Knowing where your food comes from has become a familiar directive to anyone paying even the slightest attention to health and lifestyle news.  At the Culinary Round Table dinners at Robert Sinskey Vineyards in the Napa Valley, knowing from whom your food comes allows consumers to explore more intimately why organically grown and locally sourced foods makes sense.  At the latest Culinary Round Table dinner, Deborah and Jim Durst shared their passion for organic produce, opening up a dialogue among the small group of diverse guests and providing inspiration to all.  The relaxing ambiance in the trellised courtyard of Robert Sinskey Vineyards overlooking Stags’ Leap, over …

Dining at Osteria Fontanina in Verona

Dining in new cities is always an exciting adventure, but its particularly exciting when you’re in the midst of several great wine appellations.  The Veneto is home to classic dry whites made of garganega such as Soave and Custoza, sparkling Prosecco made of, well, prosecco, and classic red blends based on cherry-licious corvina such as Valpolicella and Bardolino.  These wines pair perfectly with the diversity of foods you will find in the Veneto.

Classic dishes in the Veneto include risotto made with Amarone wine, chewy bigoli pasta, horsemeat (stewed, smoked, even tartare), pasta e fagioli …

If  you are travelling to the Pfalz, the Pfalz Tourist (Pfalz.Touristik e.V.) and Wine (Pfalzwein e.V.)  Associations have good publications and maps.  Email info@pfalz-touristik.de for tourist info and info@zum-wohl-die-pfalz.de for wine region information. 
Wine tasting:  There is no shortage of highly-regarded wineries as well as local cooperatives, most of which are open to the public.   The German Wine Route with cycling path goes through the Pfalz and is marked with a yellow sign signifying “Deutsche Weinstrasse” with a grape cluster.  There is also a hiking path which is marked on maps available …