There are few opportunities for the home chef to learn the culinary art of smoking, curing and salting meats, a craft practiced around the world for centuries to preserve, flavor and economically utilize all parts of an animal. Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf Charcuterie teaches enthusiasts what the various charcuterie are including salami, sausages and pate, and how to make them from butchering, preparing and cooking the dishes. Classes also include butchery and roasting of flavorful cuts of meat, such as porchetta.
Boetticher introduced these classes this past summer, offering courses from …

Cakebread Culinary Director Brian Streeter

Cakebread Cellars is serious about food. Based in Rutherford, Cakebread’s tradition of food and wine has been at the core of the winery’s hospitality program from the beginning, influenced by founder Dolores Cakebread’s formal culinary background and love of gardening. For over twenty years, Cakebread has maintained a culinary staff providing consumer education and catering for winery events and for the trade. Today, the culinary programs, spear-headed by Culinary Director Brian Streeter, range from 1 ½ hour food and wine pairing courses to a four-day exclusive workshop …

Wine tourism is important in developing brand awareness for a wine region and its producers’ wines.  It also generates a lot of revenue.  Napa Valley drew about 3.5 million tourists in 2006 who spent a little over $700 million on hotels, restaurants and other leisure- and wine- related activities.  In many wine regions around the world, wineries open up their doors to hospitality including tours and various seminars on blending, wine tasting and food/cheese and wine pairing.  Bordeaux – not so much.  However, this is rapidly changing as Bordeaux competes with the New World.
In …