south florida gourmet

De Loach Vineyard in Sonoma CA, now certified organic is going a step furter: Biodynamic

2009-09-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

At De Loach Vineyards in the Russian River Valley in Santa Rosa, vineyard manager Eric Pooler checks his vines. The first crop of Certified Organic CCOF and soon to be certified BioDynamic is due in September 2010.

The half-acre certified organic garden thrives with life: sheep that eat the weeds, chickens, an insectarium for beneficial insects and an endless variety of fruits and vegetables that enable honeybees to pollinate the flowers. The garden is surrounded by fragrant herbs used both in the kitchen and for the biodynamic preparations that Eric Pooler applies to the vines.

De Loach Vieyards has been making wine in Russian River Valley since 1975, and since it has been purchased by the Burgundian family-owned Boisset - one of France's leading producers of Pinot Noir , it has become a pioneer in terroir-driven Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandels

Boulettes Larder One Ferry building San Francisco

2009-09-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Chef Amaryll Schwertner at Boulette Larder
takes advantage of the market's bounty
to create a fabulous menu

A morning In San Francisco

2009-09-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

They come from farms in Sonoma and around San Francisco with the best of their crops. Most of them are organic and they're all fresh!

A dozen varieties of peppers and chilies make their way in Mexican dishes as well as in creations by American chefs like Amaryll Schwertner at her famous restaurant Boulettes Larder in 1 Ferry building.

Drinking Champagne in Reims, France

2009-08-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

In Reims, Champagne, you can see people sitting down at sidewalk cafes and actually drinking Champagne, just like people sit in cafes in the US to have coffee.

True, they have a very large choice of Champagnes to choose from: from the big labels to little unknown producers.