Let’s start the New Year with a trip to Tuscany!

I know, I know. The holidays are over and we’re supposed to go back to work. But, with the possibility of a bargain rate for only a few days’ stay in Siena and some of the surrounding villages, and the strong probability that your boss is out of town until the end of the month, why not throw caution to the wind and fly to Italy!? You just might have a good time. I found a trip that will enable you to start in Siena, tour wine country for four days, and get back to the Lowcountry before anyone even knows you’ve left.    

On November 18th, wine aficionado Larry Bernard and I taught a wine and food pairing class for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at USC-B. Our class was limited to 30 people and sold out in the first few hours that it was offered. The recipes this week are a sampling of some of the wines and food that were served during our presentation. Larry and I will be offering a bourbon and food pairing class on February 2nd. For more information, contact Andrea Sisino at OLLI.

For as long as I can remember, I looked upon d’Yquem as strictly a desert wine. My stereotype was broken when I was doing research for this article. I found out that the wine is an excellent accompaniment to some dinner preparations such as roasted fowl and duck. You can follow this up with your cheese course, but make sure that Blue Cheese, (”Bleu” if you prefer) is included.