French Colombard

More correctly known simply as Colombard. Widely planted in the southwest of France where it is mostly distilled into eaux-de-vie, cognac, and armagnac. In California, high yielding grape made into jug wines. Known as colombar in South Africa, where it is also made into jug wines.

The croissant is a French pastry that was baked into its crescent moon shape in order to look more appealing than traditional round or oblong loaves.

Answer: False.

In fact, the croissant isn’t even really French but Austrian. For centuries, imperialistic Turkish tribes hoping to invade western Europe considered Austria a militarily strategic foothold. Austria usually managed to defend itself against these periodic sieges, but occasionally the Turks prevailed. A brief occupation in the late 1600s had two redeeming results—both culinary. Coffee beans were brought to Vienna, instigating a revolutionary change in Austrian drinking habits, and Viennese bakers created the croissant to commemorate the end of the Turkish siege. The rich dough’s shape was not, alas, a marketing strategy: it was modeled after the crescent moon emblem on the Turkish banners.

“A bottle of wine is an investment to keep the people we love at table for an extra hour every day.”

—Wes Hagen, author and winemaker, J. Wilkes Winery

—Wes Hagen, author and winemaker, J. Wilkes Winery

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