From the monthly archives:

December 2009

Le Clos d’Alzeto: From reign of terror to reign of terroir

December 31, 2009

Many speak of wine terroir as if it was a gift of Mother Nature. Those with such ideas need to visit the Le Clos d’Alzeto vineyard on the western coast of Corsica, just north of the island’s capitol city, Ajaccio. Corsica is like someone had grabbed a handful of mountain off of the mainland and [...]

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Holiday greetings

December 24, 2009

Photo by Martin Goodman

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Terrine de foie gras: A classic Christmas luxury

December 21, 2009

Traditionally, a holiday meal in France features roast lamb, or some sort of poultry (chicken, turkey, goose or duck, or sometimes pintade (guinea fowl, in English), quail or pheasant, for the more adventuresome, or maybe even a capon, a castrated cockerel that is prized for its tenderness). Vegetarians, rare as they might be here, or [...]

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Furbo-powered scandals

December 16, 2009

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will need up to several weeks rest following his attack while giving a speech on the evening of December 13 in front of Milan’s Duomo, the city’s massive Gothic cathedral. A 42-year-old man with a history of mental illness hurled a softball-sized souvenir statue of the cathedral at Berlusconi’s face, [...]

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Le Clos Ornasca: A Corsican heart of gold

December 11, 2009

When I telephoned Laetitia Tola about setting up an appointment, the owner of the AOC Ajaccio vineyard Le Clos Ornasca agreed, but she wanted to know how long it would take. “Several hours,” I replied, explaining that I needed to interview her and take photos of the estate. “You can have an hour,” was her [...]

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