​CLOSE YOUR EYES AND IMAGINE SITTING AT THE TERRACE OF A FRENCH BRASSERIE. DO YOU SMELL THE DISHES BEING SERVED AROUND YOU? CAN YOU HEAR THE GIRL AT THE TABLE ON YOUR RIGHT TALKING ABOUT THE NEW ART EXHIBITION ACROSS THE STREET OR THE WAITER CRITICIZING A NEW BURGUNDY VINTAGE? ARE YOU JEALOUS OF THE MAN SEATED ON YOUR LEFT WHO IS BRAGGING ABOUT HIS LAST TRIP TO PROVENCE? THIS WEBSITE IS ABOUT SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES OF THE GOOD LIFE, IN WHICH WE ALL PARTAKE.  THINK OF IT AS A VIRTUAL BRASSERIE TERRACE -- THE CROSSROADS WHERE WINE, GASTRONOMY, ART, AND PERSONAL NARRATIVES  MEET.

Tupungato / Shutterstock.com

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GUILTY PLEASURES
Great Wine and Food Pairings
We all know that consuming great wine and food together is a pleasure. I liken it to a cultural and artistic experience such as watching the sunset or listening to a beautiful piece of music. A great food and wine moment can pick you up out of a bad day, change your mood, making you take notice of something sublime and magical.

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RIESLING - THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD

Riesling is one of the most loved and respected grape varieties by connoisseurs and wine professionals, yet many wine drinkers say that they don't like it. What's the disconnect? The pros love it because Riesling can produce wines of great complexity and because of something called transparency. This is the ability of the wine to translate the specifics of it's vineyard site into flavors, aromas, and textures that present themselves in the glass. Riesling is excellent at this and the result is that within the grape's flavor profile...

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PAYS NANTAIS
Muscadet and Gros Plant
​In the wine world, the Pays Nantais is the grape-growing region surrounding the town of Nantes. With the production of Muscadet  and Gros Plant, the whole area spreads around 10,500 hectares. You must have heard about ‘’Muscadet,’’ which is the most popular wine of the region  - a white wine that pairs perfectly with a plate of oysters. 

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THE ''LOST'' BORDEAUX

Bordeaux is arguably the most unique wine region in the world. In size alone, producing upwards of 75 million cases of wine each year, this one region makes more wine than some countries. Additionally, the region has always had an international aspect to it, historically many European nations have participated as Château owners, wine bottlers, negociants, exporters and distributors. Notable players include the English (who ruled during the Middle Ages), Belgians, Dutch, Germans, Russians, and Swiss...

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WHAT'S ONE MUST FOR YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER?

Good wine, of course! But selecting the perfect wine to go with your Thanksgiving menu isn’t easy. Given the range of dishes you’ll be serving this Thursday, you need to pick the best wine (or wines) for your particular menu. Let’s go through some of the popular Thanksgiving dishes you might be offering your family and guests, and then go from there.

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BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU 
​What did you drink last night? We -- along with thousands of other people -- were enjoying the 2015 Beaujolais Nouveau.  To be honest: Beaujolais Nouveau doesn't enjoy a good reputation with many wine geeks so, if you drank it and liked it, you might want to skip telling any oenophiles you might know.  But more importantly, don't ever drink it -- or, at least, admit that you drink it -- after December.  As the slogan says  "It's Beaujolais Nouveau time!"....

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THE REVITALIZED MACONNAIS
 
In the last 20 years no wine region in the world has made more impressive strides in producing serious quality wines than the Mâconnais in France. This is truly a revitalization, rather than a rediscovery, as the Mâconnais has been producing wines for a very long time. Although the area has always made some excellent wines, mostly what we saw were large quantities of mediocre wine, or acceptable basic stuff but without any real character...

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BELINDA XIA
Aka belindaxiaillustration on Instagram
Aka belindaxillustration on Etsy
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​We fell in love with Belinda's work over social media. She's a talented artist with a special interest in fashion and a unique creativity. So we contacted her for a small interview...

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SAG HARBOR RUM

Going around the Hamptons this summer, I discovered a bottle of rum on the shelves of a liquor store that really caught my attention. I decided to ask the salesman on duty more about it. He explained that whether I was looking for some rum to sip by itself or one to mix in cocktails, this bottle could fulfill both uses...

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FRENCH CATALONIA
Perpignan and its Idyllic Landscape   

I hesitated between titling this article "Muscatland" or "French Catalonia". In the wine industry, Muscat reigns as king in this region, so Muscatland was my first pick. However, its Catalonian influence cannot be denied. So here it is: "French Catalonia", a region known as much for its idyllic landscape as for its terrific Muscats. 

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THE NOT-SO-SECRET RULE OF WINE PAIRING
Keep balance in mind

Many people look to wine labels and restaurant menus for guidance on the perfect wine to accompany their meal.  But the truth is that there’s no need to follow the exact suggestions given on a particular menu and there’s no big secret to wine pairing.  Rather, keep one word in mind when choosing a wine to flawlessly compliment your meal (or vice versa): balance.  It’s as simple as that. 

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JORGE ALBERTO ALVARADO

Actor, wine boutique owner, occasional dictator, wine lover and above all bon vivant, ''Jorgito'' as his family and friends call him, is a fixture of Morningside Heights in NYC. I met him two and half years ago when I entered into his wine store for the first time trying to sell him some of my French wines. Jorge is picky and knowledgeable about the wines he selects for his shop. It took me a couple of months of convincing before he placed one... 

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ANTHONY KERN
Aka  @_hoap_  on Instagram
Aka Head On A Plate Art on Etsy

We found Tony on instagram (@ _hoap_)  and instantly fell in love with his work. Spray paint is this artist's preferred medium, and his works provide a fun and unique insight into current pop culture. We contacted him and he kindly accepted to answer our questions.

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ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN 
Pouilly-Sur-Loire/Sancerre/Chavignol

Located only two and a half hours from Paris, the region comprising Pouilly-Sur-Loire, Sancerre, and Chavignol is one of the most charming regions of France.  These three towns are perfect destinations for a romantic getaway; instead of visiting one, why not head to all three? Simply rent a car and escape Paris on Highway A6, then after seeing signs for Nemours, merge onto Highway A77...

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LUCKY CHOPS BRASS BAND
An Interview With Members of The Band

We first heard the Lucky Chops Brass Band during the Sud de France Festival last spring, which is really a wine crawl to the best French restaurants and bars in New York City aboard a Frenchified double-decker bus.  Sounds fun, right?  It was.  Incredibly so.  But it wouldn’t have been half as memorable without the live soundtrack that followed us around the city – a unique mix of funk, jazz, and rock ...

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ZYCO'S SPACE

My name is Zyad, but everyone calls me Zyco. I'm Parisian, since always. I love Paris, it's a fabulous city, a city populated by museums where you never feel lazy!  But because I've got a case of wanderlust, I travel a lot too: to Lapland, Sicily, the Dominican Republic ...

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