Category: Best of AWB
The Lost Art of Being Gracious
Likewise, sometimes a winery doesn’t see a visitor as a gift. Some of them even act as if they’re doing the person a favor just to allow you to be in their presence or taste their wines. They’ve lost the art of being gracious.
Continue readingBest Moment of an Overwhelmingly Good Trip
Wine Law: The Times They Are ‘A Changing
Advocates of the Three-tier System of Distribution continue to block changes in laws that would benefit individual consumers and wine drinkers seeking direct shipment of out-of-state wines.
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The Complaint as a Gift: A Tale of Three Wineries
Research indicates that for every one complaint there are hundreds of customers who say nothing, and just take their business elsewhere. Is your business losing out to your competitors? Do you know wineries that haven’t a clue how to deal with bad reviews?
Continue readingRestaurant Review: Pope’s Pairings Protect Plonk
The brainchild of Chef Monica Pope t’afia promises “coastal Mediterranean cuisine inspired by local ingredients.” Let me just summarize up front by saying the decor is trendy cafeteria-cool, our waiter was friendly, the food is good, but the place is very loud. Acoustics in t’afia are not conducive to quiet conversation. At least not when sitting on the long communal bench. I could hear the conversations from the tables behind me and beside me, but could not hear my dinner partner sitting across from me.
Continue readingAn Unspeakable Tragedy
The Successful Wine Bar: No Pimpin’ Required
A wine bar opens and begins to attract a following. Then come the lines, the need for bouncers four nights a week, and the requisite “look” necessary to not only get in the door, but be waited on. Soon there is no parking, no room for regulars, and as one guy puts it, the bar becomes “a smorgasbord of plastic, cocaine, and working girls.”
Continue readingFlavor Profiles – Food and Wine
Approaches to Food & Wine: Are You a Mad Scientist or Methodical Scholar? When learning to cook or to pair wine with food, I am of the opinion that Jacob’s scholarly approach is the best way. Once a good foundation is laid, let the mad scientist Alex loose. Over the years I have taken the opposite approach when learning a new skill and have regretted it, despite having some success.
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