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The big T-Day dinner left us full, very full of turkey, stuffing and (non-canned) cranberry sauce. After more than two weeks off of writing and a busy day job schedule, we’ve got some catching up to do! Germany, of any country, has an incredible Christmas culture. Reflecting on the Christmas I spent with Johannes there, […]

If you’ve ever driven north on Route 1 from San Francisco, or west from Sonoma County, you know the beautiful and wild scenery along the drive. Sleepy towns and beachfront houses hiding behind thick California native trees. Gaps in the thick Eucalyptus groves expose glimpses of the Tomales Bay’s glassy water, broken only by a kayak or an aluminum fishing boat.

My Grandpa Jim (Jenny’s) ran a roofing business with my dad and loved his Scotch.  He’d say after work, ‘I think I need a drinky-poo,’ like one would say to a child.  Strong words coming from a 6+ foot man.  We’ve got some drinky-poos to get you through this year’s holidays. You’ve got too many […]

Fall vineyard colors. Something about them makes you want to grab a bottle of red, put another log on the fire, grab a blanket and someone to get under it with…. No? Maybe just us. Yellows, oranges and browns are the tell-tale signal of fall. Each year, the bright, green reminiscent of spring and summer […]

Opus One. The legendary combination of one of the wealthiest in France – Baron Phillipe de Rothschild and pioneer American winemaker Robert Mondavi, who joined together to form the first ‘ultra-premium’ winery in the Napa Valley. In a crowd, the mention of the name may bring any reaction from eye rolls among those who believe […]

Believe it or not, the 339 miles that make up the Mosel Valley can be subdivided into three distinct personalities based on soil, climate and flavor profile characteristics. The Lower Mosel, ironically at the northern end of the Mosel, but named for its lower elevation, also goes by the title ‘Terrassenmosel.’ Steep vineyards can be […]

After six days straight in the vineyards, I started to dream about rocks, slate to be precise, so much so that I wrote my my maid of honor speech for my best friend’s wedding around the theme of rocks for her big day the next weekend.  Don’t ask… Slate. It covered the ground, in many […]

After almost 48 hours awake, 14 hours of sleep, and a big Deutsche breakfast, we were ready to check out the vineyards. I should clarify, we had one breakfast at 2am on Saturday, accompanied with a glass of Riesling halbtrocken, when we woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep… It’s been a relatively dry summer […]

Just a few hours now until our flight to Germany for harvest at the Mosel. Packed? Clothes, no. Enchilada staples for California night? Yes. I’s a weird feeling knowing that vineyards you care for half way around the world were in budbreak last time you saw them and are now holding ripe fruit, waiting out the […]

Fortunately or unfortunately, this post is not about Charlie Sheen getting drunk on Riesling in the German wine region. [Insert: *This was actually a very special day because the evening before Johannes had planned a very romantic champagne boat ride on the Mosel River during which we got engaged! I said yes, in case anyone had doubts…] […]

By the time we left Bangkok, we were ready to be back home in Germany. It had been about three months of hopping on and off planes in different countries and I could already taste schnitzel. Don’t get us wrong! We loved experiencing these different cultures, food and, of course, wines. We had made some […]

And I promise the cheesy titles playing on the Murray Head song will stop. But seriously, what happened to that guy? Rattanakosin, Bangkok’s Old City, holds some of the city’s deepest history including the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew (the city’s most highly regarded Buddhist temple in Thailand – and is it something!) as well […]