SF Chronicle • 20th November 2020

When fire threatened, how a Napa wine writer chose which bottles to save

“Do we have room for any of the wine?” It was early evening on Aug. 18 when my husband and I received a mandatory evacuation order due to the LNU Lightning Complex Fire. The cars were packed with our most important belongings, the cat was in her carrier, and the fire was still burning many miles away. So, knowing we weren’t in immediate danger, my husband and I headed for the wine cellar, set in the back of our landlord’s garage.

Well+Good • 25th August 2020

I Went on a Road Trip During the Pandemic: Here’s What Did and Didn’t Feel Safe

From gas-station bathrooms to hiking in a national park and everything between, here’s what I can share, firsthand, about road trip safety during the pandemic.

SF Chronicle • 16th April 2020

How the coronavirus taught a Bay Area travel writer a lesson in humility

Those were the words that jumped out at me in an email from the U.S. Embassy on April 2. Every day for three weeks, I anxiously awaited news of a potential repatriation flight home from South Africa, where my husband and I had been stranded amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

VinePair • 12th October 2020

Saving Grapes: How Winemakers Are Repurposing Smoke-Tainted Grapes From the Wildfires

A freak lightning storm in August ignited hundreds of fires across California. Then in September, a second outbreak of wildfires up the West Coast blanketed wine country regions throughout California, Oregon, and Washington with smoke that hovered around for days on end. This smoke can permeate the grapes, releasing volatile phenols that ultimately render the wine undrinkable.

Scott's Cheap Flights • 23rd November 2020

Scott's Cheap Flights Napa Valley Guide

Where farming traditions live on, hot springs bubble up from the ground, and the wine is bottled poetry... The most famous wine region in North America, Napa Valley produces wines that rival those from the Old World’s most revered regions—but that’s not all it has going for it. This 30-mile stretch of Northern California has also proven to be one of the most beautiful to visit, with year-round sunshine and pleasing temps.

Wine Enthusiast • 7th October 2020

Four Virtual Wine Education Programs for Every Budget

Almost anyone of age can obtain, taste and enjoy wine in some capacity. When it comes to mastering what’s in the bottle, however? That isn’t always the case. Most traditional wine certifications require countless hours of rigorous study and hundreds to thousands of dollars, two big barriers that put the subject out of reach to many. That’s begun to change.

Decanter • 1st November 2019

Best Sonoma & Napa Wine Bars

With roughly 1,000 wineries, a bounty of Michelin- starred restaurants and new luxury hotels popping up around every corner, Napa and Sonoma businesses are constantly being pushed to up the ante and diversify in order to stand out from the stiff competition. The local wine bars are no exception.

AFAR Media • 20th March 2018

The Next Great Bubbly Comes From Brazil

The Southern Hemisphere is world-renowned for its wines from Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. But Brazil—famous for Ipanema and Copacabana, not malbec and sauvignon blanc—remains a quiet underdog, despite the fact that it’s the fifth-largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere (ahead of New Zealand).

Roadtrippers • 8th May 2020

Famous Smoky Mountain moonshiner 'Digger' Manes wants to revitalize his tiny Tennessee hometown

Better known as “Digger” from the Discovery Channel docu-series Moonshiners, Manes is wearing overalls with the top button on each side undone, and doesn’t look like someone of reality TV fame. But then again, Manes doesn’t exactly line up with my expectation of a real-life, backwoods moonshiner either.

Eater SF • 23rd January 2020

Why Bay Area Chefs Are Infatuated With the Ancient Japanese Tradition of Hoshigaki

Over the last couple of months, you may have noticed orange bulbs hanging from the rafters, kitchens, or bars of certain Bay Area restaurants. They’re not avant-garde Christmas decorations that have yet to be taken down. They’re hoshigaki — persimmons dried using the traditional Japanese method of hanging them from a string.

October • 14th April 2019

New Zealand’s Craft Beer Scene Is Worth Crossing the Equator

Tourists visit New Zealand for its incredible landscapes made famous by the Lord of the Rings and to seek out its grassy sauvignon blancs, not beer—but that’s about to change. A recent report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research states that New Zealand has more breweries (over 200) per capita than Britain, the US, and Australia.

VinePair • 31st August 2020

As Harvest Begins, Organizations Are Mobilizing to Protect Vineyard Workers From Covid-19

These organizations are mobilizing to protect workers by offering education, resources, and health screenings that can, in turn, help pilot the industry through a harvest season like no other.

SF Chronicle • 16th December 2016

Weekender: Eugene is Portland’s cooler little brother?

Eugene is to Portland as Oakland is to San Francisco. It’s less populated, less polished, but rapidly shedding its former bad-boy rap and gaining notoriety as the cooler little brother.

Decanter • 15th January 2020

Biondi Santi to release special-edition 2012 Riserva Brunello

Biondi Santi said its Riserva Brunello di Montalcino 2012 would be released on 1 March 2020. It will carry a special label to commemorate Franco Biondi Santi, who died in 2013, and the recommended price will be £460 per bottle.

Wine Enthusiast • 1st May 2017

Discover the Unknown of the Sierra Foothills

"From Gold Rush towns preserved in time to 140-year-old grapevines, the Sierra Foothills area keeps one foot in the 19th century. In this region, known as Gold Country and the Mother Lode, you will uncover rich history, best explored via raft or wine glass."

Decanter • 23rd January 2020

Must see Napa and Sonoma wineries: Five new visitor centres

With roughly 1,000 wineries between Napa and Sonoma, the pressure to stand out and outdo one another is on. This is good news for visitors, for wineries are in turn building stunning, state-of-the-art hospitality centers that offer a host of unique and luxurious tasting experiences. Here are five new spots—from old wine country favourites—to get the all-star treatment on your next trip to Napa and Sonoma.