Travel

I knew we were on the right road. For miles, the shoulder of the road shadowed by the Himalayas had been lined with holy men, sadhus, thin shadows moving slowly alongside the mountain road in the direction of Mother Ganga, the holy Ganges River. Their long white beards and saffron gowns flew in all directions as they plodded along on […]

Wine has always a been a means for me to explore the world, discover new tastes and aromas, and engage with fellow wine professionals from around the world. As a wine educator, nothing fulfills me more than encouraging my students to discover new wines and spark a bit of the passion I have for the world’s most venerated beverage. As […]

Linda and I prepared for the final journey to the source of the Ganges River in our hotel in Haridwar, India. The reading on my Magellan GPS was 29° 56’ 49’’ North, 78 º 09’ 31’’ East, 644 feet elevation, 95 degrees F. [ The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based navigation system that provides location and time information […]

During the period of European exploration and colonization for control of the spice trade, India came under the control of European colonial powers. (Incidentally, the search for the wealth of India also led to the discovery of America by “Wrong Way” Columbus in 1492.) Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama established direct trade links with India in 1497 after sailing around […]

As the most widely planted wine-producing nation with over 2.9 million acres under vine, Spain vies France and Italy as a powerhouse producer of wine. Spain’s location on the Iberian Peninsula means it’s climactically diverse—soggy and wet to hot and dry—but over the course of its 3,000 year old viticultural history winemakers realized planting in higher altitudes produced the best […]

I have been fascinated with India since 1970 when I spent a week in New Delhi after leaving Thailand where I had been doing research. In 1992, my wife Linda and I hosted Pratish, an Indian graduate student at USC. Four years later his family returned the favor and hosted us in their home in Mumbai (formally Bombay). After leaving […]

Linda and I decided to make our trip to FDR’s Warm Springs an exploration of unfamiliar places in Georgia along the way: towns like Madison and Greensborough and Callaway Gardens. Madison was established in 1809 as an in-town residence for nearby planter families and was considered “The Most Cultured and Aristocratic Town on the Stagecoach Route between Charleston and N […]

As if analyzing what’s in the wine bottle isn’t complex enough, we now have to factor in the myriad of wine closures available into our wine evaluation equation. Are corks the only acceptable closure option? Are screw tops just for “cheap” wines? And what about artificial corks or even glass tops? Let’s learn about wine closures, so we can gain […]

In early April 1945, I was planning my sixth birthday party for May 10, the day my grandmother said I would become a man. I had a “girl friend” I had invited to my party. Sadly, that birthday party never happened. On the morning of April 13, my mother woke me as usual, “ Wake up and get ready for […]

I must apologize to roach lovers wherever you are. This story has been based on my personal experiences and my worst childhood nightmares. I am no longer afraid of roaches, and I don’t even hate them. In fact, I understand their necessary role in life on Planet Earth. I hope you understand. These creatures, officially cockroaches (derived from the Spanish […]