Wine Room for 2008!! 2003 Covey Run Syrah

Tasting notes: Gentle, spicy & textured with a hint of purple.

Food pairing: Filet mignon and whipped chive potatoes.

Tasting tid bits: The most important thing about tasting wines is to have fun with it. Share wine tasting with friends and keep a wine journal of your tasting. It’s a great way to develop your palette.

I am often asked about my passion for food and cooking. People tell me that they can see or hear my enthusiasm when I prepare or talk about food. Yes, I have a great fervor for my craft, but I have an even greater one for dining. In the dining experience, food, wine, time, place and event combine to build memories that last a lifetime. Let's take a trip.

This past Christmas I spent time visiting family in the laid back town of Eugene, Oregon (the home state of the great American pinot noir grape). I stopped by one of the local fish mongers for a bit of wild Chinook and whatever other Pacific delight caught my eye. Conveniently, there was a small wine section in the back of the shop. I admired all the shelves full of pinot noir selections and then a young salesman approached me. I asked him for his recommendation for a nice, well-rounded and full bodied pinot, similar to that of style from Burgundy. He suggested a nice moderately priced bottle that met my criteria and that he felt I might enjoy. I purchased my wild fish and the recommended wine, and headed for the kitchen to prepare the night's entree. As chef at home etiquette states, I am allowed to have a quick taste of the grapes before getting started with cooking. I danced over to my bottle with my well-traveled corkscrew. I opened, poured, swirled and sipped, and all of a sudden I was back in Paris, at Le Vieux bistro. I taste the coquilles St. Jacques, feel the ambiance of the locals in the courtyard, and recall the conversation with my wife as well as her lovely black dress. Excuse me while I smile.

To me, dining is what food is about and why I have such a passion for it. Cooking allows me to help create those lasting memories that many so fondly look back on years later. Just as much as I love helping others create their memories, I love to experience my own. The dining experience is one that I feel is often unparalleled. I invite you to come on a culinary journey with me - one bite, one smell, one taste, one memory at a time.

Merci and bon appetit!