Stories from Blame It on Rioja

  1. Rioja, All in a Row

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Dec 14, 2009

    A nice image (taken by Jon Stamell) from a seminar called “Remarkable Pairings: Fast, Casual Mexican and the Wines of Rioja,” which I had the distinct pleasure of co-presenting with Chef Rick Bayless last month at the Culinary Institute of… Full Story »

  2. Menu (and Wines) from a Rioja Luncheon at Gary Danko

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Dec 11, 2009

    Rioja Wine Tasting and Luncheon Menu Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Amuse Bouche Crispy Farm Egg with White Polenta, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Frise and Pancetta Bodegas Palacios Remondo Placet Valtomelloso Blanco 2007, VAZA Crianza 2006, Castillo Labastida Crianza 2005 Seared Sea Scallops… Full Story »


  3. Self-Portrait (with Wine Shop)

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Dec 8, 2009

    Ribera de Curtidores, Madrid, Spain, June 3, 2006. I found this alluring, and nicely reflective, wine shop storefront while on an exploration of my old neighborhood, Embajadores, due south of the city center, a few years ago. On a street… Full Story »

  4. Scenes from a Rioja Luncheon at Gary Danko

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Dec 7, 2009

    Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco, Wednesday, November 11, 2009. From top: Detail of bottle line-up during the walk-around tasting; Wine journailists W. Blake Gray and Tim Teichgraeber take notes and sample wine during the walk-around tasting, from a section devoted… Full Story »

  5. From Cheap Bourbon to Rioja: Sounds Familiar....

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Dec 6, 2009

    All hail the re-masculization of wine! The Onion?American pop-culture’s endlessly renewing andfrequently hilariousrepository of what’s knowing, biting, clever, and smove?has fastened its mock-frock of coolness and muttered a solemn benediction over the American male’s consumption of wine. Well, sort of.… Full Story »

  6. Gulp Me Now: Dinasta Vivanco gets its Due

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Dec 4, 2009

    Happy to see a wine that caught my fancy during a trip last year to Rioja?Dinasta Vivanco’s juicy blanco, made from 80% Viura and 20% Malvasia?get a nice mention in a recent Bloomberg.com column written by Elin McCoy, “Cobweb-Coated $440… Full Story »

  7. This is Not a Photo Op: A Fleeting Napa Moment with Ruth Reichl

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Nov 24, 2009

    To President Obama’s stated wish today that eminent scientists would one day garner the same respect as atheletes and celebrities, I would add my own under-celebrated catgeory: eminent food writers (and editors). And I’m not talking here about bloggers or… Full Story »

  8. Scenes from a Twitter Tasting

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Nov 23, 2009

    To embrace Twitter is to draw a line in the sand, a love it or hate it proposition, a bit like sticking your neck out in, say, 1986, and telling your buddies that you love Fleetwood Mac and think Lindsay… Full Story »

  9. Quiet, Bucolic Charm: November in Napa Valley

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Nov 22, 2009

    Last week I travelled out to Northern California on Rioja-related business, helping out at a Rioja trade luncheon at Gary Danko in San Francisco and working, as both pourer and presenter, at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone’s 12th… Full Story »


  10. A New Look for an Exceptional Value: Glorioso Crianza 2006

    Blame It on Rioja &bull Oct 28, 2009

    Bodegas Palacio, a fifteen-minute walk (or five-minute tumble) downhill from the once-fortified village of Laguardia, which sits sentry over the Rioja Alavesa like a permanently anchored frigate, was the first winery Rioja to age wines in French oak. Still dominated… Full Story »

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