Georgia-born winemaker Suzanne Phifer Pavitt explained that she won’t tolerate bad food or bad wine, as my husband Chris Prawdzik and I sipped her excellent Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc over lunch at D.C.’s District Line. Growing up Baptist in rural Georgia, she appreciated the high quality of locally grown food from a young age. But…
Summer Refreshment with Tokaji
Summer wine drinkers often focus on refreshing dry, crisp white wines, but there’s no reason why refreshment can’t be sweet. So if you want a new experience, why not try some of Hungary’s most glorious Tokaji? These wines bear the same name of the region with the addition of the letter “i” at the end–Tokaji–which…
Heritance Wine: A Reflection of Family, Tradition, and Flavor Around the Globe
Three numbers—1-9-4—appearing on every Heritance wine label describe its heritage, explained winemaker Bernard Portet to wine writers over dinner at Corduroy in D.C. last Thursday. It marks the efforts of one family’s nine generations of winemaking, which now extends to four continents—Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Born in the same room as his…
Jack from Brooklyn Brings Spirit to D.C. Winebow Tasting
Jack Summers was perfectly happy making his homemade spirit to share with friends and families at parties and barbecues until he experienced a cancer scare two years ago. As he poured his now commercial brew, called Sorel, for tasters at Winebow’s annual “Ode to Spring” trade tasting this past Wednesday, he explained, “I figured I…
The Right Altitude at Bodegas Salentein
Just as “location, location, location” defines the most important attribute in real estate, “altitude, altitude, altitude” describes the key ingredient for world-class Argentine wines. That’s why growing grapes at some of the highest elevations in the world gives Bodegas Salentein a critical edge, explained the winery’s chief winemaker Jose “Pepe” Galante at a recent D.C….
