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Value (in millions of US$) of the market for panettone this year in the US according to reporting by The New York Times. The popularity of the classic Italian Christmas bread studded with candied citrus has exploded in this country. The first year-round all-panettone bakery in the US—Panettone by Roy—is the best panettone in the world according to your correspondent. Not to mention very pricey.

Among the names of famous Bordeaux wines, the words mouton, lafite, and cos all derive from old Gascon words for “sheep.”

Answer: False.

The now iconic terms are actually related to the archaic words for “hill.” Many of Bordeaux’s best vineyards are often on slight hillocks and/or on very well-drained soils of gravel and stone. As testament to this, their names: Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschid, and Chateau Cos d’Estournel often pay tribute to this critical feature. While many of the vineyards of Bordeaux—and especially of the Médoc, including Margaux, Pauillac, St.-Julien, and St.-Estèphe—appear quite flat, there are gently rolling hills that create variations in topography, orientation to the sun, soil, and drainage patterns.

An Old Cork’s Best Friend

Just pulled this fantastic cork from a bottle of 30-year-old Sterling “Diamond Mountain Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). I’m sure it would have crumbled into a zillion pieces if I had tried to take it… Continue reading

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