by Chef Larry Canepa

As a Chef and Educator, I have the rare and special opportunity to stimulate and observe the awakenings of young palettes with food and wine. Once in a while, there are special moments when all is right and astounding breakthroughs happen. I experienced just such a breakthrough recently over a special wine in our series.

By Chef Larry Canepa

You may be wondering why we have an article on tea in the Wine & Spirits section of our website. Well, while it may not be as inebriating as other beverages; it is intoxicating in its own way, it has seduced the world, and it is as addictive a substance as any other. So with this definition as a justification, we will place it here to facilitate further debate.

by Executive Chef Joshua Hebert of POSH

Can a movie affect our views on food and wine? Apparently, yes.

A few years ago, the movie Sideways actually proved this when the main character, a self proclaimed “expert” on wine, maligned Merlots and extolled the relative virtues of Pinot Noir. The movie started a trend, Merlot sales crashed with the "in crowd," and I can’t keep enough Pinot Noir at POSH. The thing about this movie is that the entire character of Miles is meant to be ironic (in true sense not the Alanis Moressette definition), and his views on wine metaphorical.

by Chef Larry Canepa, Wine & Spirits Editor

Sherry is again gaining ground in the wine world, and it is well deserved.  I write ‘again,’ because Sherry has a long history of serving famous figures from Christopher Columbus to Shakespeare. Sherry is fashionable again because of its stellar value and food-friendly behavior.

During the holidays, it's easy to find an excuse to celebrate.  Personally, I like to crack open a bottle of sparkling wine anytime I am in the mood. I am here to tell you that it is OK to drink a sparkler outside of a celebration. It is wine, BTW. Measuring by the sales at POSH, though, it’s fair to say most people still think of them as a holiday indulgence. So, I thought this would be a good season to address these special wines.

Not that I ever need an excuse to drink, but if one arises and lasts more than a month, count me in!! Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve - the toasting tri fecta!  These three celebrations are all the excuse I’ll ever need to play with Holiday Spirits! Champagne, good beer, and all things peppermint vodka add flavor to the holidays in many wonderful ways. Don’t be surprised if I jump on (or fall off) one or all of these bandwagons during the season, but I like to start the season with an American colonial classic - Hot Buttered Rum.

In this Into the Soup video, Heidi visits with the author of "Skinny-Tinis," Theresa Howes. Teresa teaches us how to make great, flavored martinis at 1/2 to 1/3 of the calories of regular martinis. Check out the video and then check out her site skinnytinis.com.

When the weather finally cools off enough to call it fall (even here in Arizona), and we see Thanksgiving right around the corner, our evening glass of wine turns from white to red.  This can present a little bit of a challenge for turkey dinner, however.  With so many things on the table, the choice of ‘red or white’ becomes a big decision.