Tag Archives: wine

Real Food SF

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Real Foods was my very, very, very first Health Food store in SF. The wine department was held at the time by a delightful young man called Michael, who actually stayed there for some twenty years. These were definitely the good old days for me. Incidentally, the Real Food chain company in those days was one of the few health food stores who had a license to carry wines. They were really the pioneers in the Health Food business.I’ll always remember the first time I went in to present my Domaine de La Bousquette wine to Michael. “Get me more … Continue reading →

The Origins of Our Rosé

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I will never be able to look at a rosé wine in my life again without remembering my grandfather. He was a maverick of his time and had the audacity at the ripe age of 75 to dream of bottling his own vin biologique right there on the family’s estate. That wasn’t exactly common in those days in the Languedoc in 1975-78, but it completely aligned with his career as a professor of medicine, dedicated to “First, doing no harm.” I can see him sitting around our family’s table under our iconic 100-year-old pine tree, in La Bousquette, a scene … Continue reading →

Our Friends at Nabila’s Health Food – Hayes Valley (SF)

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Nabila is a small family-owned grocery store that carries many vegan staple, organic foods and natural snacks. A very cool little store in the middle of a one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco: Hayes Valley! You can find bulk lentils, miso powder, coconut water, frozen vegan entrees, frozen kefir, unsweetened organic soy milk and of course… My wines! Our relationship  started  some 15 years ago plus, with Ramiz, the original founder & owner of Nabilal’s health food store, a delightful young man from Palestine. We hit it off right away, Ramiz loved our wines and we loved his family size business  and we … Continue reading →

Tasting Wine Visually

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Those intriguing Microscopic images of our wines are art, but also symbolic or visual clues to taste. Author Sondra Barett woul say you’re looking at the spirit, personality and stylistic expression of wine. Its inner beauty. Sondra and I go way back. Sondra is a PhD biochemist and was seduced by the exquisite expressions of the grape when she was artist-in-residence at a Napa Valley winery more than 30 years ago. Yet her photographic explorations actually began while she was a medical scientist on the faculty at the University of California Medical School. Blending her passions to illuminate and investigate … Continue reading →

Michael Apstein Gives an 88 & 87 to La Marouette

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Michael Apstein, MD and wine lover, was one of the journalists selected to go to the Millesime annual wine fair. He is a columnist at WineReviewOnLine.com and the recipient of the 2008Press Trophy. Here are his ratings of the Syrah and Chardonnay from La Marouette, both of which he tasted at the Millésime Bio 2013 in France. *   Maison des Terroirs Vivants, IGP Pays d’Oc (Languedoc, France) Syrah “La Marouette” 2012 ($15, The Organic Wine Company): An incredible value, this $15 Syrah manages to combine the attractive slightly beefy and the ripe plumy components that Syrah can deliver. It’s a masterful … Continue reading →

Qi Gong: Cultivate Spirituality

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Fasten your seat belts! I like to call qi gong “meditation in movement”. I was introduced first to Tai Chi back in London in 1968-nearly 50 years ago (oh my God!). Since then I have studied multiple forms of yoga and qi gong. This one seems to cut to the chase, gets you right were you live and can be practiced just about anywhere. I’ve noticed that everyone around me seems  quite obsessed with “working out.” And I do agree with the fact that exercising until you become a sweaty, tired mess is sometimes useful. In fact, it should be … Continue reading →

A Guide to Vegetarian Pairings

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By Justin McCarter and Donna Meadows Published on The Vegetarian Time  What’s the first thing most people learn about pairing wine with food? “Red with meat, white with chicken or fish.” But what about when the main dish is roasted veggies or a spicy vegetarian stir-fry? We’ve asked wine pourers and importers, grape growers, and restaurateurs for their wine-pairing recommendations for various types of vegetarian cuisine. Their easy-to-follow advice makes choosing a bottle or two a snap, whether you’re serving an Eastern Mediterranean falafel or a spicy Thai curry. White or red? There’s no wrong answer. “So many people think you … Continue reading →

Q & A: Wine Without Alcohol?

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Q : “Please make wine without alcohol in it. The type of alcohol is Ethanol and is a carcinogen. It causes cancer. It destroys good bacteria and enzymes in the digestive tract. It is addictive and does not promote a healthy lifestyle. While there are great qualities about wine, leave the ethanol out of it. It can be done. Thanks” -David A : Hello David, Thank you for your concern. First of all, even though I have been a winemaker myself, I am not involved in that part any longer. Secondly, there have been numerous attempts to make wine without … Continue reading →

Sulfites: Can’t Live With ‘Em, Can’t Make Wine Without ‘Em

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– By Rebecca Gibb. New research finds that those who suffer from headaches would pay for less sulfites in their wine. Sulfur dioxide use in winemaking has been coming under the spotlight as a minimal-intervention movement agitates for less reliance on the compound. Sulfur has taken flak for causing health problems, although the scientific community is divided on the issue. That prompted a Colorado State University study of consumer perceptions of sulfites and whether drinkers would pay more for a bottle labeled “low in sulfur.” The findings, published by the American Association of Wine Economists, are that consumers would be willing to … Continue reading →

Q & A: Sulfites, Allergy and Diabetes

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Q : Hello, I am trying to obtain as much information as I can in reference to organic wine and sulfites. I am a diabetic and I am also allergic to sulfites. I have not been able to get any sound information on the subject. I would like to know if organic wine has any of it’s own natural sulfites. It would be great to have an occasional glass of wine but I am afraid to attempt it until I can get a better definition about the sulfites. I am allergic to sulfur in medication which is how I found … Continue reading →