Blog

Life with Wine: Oral Hygiene

Love this article put out by my friends at BottleNotes!  People are always asking me about wine staining and how it affects their pearly whites.  This is the answer I generally give below after I asked my dentist about it a few years back.  Read on…as BottleNotes has a few more tips for keeping those gorgeous… Continue

Read, Drink, Listen

A little Read, a little Drink and a little Listen! This month, in my regular column for Edina Magazine, I list a delicious Italian red for toasting to the holidays. Read, Drink, Listen Read Parents and children might need a humorous book or two as December descends and the holidays loom. The awful Herdman kids… Continue

6 Easy Tips for pairing Wine with Holiday Food

Love this post that Serena Ball of Teaspoon of Spice posted after attending an ALDI Blogher conference I helped host in November.  A great recap of the tips I gave participants! 6 Easy Tips for Pairing Wine with Holiday Food November 26, 2014 By Serena Ball A few surprise tips that will make your holiday wine and food… Continue

Tips for Holiday Entertaining

The holiday season is a time for gathering, entertaining, and further more, a time for sharing wine amongst friends and family. Whether you are on a budget, willing to splurge or somewhere in between, here are a few simple tips and entertaining ideas for following when gathering for the holiday season! 1.  Consider your audience.… Continue

Somm Speak ~ A new monthly blog exchange with A Perfect Pint

Somm Speak A new monthly blog exchange on my pal, Cicerone Michael Agnew’s blog, A Perfect Pint. __________________________________________________________________________ A Season for Sharing ~ Thanksgiving Pairings Whether you’re a beer enthusiast or a wine fanatic, there’s one thing we can all agree upon this Thanksgiving season, you’re gonna need one or the other for this season… Continue

All about that Gravy, that Gravy

I am grateful for a number of things this holiday season, but most of all…for my dearest friends.  Not only are we so thrilled to have a new section added to Amusée’s blog this week, A Monthly Pint, but to have Chef Mike Shannon join us for a guest post also this week sharing some… Continue

A Monthly Pint

We are SO excited to announce a new monthly segment to Amusée’s Blog — A Monthly Pint — by my beer bestie, Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew of A Perfect Pint! Most of you have either read, attended or heard of me rave of my #BeerBFF, Michael.  The two of us have been teaching beer/wine classes… Continue

Chef Mike’s Drunkin’ Punkin’ Pie Recipe w/ wine pairing

A class that has now become one of our Cooks of Crocus Hill staples, Holiday Pairings, was taught last night for the 4th year in a row by Chef Mike Shannon & myself.  With a wait list over a mile long, we squeezed in as many ‘Holiday Pairing’ fanatics as possible for this three hour… Continue

Congratulations, Douro Valley!

It’s happened!   The top ten wines of the world list has finally been unveiled & fully announced by The Wine Spectator! Congratulations to Dow’s with their 2011Vintage Port making it to the #1 spot!   Truly, a spectacular wine as I did have the opportunity to taste this wine when I was in Portugal this past… Continue

November Wine Pick

This month in my column for Edina Magazine, I recommend one of my favorite ‘everyday drinking’ whites that I almost ALWAYS have on tap at my house!  A perfect sipper for light bites, or better yet–a perfect pairing for your Thanksgiving Table.  And, if you’re into pairing your vino with a read or a listen,… Continue

Have you had a new Malibu Coast AVA labeled wine yet?

Great new piece out by Bottlenotes about the new Malibu Coast AVA Nov 4, 2014 The Campaign for Malibu Coast AVA The politics of American wineIt’s that time of year where tensions run high as Americans partake in their greatest democratic right: voting. After months of following your favorite candidates on the campaign trail, and… Continue

Wine Lingo Cheat Sheet!

Wine Lingo Cheat Sheet! Wine, vinho, vin, wein. No matter how you say it, or which region of the world it comes from, we all know it, and we all LOVE it! Wine is the perfect beverage for any occasion…at least we think so, however this sumptuous drink we all love can be quite daunting… Continue