As we dine and drink Philippe’s excellent white, rose, and red wines, we learn a bit about the history of the property. The red (a blend of syrah, cinsault, grenache, cabernet sauvignon, and others) has a rich toast nose with hints of vanilla and dark chocolate, and on the palate full bodied with a finish of black licorice. MORE >>

We convened at Apiary , where Monday night's no corkage policy and the generally excellent food turn the dining room into a who's who in the NYC wine trade. Recently I attended a small dinner organized by Michael Wheeler and Joe Salamone and Stephen Bitterolf of Crush. What are the northern Rhône wines that drive these guys to drink? Joseph. MORE >>

Julian, one of the friendly AXA staff people, picked myself and another student up from our station in a shimmering black car, and as if to highlight the drama of our destination, swirled the car into the impressive lengthy driveway of Chateau Pichon Longueville, where we would stay during our visit and dine tonight. Perfect Berries. MORE >>

Julian, one of the friendly AXA staff people, picked myself and another student up from our station in a shimmering black car, and as if to highlight the drama of our destination, swirled the car into the impressive lengthy driveway of Chateau Pichon Longueville, where we would stay during our visit and dine tonight. The Control Room. MORE >>

Shirley did not feel like working in the kitchen today so we dined on Chinese take-out. This past weeks edition of the Syracuse New Times, a weekly alternative newspaper published in Syracuse, New York, contained an interesting article on Finger Lakes Riesling. The only one sold out was Ravines, but I did bring home the other three. MORE >>