Hatchet Hall's Wine List Is a Cruel and Maddening Joke. Let Me Explain.
This week I review Hatchet Hall, and in the review I make a few complaints about the restaurant's wine list, put together by Maxwell Leer. There wasn't enough room in the review for me to put down all...
View ArticleWine Cocktails Are Everything That's Wrong With Trying to Make Wine Fun
You know what no one has ever said, in the entire history of booze? “This vodka martini is a little too stiff for me; could you pour some chardonnay in it, please?” Wine and cocktails, much like rap...
View ArticleThis Road Trip to Monterey County Wine Country Is Perfect for Fall
A dream getaway for any fan of both literature and wine, the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County is the world that John Steinbeck introduced to many of us. From the rich, fertile valleys the Joad...
View ArticlePartying With the 1-Percenters at Beverly Hills' $1 Billion Mountaintop...
To get to the most expensive piece of property in Beverly Hills, you turn off Benedict Canyon Drive and ascend a winding series of roughly paved roads, past the homes of Hollywood producers,...
View ArticleThese California Wines Are All You Need to Bring to Thanksgiving
Traditionally, no Thanksgiving table is complete without a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau, that misunderstood wine that comes out every year right around November and acts as a first taste of the harvest...
View ArticleInnovative Sparkling Wine Is on the Rise Among California Winemakers
When Norm Yost of Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc released his first sparkling wine 10 years ago, his competition from other Santa Barbara County winemakers was non-existent. "The first three to four...
View ArticleApparently Otium Has a Great Wine Program. Who Knew?
In my review of Otium this week, I never got around to discussing the wine program, mostly because I had so much else to say about the restaurant. I also left out wine because, despite Otium having a...
View ArticleMatt Wilson Is Augustine Wine Bar's New Chef
Exciting news today from Sherman Oaks: Augustine Wine Bar, which captured our attention making its vintage wine collection available by the glass, has a new chef. Matt Wilson, who along with his wife...
View ArticleFundamental L.A.'s Tippler Club Is the Wine Club You've Been Waiting for
Wine clubs are often a lot better in theory than they are in practice. A couple of mystery bottles sent your way with a little writeup can be great for the wine lover wanting to try new things and...
View ArticleA Once-Sleepy Pit Stop on the 101 Has Become a Hub for Top-Notch California Wine
Two decades ago, Paso Robles was just a sleepy, Western-themed town on the 101 freeway with a few dozen wineries. Today the region, halfway between L.A. and San Francisco, boasts more than 200 of them...
View ArticleOrange Wine Is a Summer Day-Drinking Revelation
When was the last time you heard someone shout “rosé all day?” Was it Fourth of July weekend at a friend’s BBQ or maybe out on the patio at Everson Royce? America has undoubtedly hit peak rosé, but...
View ArticleRepublique Sommelier Maria Garcia Is the Wikipedia of Wine
The child of Mexican immigrants, Maria Garcia went to culinary school and landed her first wine job at a high-end shop in the Beverly Hilton. It was a world away from Norwalk and Whittier, where she...
View ArticleThe Band UB40 Is Now Selling Wine ... Red Red Wine
You've swayed to the music. Will you like the band's actual red wine?
View ArticleCanned Wine and Grocery Store Snacks — Live Large on a Budget This Summer
Are you balling on a budget? Here's how to do an elegant picnic on the cheap.
View ArticleJuly Is a Very French Month, and Taix Is Going Big for It
July is every Francophile's favorite month. Celebrate it with wine.
View ArticleAsian Restaurants in L.A. With European Wine Lists — It's the Latest Trend
For whatever reason, the wines of certain European countries pair well with the foods of several Asian countries.
View ArticleTry "Funky" Wine — You Might Just Like it Dirty
As our palates become more sophisticated, we may just learn to enjoy funky wine.
View ArticleYour Information About Chardonnay Is Outdated
There are some specific bottles that pair well with L.A. faves like sushi, fish tacos and grilled chicken.
View ArticleAt Tintorera, the Ambitious Wine and Cocktail Programs Are as Mexican as the...
"Mexico is now what Napa was 20 or 25 years ago," chef Maycoll Calderón says.
View ArticleCasa Vega Gets an Update, Adds Rare Wines From Valle de Guadalupe
The beloved restaurant recently upgraded.
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