The new French Laundry lives—and it’s in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Ok, it’s not the French Laundry (the Napa Valley restaurant owned by chef Thomas Keller). But the new restaurant ōkta in the small… Continue reading
Anyone who loves food and loves wine, knows that the marriage of the two can be the ethereal equivalent of 1 + 1 = 3. Although, I have to admit, on any given night, I… Continue reading
Guest Blog by Anne-Marie Failla Note from Karen: Anne-Marie Failla, the newest member of our team at Karen MacNeil & Co. takes “research” seriously. Here’s everything you wanted to know about the best egg nog. Oops, I… Continue reading
Yesterday, I had the honor of giving the commencement speech at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for the students in the Accelerated Culinary Arts Program and Wine and Beverage Graduate Certificate Program. The… Continue reading
As Champagne is in France or Port is in Portugal, Sherry is Spain’s most complex and labor-intensive wine. It was also once Spain’s (maybe the world’s) most tragically forgotten wine. But in the last few… Continue reading
Every year in the lead-up to New Years, I buy panettone. Not just one of the golden-topped Champagne-cork-shaped breads—many of them. Which I then devour with glasses of fizzy moscato or keemun tea. But this… Continue reading
Astrophysicists say that the two best states to be in are wrong or confused, because then everything around you becomes exciting and open to discovery. I was thinking about this gem of an idea the… Continue reading
For the last 8,000 years, wine’s closest companion has been food. Indeed, the two are so close that they are often thought of as inseparable. In Italy for example, when someone drinks too much, they… Continue reading
Lately I’ve been in countless restaurants that start pouring prosecco when I ask for a glass of Champagne. I like good prosecco. But offering prosecco in place of Champagne is like suggesting a tofu patty… Continue reading
Since its origin approximately 8,000 years ago, wine has always had a constant companion: food. For most of European history, little distinction was drawn between the two. Wine was food. It was as intimate a… Continue reading
For as long as I’ve been drinking wine, I’ve been slicing up baguettes to serve as palate cleansers alongside. (I’ve heard celery and roast beef proposed as superior for the job, but c’mon, celery? I’m… Continue reading
By Karen MacNeil Dungeness Crab season has just opened—the first time it’s opened before Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. And just in the nick of time, because I need to drink some… Continue reading
