... with wine. Always use a good wine for cooking—alcohol evaporates during simmering, leaving only the flavor of wine in your sauce. Wines labeled "cooking wine," or old wines that have turned acetic will give disappointing results. Cooking with wine is easier than most people realize. We use wine ... , and taste it a few minutes later, when the alcohol has evaporated. Like lemon juice, wine has a "cooking...

Friday Night, October 20, 5 to 7 pm. Wine club members are invited to join us for a casual Q&A with Dan Panico, a private tasting of the fall reserve releases, and endless lambsicles, prepared with our special Terricherry peppercorn, sea salt, and lavender rub. Wine club members only. Two ...

"Let’s keep the party down to about 20 people. Any more than that is just unmanageable." Clearly Dan had forgotten how many people he’d already invited. My confirmed head count, quietly kept in a spreadsheet on my laptop, was already 51. I shrugged. "Sure," I said. "Whatever you say, honey." ...

For as long as Art and Lei Norman had lived in their home, a tall oak on the property had one large dead limb protruding from its crown. They called it ‘the buzzard tree’ because a flock of turkey buzzards gathered on the naked limb each morning and evening. And ...

Finally, with a twinkle in his eye, Alex pulled out another cheese and began to slowly unwrap it. "I always save this for last," he said. "This is the most unusual cheese you will probably ever taste." And indeed, we all agreed that it was mind-blowing.

The game of Queen’s Choice Chess was invented at Dover Canyon on a nasty winter night—rain and wind were gusting against the windows, high winds were tearing through the trees and our windmill protested with wailing groans. We invented this game to keep us warm on stormy winter nights, along ...

In the tasting room, people are always asking us where they can find lunch in west Paso Robles. Fine dining is limited to lunch at McPhee’s in Templeton to the south of us, and a few tables available for luncheon in Deborah’s Room at Justin Winery. But Cider Creek Apple ...

This summer I picked up two 4-oz. packages of lox in the store, for $3.50 each. And then I saw Atlantic salmon filets for $5.00 a pound. But salmon is a rich food, and Dan was tired of eating it barbecued, sauteed and steamed. Somewhere in my scattered memory bank, ...

This week I received a request from a Los Angeles police detective for a bottle of the 2004 Dover Canyon Zinfandel Reserve. I was asked to courier it overnight to New York City, where experts would examine it. Oh yeah? I thought. Fine. Take that, copper. Tonight our Dover Canyon ...

Soup is a favorite treat in our house, both for ordinary suppers and as a first course when we have guests. This time of the year the soups are as apt to be cold as hot, not surprisingly. This one...