Zagula spells trouble

Just had this wine with friends. McCrea has lovely wines, but this Roussanne is delightful - soft, earthy, pear, and with the mineral hints that I like in a French Viognier.

And I'm not alone in liking it.

Posted by johnza at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A friend of mine and some of his friends started a great thing. They are all visitors to the beautiful island of Sumba. This is a very untouched place near Bali. Untouched and in need of lots of help. Well they got together and created the Sumba Foundation that supports education and health programs in this beautiful place. They also produced a stunning book. All proceeds go to the foundation.

Posted by johnza at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just had the declicious I Cedri 2003 di Villa Pattono Monferrato Bianco from Renato Ratti at our favorite Cafe Juanita.

Delicious, delicate, warm and yet earthy and herbal.

Posted by johnza at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Good friend Jonathan Roberts recently went on a very special trip to Africa - touring Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana. They focused on visiting healthcare and economic development programs being run by Africans for Africans. In many ways it was a “tour of hope.” He didn’t have to take a single photograph since a crew from MSN was also part of the trip and they’ve recently posted a site that chronicles the whole trip. Please check here to check it out. Also, the tour was lead by Pasquale Scaturro, a renowned adventurer and the expedition leader of the first group to navigate the entire length of the Nile. This adventure is chronicled in the recently released IMAX film.

Posted by johnza at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Or pork, or any cured meat for that matter? Well, if you're in Seattle, the answer is Salumi.

I cannot say enthusiastic enough things about this tiny but amazing place run by Armandino Batali, the father of Mario Batali. If you ever want to have something special as an appetizer for a dinner party, try their Mole salami. Terrific for home cooked lunch too. Then if you are a regular you can actually weedle your way into their periodic, intimidate dinners.

Lots of others share my enthusiasm:
* Recent review in the Seattle Times, via Seattle Bon Vivant
* Nice review with pictures of the meats
* Good review of their incredibly intimate, incredibly special dinners (via Richard Silverstein).
* Citysearch gives them a 9.8 (which seems to low to me)

Posted by johnza at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)