Once again Stacie Hunt of Du-Vin Wine and Spirits and Splash Productions has put together an incredible selection of wines for the Winter 2012 Pledge Drive edition of KCRW’s Wine Club. Simply pledge $150 or join KCRW at $20 or more per month and you can select Stacie’s fabulous wine club as your premium. Stacie is calling this three bottle selection The Best Wines You’ve Never Heard Of.  Call 800-600-KCRW or go to kcrw.com/join to pledge today and get your hands on this unique collection of wines.
Keep reading to …

We are so excited to present the Summer Pledge Drive edition of the KCRW Wine Club.  Sommelier Stacie Hunt (Du Vin and Splash Productions) has put together an incredible selection of summer wines for our listeners who pledge $150 or join KCRW at $20 or more per month. Simply call during Good Food (this Saturday, August 13, 11-Noon) or join online. Be sure to put ”Good Food” in the comments section of the online form.
Info on all the wines is after the jump…

This guest-post comes to us from Mira Advani Honeycutt, author of California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.  She frequently reports here on her various wine travels.
“I have a whole moose in my freezer,” said Petra Martin.  That’s what prompted me to say, “Why don’t we do a moose curry?”  Petra agreed.
I was visiting Napa Valley’s Martin Estate winery owned by Petra and Greg Martin.
“We only eat what we hunt,” Petra said proudly. (This rule applies only at home, not when they eat out). The …

This guest-post comes to us from Mira Advani Honeycutt, author of California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.  She frequently reports here on her various wine travels.

“You can take a very good wine and ruin it by blending,” remarks Judd Finkelstein.
Blending wine to a blissful cuvee is an art like creating a masterpiece on canvas or whipping up a perfect souffle.
I learned the art and science of blending four Bordeaux varietals at Judd’s Hill Winery’s blending day camp in Napa Valley. The tasting room resembled …

This guest-post comes to us from Mira Advani Honeycutt, author of California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.  She frequently reports here on her various wine travels.
Auction Napa Valley raised $7.3 million at its live auction, bringing the cumulative total to over $100 million in the auction’s 31 year history. The E-auction brought in another $359,000. Proceeds go to local non-profit organizations.
I’ve been attending this three-day non-stop food and wine celebration for many years. This year marked not only the whopping grand total, it was …

This guest-post comes to us from Mira Advani Honeycutt, author of California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.
The monks of Saint Honorat pray in silence, live in harmony with nature…and make very good wine!
I am at the Cannes Film Festival, and before the fest-frenzy kicks in, I took the 20 minute boat ride to nearby St. Honorat. I took in the serenity of the tiny island, enjoyed a Mediterranean lunch at La Tonnelle restaurant and tasted the wines from Abbaye de Lérins – Chardonnay, …

Stacie Hunt is a sommelier and a frequent Good Food guest.  This week on the show, she and Evan talk Rosé — just in time for Mother’s Day.  You don’t want Rosé to age, instead buy bottles only a year or two old, at the most. Keep reading for Stacie’s list of 11 Rosé’s you should try.

This guest-post comes to us from Mira Advani Honeycutt, author of California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.
On a sunny spring afternoon I met up with Benoît Gouez at Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica. The Chef de Cave of the legendary champagne house, Moët & Chandon was in town to introduce, the 2002 Grand Vintage.
What determines the bottling of vintage champagne, I ask? “Feeling,” he says simply.  A wine with personality makes the vintage cut. After fermentation, the flagship Imperial champagne is blended in …

This guest-post comes to us from Mira Advani Honeycutt, author of California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.

I’ve tasted Créme Brulée in many incarnations. But the one I savored recently – a Chocolate Caramel Brulee sprinkled with citrus sea salt totally jolted my taste buds.  The hint of salt in the dessert paired with Justin’s 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon pushed the tasting experience to an overdrive.
The dinner, part of Justin Vineyards & Winery’s Guest Chef Series program, featured the Beard-award nominated Kent Rathbun, …

I’m very lucky.  My best buddy Elizabeth Minchilli, who lives in Rome is an expert on everything food related in the city.  Over the years I’ve joked by calling her “The Answer Lady”.  I rely on her every time I visit Rome to show me the latest farmers markets, new restaurants, retail food shops and remind me of old classics we haven’t tried in awhile.  Well, now you can have Elizabeth as your culinary advisor in Rome too.  She’s written a marvelous app called Eat Rome.  If you’re planning …