Until the 1980s, wine from France was not only popular but the best available. California was an awakening giant, and Australia and Chile were unknown quantities.
Now that American consumers have so many good choices from around the world, some might want to reacquaint themselves with the wines of France. You don't have to spend a small fortune to do it.
The perfect place to begin is with the wines of Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
It's the glitch that won't go away. First there was the January 24 column that got Ikon Vodka inadvertently delisted when it wasn't listed in the first place. Then there was the attempted glitch-fix (in the Valentine's pink-bubble column of February 7), which got its own glitch when the last line was lost.
Here's true glitch glue—by putting it first in this portmanteau column, I'm hoping it'll stick. Ikon, the silky-smooth, real Russian vodka is available in B.C., at many private liquor stores and hotel outlets, even the airport. And it's well worth your time and effort to find it, especially if you're a lover of iced shots with deli food.
But there is truth to the delisting information—the brand's Max Smith sent a note that it was pulled from store shelves in West Virginia, because—shades of the Wild West—the bottle size (your standard twenty-sixer, or 750 millilitres) was too small for them! “No joke," said Smith. read more
"Hi wutevr your name is I like your restront betr then ene restrant in the hole wide world!" wrote Brayden Neuharth, 6, on the back of an envelope during Sunday brunch at Orchard Heights Winery.
The West Salem vineyard is known as a popular winery, but many visitors know there's more to it: candy shop, wedding- and special-event venue, and picnic spot.
A sign outside the tasting room invites guests to "come in, relax and have a glass of wine," and the options include a 2007 pinot noir, pinot gris, riesling and Gerw?rtztraminers.
Manager and winemaker Carole Wyscaver said the winery's Late Harvest Pinot Gris won a gold medal and Best in Show at the 2007 Oregon State Fair. Most of the vineyard's wines are award winners, she said.
Many Orchard Heights wines are exported, and the winery is the only local place to buy its wines. read more
