"Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly."
W.E.P. French

Before I started taking WSET classes at the International Wine Center, my wines of choice were Gato Negro & Rosemount Shiraz. My biggest fear was that after my studies I would no longer enjoy anything I could afford.  Though I can and do appreciate a glorious Burgundy, Bordeaux or Cote-Rotie, my educated tastebuds do not prevent me from enjoying affordable wine. The secret (and possibly the best result of my classes)
is knowing where and how to look
for good value.
Generally, if it's not a trendy wine region, you can find a good value. Before wine writers started extolling the virtues of Spanish and Chilean wine, those were my affordable mainstays - and there are still great bargains there: many sub-$10 wines that make good food matches and enjoyable quaffs. Even that great NYC Madison Avenue stalwart,
Sherry-Lehmann, has a vast range of wines that appeal to both the tastebuds & wallet

Once you know what style of wine you like - it's easier to find similar styles at a lower price point. For example, one of my favorite red wines is Cote Rotie. There's something so sensual about it - that little touch of Viognier can totally change the complexion of the Syrah. I'm still saving my pennies for a Guigal "La Landonne" (at around $300, that's a lot of pennies!) but in the meantime, I found a more affordable, if less grand, substitute: Cote Rotie Cote Brune 2001, Domaine de Bonserine. It's the same AOC, but a less prestigioius producer, so at around $30, it doesn't break the bank. Even more affordable is the South African version, "Goat Rotie" from the Goats du Roam Wine Company - you can usually find it for under $20. One thing to bear in mind, though, is that a grape variety you like in a new world wine (California, Australia, Chile, etc) will probably taste markedly different in an old world wine. The new world style is usually more fruit-forward with higher alcohol.

An old adage I once heard says,
  "You should eat to live,
not live to eat."  
Now, I'm sure this sage advice is meant to discourage overeating and, as such, is probably good advice.  But I have to tell you, these are not words I can live by.  I love food.  Having barely survived a childhood of well-done beef and canned vegetables cooked past the point of taste (or in some cases, recognition) food, for a long time, held no great appeal.  My first kitchen endeavors were limited to spaghetti with tomato sauce from a jar and pies made with pudding mix & cool whip. My stomach & I are happy to report that those days are over.  Food has become a wonderful and decidedly
NOT guilty pleasure.

Part of this change was because of my travels in Europe - enjoying great fresh ingredients prepared in the manner of the region. My biggest influence, though, was studying wine.  In training to discern the subtle, underlying aromas and tastes in wine, my senses were...well, educated.  And once I was able to taste these characteristics in wine, that awareness carried over to the world of food.

My culinary ventures these days are more ambitious and less pre-packaged.  My cookbook collection continues to grow...and grow, and grow!  My skill is growing, too, thanks to endless experimenting and the occasional cooking class.

For Bruce & me, food has become the basis of our travel plans, and great food experiences are cherished memories.  Among the best (so far):
The Herbfarm in Woodinville, WA
Dahlia Cafe and Cascadia in
Seattle, WA
Vinothek in Munich
Bouley in New York  (the best food and wine pairing EVER!)
Of course, dining with the great Jacques Pepin at l'Ecole, at a fund raiser for WLIW has to be at the top of the list for memorable dining experiences.

Bruce & Bethany with Jacques Pepin

A recent trip to Florence reacquainted my tastebuds with the wonders of Italian wine. My favorite Italian has always been Amarone - so velvety, full and sensual - but this trip reminded me how perfect a good Chianti can be. Okay, get that picture of the
straw-wrapped bottle out of your head. I'm talking about the real thing. I brought home a couple of bottles of 2004 Nozzole Chianti Classico, which we enjoyed with a Tuscan-style feast of Prosciuto-wrapped beef filets with a balsamic reduction. I was happy to find that Sherry-Lehman carries it, so I can enjoy it again & recommend it.

The trip also featured some incredible meals. The specialty there is Florentine beef. Don't even think about finding its equivalent in the US. The beef is a special variety not found here and the cut is one American butchers don't do. What I will say is that it's melt-in-your-mouth tender and so full of flavor - it's like experiencing beef for the first time. Many thanks to Lorenzo, Federico and Laura for the experience. I'll never forget the evening at Ristorante Da Padellina in Chianti!

No turkey found its way to our Thanksgiving feast this year - Bruce cooked a fabulous rosemary-encrusted leg of lamb from a recipe in Jerry Traunfeld's Herbfarm cookbook. Heavenly! I served a 2003 Esprit de Beaucastel from Tablas Creek Vineyard with it. Showing a lot of violet, rose, and cherry on the nose, it had lovely notes of black cherry, vanilla & coffee, with a slightly bitter almond aftertaste. A great match with the lamb.

Some of my favorite wine and food quotations:

"Wine is bottled poetry"
Robert Louis Stevenson

"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." 
Old New York Proverb

"The wine seems to be very closed-in and seems to have entered a dumb stage. Sort of a Marcel Meursault."
Paul S. Winalski

"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch."
James Beard

"I like best the wine drunk at the cost of others."
Diogenes the Cynic

"Cooking is like love. 
It should be entered
into with abandon
or not at all." 
Harriet van Horne

"The best use of bad wine is to drive away poor relations."
French proverb

"It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it."
Julia Child

"Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach."
Spanish saying