In this third installment of our “Days of Wine and Music” series, we will briefly discuss the wines of Greece and complete the discussion next week in the fourth installment. In the fifth and sixth installments, we will introduce a Greek winery whose owner is an ideal candidate for our series and share her views … Continue reading Greek Wine: It’s NOT Just Retsina, Part 1
Category: Beverages
Days of Wine and Music: The Genesis
William F. O'Connor and Renowned Tenor Vittorio Grigolo This is the second installment in our “Days of Wine and Music” series. The proximate impetus for this series came about when this writer encountered renowned tenor Vittorio Grigolo on the set of Tosca, where the latter had the starring role of Mario and the former that of … Continue reading Days of Wine and Music: The Genesis
Days of Wine and Music: An Introduction
Gotterdammerung* This is the first installment in our “Days of Wine and Music” series. Over the next few weeks, we are going to delve into areas that at first may seem a little atypical when compared with our usual output, but it will eventually become clear where we are taking this. We like opera here … Continue reading Days of Wine and Music: An Introduction
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Sake Ice (Cream)
In recent years, we have seen sake, or nihonshu, used in castella pound cakes, chocolate bonbons and other desserts. However, it was not until 2020 when Sake Ice opened in Asakusa did I hear of sake being used in ice cream, let alone a shop specializing in this sake-infused chilled creamy concoction. Soon after the … Continue reading I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Sake Ice (Cream)
Dar Richi “Hanan” 2018 from Lebanon
It is not often that we have the pleasure of consuming a Lebanese wine. We have always found their reds to be in the “good,” “very good,” and “noteworthy” categories, but one does not encounter their wonderful wines very often. In some ways that is ironic, because Lebanon is an Old-World producer—no, let me rephrase … Continue reading Dar Richi “Hanan” 2018 from Lebanon
Pasteur Street Brewing Co
If any of our readers should find themselves in Hanoi with a thirst for finely crafted beer, this writer highly recommends a visit to Pasteur Street Brewing Co. A reasonably priced flight will get you the following: Jasmine IPA: light orange in color, yeasty, a hint of jasmine, weighing in at 50 IPUs, 6.5% ABV. … Continue reading Pasteur Street Brewing Co
An Apple Called “Cat” and What It Can Do
Fallen Apples* The word cat makes an appearance in a number of English expressions, the often-used “to let the cat out of the bag,” the ever off-putting “to skin a cat,” and the inscrutable “to rain cats and dogs,” for example. Lesser-known of course are the obsolete “you kill my cat and I’ll kill your … Continue reading An Apple Called “Cat” and What It Can Do
Drinking Japan 