EYE-la”), and it was there that Euan’s informal apprenticeship in Scotch whisky began. “It was a remote place