Combining the month's focus on Riesling styles with our occasional examinations of Eastern U.S. wines, we uncork a good Riesling from Kentucky, of all places.
Just as the fall foliage is changing to its cloak of brilliant colors, many wine lovers start thinking about reds. Randy "Bucko" Buckner offers a good ration of reds and whites this month among his notes on 100 new wines.
This month's issue of WineBlueBook covers many West Coast Pinot Noir, White Burgundy and Piedmont Red wines that were scored last month by the wine critics. A total of 1,284 wines are profiled in the November 2008 issue.
Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites Dulles-North in Ashburn has partnered with Good Taste! Tours (GTT), a culinary arts excursion company, and created a package for Virginia food and wine lovers.
• Local Wine Harvest Extravaganza — 7-10 p.m. Nov. 14. Whole Foods Market joins forces with local wine producer Periscope Cellars to give you the perfect pairing of wines, cheeses and festive holiday dishes. 1410 62nd St., Suite B, Emeryville. 510-649-1333. For a list of upcoming events, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/berkeley .
Let's start where we all dream of starting anyway--with dessert. Pistachio cake with vanilla cardamom cream, doubly accented with a bright blaze of pomegranate syrup and a more delicate drizzle of orange flower syrup. Intense and satisfying, the cake merely whispers sweetness, made as it is from groundnuts, whole flour, and maple crystals as sweetener.
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