Ask any hundred people what they consider the heartland of California wine country and Napa will no doubt top the list, followed closely by Sonoma. Ask the same group – and this implies the participants have at least some basic familiarity with the subject matter – about California’s new frontier and I’d hazard a guess that Santa Barbara or Paso Robles, maybe the Santa Rita Hills, would come out ahead. Yet more and more, some of the most compelling wines being produced in California today a... Read Full Story

[The stage is set: a cloudy fall afternoon on the Lower East Side of Manhattan; it's Devil's Night Friday. In the background, faint strains of Brit Punk can be heard filtering through the street noise.]"What exactly is a Yankees doughnut," I asked."Glazed with blueberry pinstripes, of course," came the answer. Ah yes, of course.... Then, “Where are you guys from?”“My friends are from San Fran; I’m from Philly.”They still sold me the doughnut, but only after throwing in some raspberries.The ... Read Full Story

I predict a few jumps in the blogland timeline over the next few days. For now, think of it as space travel à la the Sun Ra Arkestra, which continues to thrive on the universal energy of music in Mr. Ra’s memory. Under the leadership of longtime member Marshall Allen, the Sun Ra Arkestra kicked off Saturday night’s first performance of “Anti-Jazz: The New Thing Revisited,” a four-part series being cross-promoted by Ars Nova Workshop and International House Philadelphia that continues throug... Read Full Story

Though I didn’t realize it at the time I purchased it, Jo Pithon’s 2005 Savennières represents a near end-point in the modern viticultural history of the Anjou. It’s the penultimate vintage ever to be bottled under Pithon’s own label and under his own autonomic control.In 2005, a 95% stake in Domaine Jo Pithon was purchased from its financially strapped owner by Philip Fournier, founder of the telecommunications concern, Afone, which is based in Angers. Subsequently, Monsieur Fournier also ... Read Full Story

For today, just a few notes and pics from a recent Friday get together. It had been too long, so I hope you’ll pardon my indulgences.Rioja Gran Reserva “Viña Tondonia” Rosado, R. Lopez de Heredia 1998$25. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: USA Wine Imports, New York, NY.Drinking like your most comfortable pair of shoes feels, that pair you just can’t bring yourself to part with – soft, supportive, something you’d be happy to wear (or drink as the case may be) all day and just about every day.... Read Full Story

After briefly alluding in my last post to a recent IDSK collaborative dinner, I realized I’d been remiss in not posting at least a little detail about the event. But first, for those that missed my report on Volume 2 back in July, a quick injection of background information seems in order. IDSK is an acronym for the recent collaborative efforts between Alexander Talbot of Ideas in Food and Shola Olunloyo of StudioKitchen. These are two chefs – one a long time Philly resident, the other a r... Read Full Story

I’ve been considering a blog-name change to McDuff’s Food & Cool Climate Wine Trail. Whaddya think? Pretty ridiculous, if I do say so. But if you've been reading here for long, you'll have noticed my consumption of Loire wines outnumbers those from the Rhone and Languedoc by about 10:1. Likewise, in Italy wines from the north outweigh those from the south by damn near 10:none. Once in a while, though, I do feel the urge to dive into warmer climes. A bottle of 1998 Château du Trignon Gig... Read Full Story

I’ve been meaning to try the most recent vintage of Vernatsch from Andreas Baron Widmann ever since it hit the shelves here in the US a couple of months back. There was quite a buzz about the wine during my recent San Fran trip, which happened to coincide with an Oliver McCrum (who is one of Widmann’s importers) portfolio tasting, yet still I didn’t manage to pull the cork until last night. The final impetus? Today’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the monthly wine blogging fest that I... Read Full Story

So, you’ve just spent an afternoon, evening or late night at Terroir (or your other SF wine bar/haunt of choice) and you’re looking for some good grub to fill that nagging void in the pit of your belly?Even with well over 4,000 restaurants in San Francisco (Yelp lists 4,373 and I’m guessing they’re missing at least a few), I can’t think of any reason not to head to NOPA. So what if it’s half way across town? Granted, I’ve hardly put a dent in the SF restaurant scene, and I’ve only been to N... Read Full Story

Not having been to San Francisco for the better part of a dozen years, it was eye opening to walk through the Mission District, our first stop upon driving into town, and see just how much things have changed. It’s not that gentrification has put a complete whitewash on the neighborhood. No, it’s still got a certain undercurrent of grunge to it. But it’s become hipster central. Bike shops, record stores, cafés and indie boutiques dot every corner and – just like in Philly – it seems every... Read Full Story