On Memorial Day, we honor our Military, who served our country. What about the military dog and military mascot that served during combat? This story is about Sugie, a sea dog and military mascot of the USS Besugo SS321. The submarine saw five combat tours during World War II. My father-in-law, Morris Bornstein, was one
Memorial Day 2020: Honoring Ten Red Wines
As Memorial Day 2020 approaches, although most of us are sheltering in place, we can still enjoy a barbeque and open a nice bottle of red wine, even with friends, if respect social distancing. Whether you barbeque chicken, hamburgers, or a steak, you chose from an excellent selection of wine to brighten the Day as
Landmark Vineyards: The best in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Discovering wineries steeped in wine history gives us a better understanding of how our wine culture developed over the years. Landmark Vineyards represents one of those establishments that made its name with the growing interest in Chardonnay in the 1970s. The winery has since moved into producing some excellent Pinot Noir. Therefore, their wine prowess
Nesting Birds: From Birth To Flight
As I watch a pair of birds building a nest under our eaves in our decorative hanging basket adorned with potted fuchsia, it reminds me that during the spring season, we must take precautions for nesting birds and fledgling birds that may be lurking in our back yards. One of the beauties of nature occurs
Mother’s Day 2020: Six Wines To Elevate the Day
Mother’s Day 2020 has new meaning with shelter in place orders; most of us cannot celebrate in the traditional ways. For some, we enjoy the day at home, and for others, it will be a virtual Mother’s Day. Here are some wine selections for either type of get together. When I think of Mother’s Day
Highlighting Driveway Drinking, Online Wine Tasting & Virtual Dinners
From driveway drinking to online wine tasting to virtual dinners, welcome to our new norm in socializing and visiting with our friends. We used to spend our days enjoying our friendships and social lives based around a meal or sipping wine together. Finding new ways to survive the need to be social creatures in a
COVID-19 and Pets: Best Practices
We are all living with constant changes and challenges as we circumvent COVID-19. Shelter in place is part of the normalcy of our lives, but what about COVID-19 and pets. Our dogs and cats love having us home to dole out extra attention. Many of us take our daily walks with our dogs in tow,
Argentinian Malbec: Celebrating the Malbec Grape
Malbec World Day is just around the corner, and although celebrating has a different connotation in the days of a pandemic, one thing that has not been taken away from us is wine, the ability to buy good wine and savor its nuances. We can still pick up an Argentinian Malbec wine and enjoy a
Travaglini Gattinara: Nebbiolo At Its Best
Often there is something besides the wine that attracts us to a particular winery. As I sit and reminisce about tastings in the past, I think about when Cinzia and Alessia Travaglini were in Los Angeles for a tasting of the family’s Nebbiolo wine. It was the unique bottle shape that stood out to beckon
Temecula: Discovering the Red Varieties of Chapin Family Vineyards
My last excursion to visit a winery before the sheltering in place went into effect in Los Angeles took me for a day to Temecula to visit Chapin Family Vineyards. What makes Chapin stand out is the Italian varieties they produce. Although Chapin focuses on red wine and two that are unusual for Temecula, Montepulciano,
