All About Wines
Fine Dining
Estate visits, cellar tours, and tastings. WSET Level 2 certified.
The best meals aren't just about food. They're about the room, the service, the moment everything comes together. Here's where I document the tables worth every reservation.
Absinthe, Gamay, and a Demi-Sec: Drinking Through Four Courses at Pineapple & Pearls
A pairing has to work twice as hard in a room with balloons on the ceiling and pop music at volume. At Pineapple & Pearls, four pours carried four courses, and one of them fixed a dish I otherwise didn't love.
The Sake Was the Best Thing in My Glass at The Inn at Little Washington
The Inn at Little Washington has held the Wine Spectator Grand Award every year since 1995. I took the pairing, tasted five pours across four hours, and came away with a complicated answer.
I Skipped the Wine Pairing at Per Se. Here's What I Drank Instead.
Per Se's wine program has held the Wine Spectator Grand Award every year since 2013. Instead of ordering the standard pairing, I built my own four glasses with the sommelier, from a grower champagne to Thomas Keller's favorite dessert wine.
Ten Glasses at SingleThread: The Full Drink Pairing
The evening opened with a 2015 Dom Pérignon and closed on a rooftop with a 2014 Château d'Yquem. Here is everything in between.