Now that holiday season is in full swing, the search for great gifts is on. Since I am always on the lookout for beauty products that really work, I thought a list of my top beauty discoveries this year might give you some good present ideas. These are all products I’ve used, and when they run out, I restock. EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm. You’ve probably seen the TV commercial for this funny-shaped lip balm, in a brightly colored egg-shaped case. I”m addicted to lip balm – my lips are always dry. I bought one EOS in strawberry sorbet. EOS, which stands for “evolution of smooth,” is the softest, moistest balm I’ve ever used. I love the dome shaped sphere that glides easily on both lips. EOS balms are chuck-full of good stuff like antioxidants, shea butter and vitamin E. And they don’t have the bad things like petrolatum or…
Make Sure You’re Buying The Real Thing – Shopping Tips For Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
With the holidays upon us, you may have butter and gravy on the table. Why not add a bottle of traditional balsamic vinegar? A few drops of balsamic adds a burst of flavor to any dish, and I love it drizzled on vegetables, especially roasted Brussels sprouts, and a drop on pumpkin pie would be fantastic. Balsamic vinegar also makes a great gift for the foodie on your list. When you go to buy that vinegar, how do you know what to buy? Facing supermarket shelves of balsamic vinegar is overwhelming. I mean, where do you start? On a recent visit to Acetaia Leonardi, an authentic, traditional balsamic vinegar producer in Italy, I learned what it takes to make this handcrafted, artisan product. If you want to get a true traditional balsamic vinegar, an Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena D.O.P., handcrafted by a producer such as Leonardi, there are a few tips to guide…
A Visit to Leonardi Balsamic Vinegar Farm
“We are proud of our vinegar.” Federica Gibellini is leading me and my husband on a tour of the Acetaia Leonardi balsamic vinegar farm. Leonardi is a family owned balsamic maker in Magreta, Italy in the area surrounding Modena, home to traditional balsamic vinegar production. It’s in the Emilia-Romagna region, also known for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Proscuitto di Parma. The Leonardi family established their business in 1871 and since then their vinegars have become not just well-regarded but famous too, being the choice of royalty, even served at Kate and William’s wedding. Unlike many balsamic vinegar makers Leondari is a “closed cycle” farm, meaning they grow and tend their own grapes, harvest, ferment, age, bottle and sell the balsamic vinegar all on their own property. That’s an important distinction in the quality and flavor of their vinegar. “We are four generations who produce this special vinegar,” says Federica. She’s…
Wine From Under The Sea
You’ve probably heard stories about shipwrecks discovered where bottles of wine were found. Some of the wines uncovered have been 100 years old or more. There’s been interest in what these wines taste like and how well they did – or didn’t age – in their watery cellars. That’s the inspiration behind Mira Winery’s “aquaoir,” a clever play on the word terroir, which means how a wine expresses the soil and climate it grows in, among other things. “Our inspiration was to try something different, so we did an experiment,” says Mira Winery President Jim “Bear” Dyke. He’s hosting night six of a seven city tour, dubbed the “Are You Dirty or Wet Tour” (they gave out concert t-shirts), a blind tasting of the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, one land aged the traditional way, in a dry cellar, and one ocean aged at the bottom of the sea. To their knowledge,…
Lunch with Nicolás Catena – The Mondavi of Argentina
Cabaña de Las Lilas is one of the most famous steakhouses in Buenos Aires, let alone all of Argentina. When we walked in I recognized everything — the open kitchen, the smell of charred beef, the outdoor patio on the river – from my visit 10 years ago. We happened to be there this time on Mothers Day, which is celebrated on October 20 in Argentina and Chile. But we weren’t there to celebrate moms. The “we” I refer to is my group of fellow travel writers, all on a wine trip through Chile and Mendoza. Our last stop was a few hours in Buenos Aires. Most of the hours were spent at Cabaña Las Lilas. We weren’t complaining though, because that meant a three hour lunch with the most famous winery duo in Argentina, Nicolás and Elena Catena, proprietors of Bodega Catena Zapata in Mendoza. I was lucky enough…
When in Piemonte, Italy The Winery You Must Visit
Going to wine country in Italy is not quite like visiting Napa Valley or Sonoma County in California. While things are getting easier for wine tourists, you just can’t show up and expect to be able to go taste at any winery you want to. The concept of a tasting room open daily to visitors is still something that’s not as common in the region that is home to Barolo and Barbaresco. But one winery has recognized the need for opening its doors to wine lovers. That’s why you can visit the Ceretto winery and be treated not only to great wine but eye-catching art too. The main Ceretto winery is in Alba, just outside of the historic downtown area. The building was a farmhouse that belonged to Vittorio Emanuele II, the famous king who ruled the newly unified Italy in the mid 1800s. Now it is the Ceretto…
What You Need to Know About Chilean Wines
The view at Viña Ventisquero Before I went on a recent wine trip to Chile, I had certain assumptions about both the country and its wines, things like all the wines are cheap (I mean good values) and it was more important whether or not wineries were in the northern or southern part of this long skinny country. Not only am I wrong, but I learned many fascinating things to share with you. Chile tends to get pigeonholed into the “inexpensive” wine category but that’s not a true reflection of what’s happening in wine there now. Carmenere may be the national grape of Chile, but Cabernet Sauvignon is king Don’t get me wrong, we had some beautiful fruity, spicy and earthy Carmenere (reference wines: Root: 1 Carmenere $12, TerraNoble Gran Reserva Carmenere $18) But there is more total vineyard acreage in the country planted to Cabernet, about 40% to…
Wine and Perfume DO Go Together! Come To Our Master Class at Original Scent
Only one month until our fabulous wine and perfume pairing workshop! Join me and Master Perfumer Sarah Horowitz at Original Scent in Pasadena CA on Saturday, Nov 16 for an intimate master class pairing Sarah’s perfumes with fabulous wines — and learn the secrets of how aromas in perfume help you identify scents in wine. Discover why wine and perfume DO go together! Limited space, sign up now!
Cakebread American Harvest Workshop Day 4 and 5
Today is our last full day of the Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Workshop. After a very long day of picking grapes, making pottery and cooking dinner for 65 yesterday, we’re up early again, gathering at 6:30 am for a drive to the coast. We’re visiting three artisan purveyors, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, Hog Island Oyster Company and Della Fattoria, a bakery, and in my opinion the best bakery in the United States. I love their pumpkin seed and polenta breads. I have been to all of these places, on video shoots when I was producing the TV show In Wine Country. But I was always working and didn’t experience it as a regular visitor might. It’s about a 90 minute drive from Napa Valley to Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, in the Point Reyes National Seashore. While the marine layer is thick this morning, the scenery, with the water…
Cakebread American Harvest Workshop Day 3
Morning Day 3 On our third day of the American Harvest Workshop at Cakebread Cellars we have a super early call time uggh — 6:30 am so we can go pick grapes. Lucky for us they didn’t have us get up for a 2 am night harvest. Breakfast waiting for us in the vineyard again, the sweetest strawberries and pastries from Bouchon Bakery, good fuel for the work ahead. We’re picking in the Foster Road vineyard in Carneros, and these grapes go into the reserve Chardonnay. Quite a big responsibility our crew has, we better not screw it up. The most important thing is that we start and end with 10 fingers. I’ve picked before, but it’s always fun to be in the vineyard, wrangling clusters from the vine, and tasting a few sweet grapes as you pick. In no time at all we’ve filled two bins and send them…