What a Difference a Year Makes…
I’ve heard the saying ‘what a difference a year makes for,’ well, years. It always sounded so cliché, so trite. It’s a year, people. A mere 365 days. How much can actually happen? A year [...]
Maize, Blue and Beard
When I received word that I’d been cleared to attend the 2011 James Beard Awards, I had to sit down and compose myself. Like the rest of you, I’ve been overspending my paychecks on good food and [...]
Bon Jour, Marie!
Canada. I know a few things about this place, this country that shares our border and in many ways, our sensibilities. Canada knows hockey. Canada’s citizens have free health care. Canada’s [...]
Spit, Don’t Swallow!
I know, I know… It’s been a long time since I’ve given my Marie’s World blog any love. I’ve been running around countries and cities trying to make a living, but [...]
Ode to the Michaels
The next day, we woke early to meet Michael Terrien, a contact sent my way through an old HarperCollins author named Michael Sanders. Terrien had assisted Sanders on his wine books, and was a [...]
The Kindness of (Most) Napa Strangers
A stop at the annual Food & Wine party on our second night made me realize that regardless of the open-armed, accessible experiences in Sonoma, the snooty wine mentality still exists in some [...]
Ooooh, Luuuuuccccy!
Ever wake up on a vineyard? Me neither. Well, until a couple of weeks ago. I won’t lie; it didn’t suck. Sleep in my eyes, my country house bed was super-duper-comfortable, but I just couldn’t [...]
Hello, Wine Country!
California Wine Country. Those three little words have been elusive for decades. Well, the two decades during which I’ve been legal. Once I ditched my dream of moving to San Francisco [...]