Before I make my recommendations, let me disclose that my palate isn't very refined.  I am amused by descriptions of wine that involve "toasted coconut, popcorn and pineapple" not because I doubt that they are true, but because I can't imagine experiencing them.  With that said, I love wine and drink it daily.  I can appreciate the general categories: when something is dry, or full bodied, or floral or clean.  I especially like wine that is dry.  Or full bodied.  Or floral or clean.  What I mean to say is that I've never met a wine I didn't like, and so the following wines, which I was lucky enough to sample at Wally's Annual Food and Wine Celebration, may not match the recommendations made by a discerning drinker.  But if you've ever picked out a wine based on a pretty label, or wanted to try something more interesting (or expensive) than the stuff at Trader Joe's, read on.

Sampled glasses of Palomino Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries.
 
 
Apparently, sherry is delicious.  Who knew?
 
Last week’s sherry tasting at Saam, the chef’s private tasting room at the Bazaar, took every preconceived notion I had about the drink and turned it on its head.  Bear in mind that I had very little sherry knowledge to start with.  To demonstrate this I’ll admit that I thought sherry was from England.  It’s from Spain.   

 
When Ian Blackburn launched Learn About Wine in 1995 the country was just beginning to emerge from an era marked by the dominance of White Zinfandel and "Chablis" that had never seen a frog, let along come from the Chablis region of France. But discovering there's a lot more to wine than the pink stuff is a lot like negotiating the Internet. There's a lot of wine to filter through, some good, some bad, and learning which is which takes time and a lot of practice. Ian understood this, and created a program for the general public called Wine Camp. A bit more "cocktail college" than Camp Winematonka, Wine Camp covers all the basics, from its history to how it's made, to how to smell, taste, buy and store it, and moreover, dismissing the misconception that knowing about wine is only a hobby for the rich.   

Over lunch at Ammo the other day the topic of Alice Waters and her wonderful edible education and Schoolyard Garden came up and I was happy to be able to share information about our very own local schoolyard garden here in Los Angeles. I think of Nancy Goslee Power, the powerhouse at the head of the Garden School Foundation, as our very own local Alice Waters. (You can see her in the garden in the video posted above.)  Pourtal Wine Bar was looking for a cause to support for their Angel Shares Happy Hour in July and I was happy to be able to make the introduction - edible LA community building at its best. The pairing of wine (I'll be drinking something local and biodynamic), a local wine bar, a local schoolyard garden and a way to get the word out there about the children who benefit from this wonderful venture is what I love about my job. 

It’s Friday afternoon, June gloom has finally lifted, it’s warm, the setting sun is making everything perfectly contrasted and the bad part is that it’s date night with my wife and I forgot to make a restaurant reservation. I’m in a lot of trouble!