by napacalypse
Being cooped up with family for a month, and I’ve learned two things. First, I now know why the women are always scowling in every photo from any time that predates families not having to eat EVERY SINGLE meal at home—–the never-ending parade of dirty dishes and a kitchen that never closes can really turn you into a grouch. They probably knew that whilst … Read More Quarantine cooking : Ham and bean soup
by napacalypse
Updated for 2019! Head to head Italian Rosé is light, crisp, and very drinkable. It is lovely on its own, and will complement food wonderfully. I was introduced to Head to Head at a rosé tasting and it was served with a corn fritter—the wine held up to the savoriness of the fried batter and balanced the sweetness of the corn. Chåteau de Bergun … Read More Go ahead, rose´ all day!
by napacalypse
Not to give my mother-in-law a complex, or anything, but we often head out of town as soon as she arrives for a babysitting job, I mean family visit. Our birthdays and wedding anniversary are perfectly spaced throughout the year, so practically anytime she comes to visit, we have an excuse for a getaway celebration. Last weekend my mother-in-law flew in and we decided … Read More No Sleep till Brooklyn
by napacalypse
You know the feeling when you fall in love with something and discover there is a whole genre of movies and documentaries just waiting for you? That’s how my husband and I felt when a friend mentioned that we would like Somm on Netflix. We watched it and became totally invested in who would pass their Master Sommelier test. It’s like watching the Olympics of … Read More How I Learned Somm-thing about wine
by napacalypse
In the days leading up to our trip to Barcelona, every time I mentioned our destination, people who had visited promised us we would love the city. From family to the ticket agent at airport, everyone wanted to tell us their favorite sight and thing to do–and eating topped the list of things people wanted us to do! One of the best part about … Read More Barca, Barca, Barca…Everyone loves Barca
by napacalypse
Tuesday Today was orchestrated by the Purple Truffle http://www.purpletruffle.com and Francois, our driver for the day, arrived at our hotel to take us to the Champagne region of France. As Francois drove through the outlying suburbs of Paris that turned into picturesque countryside, he elaborated on the history of the region and pointed out monument markers for WWI cemeteries, pastoral villages, and, of course, the … Read More Radicalized by champagne, and I liked it!
by napacalypse
Years ago we had a neighbor who worked for a wine importer. I wish I had thought to grill him about wine, but this was back in our beer days (A History of Marriage in 6 Glasses) and I don’t think I ever knew what his certification was exactly. The story goes that he flunked out of college and somehow convinced his hard-line Marine … Read More Homeschool Wine Tasting
by napacalypse
Wine ties us together in so many ways–we never forget the special bottles we’ve shared with friends and family. The wine becomes the anchor that binds us to the memory, and most importantly, to those with whom we shared it. On my 40th birthday, friends had given my first bottle of Dom Perignon to pop on the limo ride to dinner. I saved the … Read More Because decorating with empty vodka bottles would be weird
by napacalypse
Buying an estate-grown Napa cab or 1st growth Bordeaux isn’t hard, it just takes gobs of cash. Finding a great wine without bankrupting myself or my friends, is a challenge, albeit a fun one. Here’s this week’s look at cheap shit I love Under $10 It ain’t wine, but it is Missoni! I found these awesome little bottles of DiSaronno all dressed up in … Read More Wines that I love for all my cheap friends to buy me.
by napacalypse
As someone who is often accused of being impossible to buy for, I give you my definitive list of gift ideas for people who like to drink wine. Kleenite glass cleaner because sometimes there’s more wine than clean-up at the end of the night. It works wonderfully on glasses and decanters. I ordered my bottle from Amazon. A drying rack for stemmed glasses and … Read More Gift Guide for the Napacalypse
by napacalypse
We delayed Napacalypse II until 2016 and returned a little jaded, but how could we know that our first trip had just scratched the surface of what Napa had to offer. Once again we sampled both public and private tours, and found great wines everywhere. Shafer The day of we went to Shafer was ungodly hot and we declined the vineyard tour, plus this … Read More Napacalypse II : So Many Cabs, So Little Time
