Jacqueline Friedrich: The Wine Humanist WINE BY PEOPLE, FOR PEOPLE; WINE FROM THE HEART

A Report from Facebook:
In early January, Marcella Hazan hosted a long thread on her Facebook page. In essence, it celebrated Italian gastronomy in no small part by demonizing French gastronomy in general and so-called celebrity chefs like Ferran Adria and Thomas Keller in particular, and, of all people, Julia Child.
As an eater, (more…)

Wine colleague and Loire enthusiast Jim Budd has a website called Jim’s Loire. In a recent post he spoke of his deception after having visited the Quarts de Chaume vineyards of Domaine des Baumard – claiming that the vines were overcropped and that the wines were made by using cryoextraction. He also posted photos (more…)

On the blog “Saignee” Tom Mansell, a science writer for The New York Cork Report, is, to quote Saignee “inject(ing) a little hands on science to the ongoing debate over biodynamics…”
Tom will focus on the writings of Rudolph Steiner and Nicolas Joly and will visit vineyards, presumably in or near New York.
(more…)

This time next week I will be on a local train taking me from the Port Boulet station to the Gare Angers St. Lo on my way to the Salon des Vins de Loire. I always have an ambitious program planned for myself and am lucky if I manage to accomplish a third of (more…)

I don't know who wrote these but a friend forwarded them to me. Many made me laugh out loud. I hope they brighten you day and lighten your mood too.

There's a postscript: At the end of the text there's a haiku I write after having been challenged by a friend.

Herewith, the Jewish Haikus:


Beyond Valium,
peace is knowing one's child
is an internist.

On Passover we
opened the door for Elijah.
Now our cat is gone.

After the warm rain
the sweet smell of camellias.
Did you wipe your feet?

Her lips near my ear,
Aunt Sadie whispers the name
of her friend's disease.

Today I am (more…)

Writing Loire2 and dealing with the abundant harvest in my garden has taken up all of my time recently. That and dentist appointments. Now the tumult of the garden is dying down. It’s basically just walnuts and apples now and the last of the cherry tomatoes and some green tomatoes that I’ve (more…)

This is a "discussion" that appears on my FaceBook Homepage. An old NYC comrade, Sally Belk King, started it off by taking one of the many polls, this one involving the health care controversy. I thought the discussion worth repeating here as only Sally's friends will see it on FaceBook -- and as I have strong (more…)