Randy Caparoso

Why drink organic wines? Like organic foods twenty, thirty years ago, wines produced in organic, biodynamic, as well as vegan and sustainable fashions are emerging out of the fringe elements of commercial taste, and becoming more significant by the…

The concept of red wine with fish is now as firmly entrenched in culinary phraseology as red wine with meat and white wine with fish. Exactly how does this work, and why? Almost twenty years ago David Rosengarten and Joshua Wesson wrote a book about…

Extreme Winemaking by Tandem's Greg La Follette (and Four More Shiny New California Gems) When it comes to winemaking, you can't be an extremist without having two feet set firmly in the ground, or terroir, to use the all-encompassing wine word for…

Albariño, the Gastronomic Grape Usage, Comparisons, Disputed Origins I first began working with Albariño in Hawaii in the mid-'90s, finding its combination of tropical perfume, dryness, citrusy acidity and minerality to be a perfect match with dishes…

Ugly Duckling Wines At The 2008 Santé Restaurant Symposium One of winemaker Randall Grahm's longtime favorite descriptions for the under-appreciated wines of the world is ugly ducklings. Another is heterodoxical. In the restaurant business, we've…

How is your contemporary wine grape IQ? Are you up on the latest "alternative" varieties? Should you even care? If a grape makes perfectly delicious wine, I would think yes to the last question. But for me, personally, I think a wine made from an…

Ripped through California's North Coast this past February, and saw some old friends such as Larry Stone MS (partner of Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco, and now also GM of Rubicon Estate in Napa Valley), Mia Klein (the woman, the legend), and…

Does price affect the "quality" of wine? Yes, indeed it do. At least according to a recent study conducted by Antonio Rangel, Associate Professor of Economics at the California Institute of Technology (as reported by Fairfax Digital on…

Oh, mama, can this really be the end? Thank you, Mr. Dylan, for your prophetic line. I absolutely adore Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. Historic epicenter of the blues, place of birth and final rest of Elvis, and once my temporary home. I could…

California's Master of Cabernet Franc By Randy Caparoso Now is the time for all good men (and women) to come to the joys of Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc? You mean that green, underripe grape? Hey, look at it this way: run-of-the-mill Cabernet…

Restaurant vs. Retail Wine Sales - Who's to Blame? Restaurants vs. retailers. Sommeliers vs., er, wine store salesmen (oh heck, let's call them "retail wine specialists"). Who has done more for America's growing interest in wine? Who's to blame for…

Who understands restaurant wine lists? Even after writing wine lists for a living since 1978, I have to confess wondering if I ever got it right. Especially after opening an issue of the nation's best selling, and most influential, wine magazine to…

They say that cheesemaking goes back as long ago as 9000 BC, when animals were first domesticated for their milk. Milk is turned into cheese by an enzyme known as rennet, originally found in the lining of calves' stomachs. Seems some ancient dude…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific: You Say Pinot Gris, I Say Pinot Grigio © Randy Caparoso Wines bottled as Pinot Gris are made from the exact same grape as those bottled as Pinot Grigio. Then again, you may also see it labeled…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific Riesling - The Cinderella of Wine Grapes © Randy Caparoso & Mary Ann Hardman Tiring of Chardonnay, Merlot, or the umpteenth glass of Pinot Grigio? Searching for the ideal wine - fresh, cool and…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific Chicken Everybody Loves © Randal Caparoso My jobs have always taken me to the skies; and I think that most people, like me, who live their life out of a suitcase usually try to take a little…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific The Acid Test - Sauvignon Blanc © Randal Caparoso Comparing Sauvignon Blanc with Riesling Although I do not fear low acid wines for food, there's a lot to be said for crisply balanced, elevated…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific The taste of "brett" in wine © Randal Caparoso The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast. One of the controversies that emerged in the 1990s concerns an extremely common, but seldom discussed,…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific Deconstructing Umami © Randy Caparoso When I think of many of the natural food and beverage combinations I've enjoyed in my life - like sushi and beer, 'ahi tuna and Pinot Noir, green tea and…

Wine & Food Advisory from the Melting Pot of the Pacific What Wine with Sushi? © Randal Caparoso Necessity, not Frank Zappa, is the original mother of invention. So it goes with sushi and wine. Sushi bars have become the Chinese restaurants of 20 or…