It's a look at wine auctions with one of the country's foremost experts, Fritz Hatton of Christies U.S. Wine Department (http://www.christies.com/wine). Who buys Andrew Lloyd Weber's wine cellar? Our wanderers, Jane and Michael Stern, hit the road and head west toward the Grand Canyon, and Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan gives us the rules on the basics, like how full should a glass of wine be filled?
The wines of Washington State have soared into prominence in a relatively short time due, in part, to the unique growing conditions and varied microclimates that give the region its potential to become one of the greatest fine wine producing areas in the world. Our guest, Lorne Jacobson of Hedges Cellars, will fill us in on these reasonably priced wines of exceptional quality. Our road food duo Jane and Michael Stern have entered the fray in yet another culinary controversy—clam chowder. Whether it's heavy cream, light cream, no cream, or tomato-based, they'll have the word on where to find the best of each variety. Fruit-obsessed David Karp has found a "fruit zoo" and he's back with a report, and culinary minimalist Mark Bittman streamlines Thai curries with his recipe for shrimp in yellow curry.
We're getting a culinary travel tour of India with award-winning author and tour guide Julie Sahni. The Stern's answer the question, "what ever happened to waffles?", Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan has Napa Valley travel tips and Mark Bittman has advice on streamlining our life behind the stove, with a recipe for braised lamb shanks.
The calendar might not say it's spring, but gardeners have been studying seed catalogs and dreaming of the harvest for months now. Even if your "garden" is only a potted tomato plant on a terrace, you'll want to tune in this week when William Woys Weaver, author of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening, takes a fascinating look at the history of heirloom vegetables and shares some of his seed sources. When the subject is vegetables, Jane and Michael Stern head to an outdoor market in Birmingham, Alabama and a certain diner that serves up an incredible offering of nearly four dozen vegetables, all farm-fresh and cooked Southern-style! Our Master of Wine, Mary Ewing Mulligan, fills us in on Viognier - the latest white wine craze; Lee from Portland tries to Stump the Cook, and Lynne shares a recent find at the Miami airport and takes your calls.
We're taking a look at one of the largest wine growing regions in France this week, not Burgundy, not Bordeaux, but Languedoc with Pierre Noique. Great values are to be had! Our guide is wine merchant Pierre Noique who gives us his favorite picks of Languedoc bargains. Think bottles in the $8 to $13 range! Jane and Michael Stern have had another New England Epiphany. It's Simon Pearce this time and, yes, it's in Vermont. They'll stop by with the details. Minimalist cooking sage and award-winning author Mark Bittman is back with some thoughts on braising and a streamlined recipe for braised and grilled lamb shanks. Architect Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live wants us to re-think our dining rooms and tells us why.
Americans now eat nearly 2 pounds of garlic a year, and botanists believe that garlic was one of the first plants to be cultivated by man. Linda and Fred Griffith, authors of Garlic, Garlic, Garlic, join us with lore, medical breakthroughs, and recipes for The stinking rose. The Sterns take us to the land of country-music stars and biscuits and gravy—The Loveless Café in Nashville, Tennessee—cheesemonger Steve Jenkins stops by with an explanation of cheese varieties and tea expert Bill Wattington gives us the lowdown on green teas.
It's a basic course in olive oil this week with Rolando Beramendi, founder of Manicaretti, an importer of high quality Italian food products. Extra-virgin, cold-pressed, estate bottled - Rolando explains it all and gives us a buyer's guide to getting the best oil for our money. Our dynamic dining duo, Jane and Michael Stern, discover a fine country ham in Virginia; cheese expert Steve Jenkins shares his spring cheese picks; and our grocery guru, Al Sickerman, talks Peeps!
We're taking a trip to one of New York City's finest wine cellars, at a restaurant called Patroon. With the wine cellar comes its caretaker, the Sommelier. It's a glimpse of one of the most intimate relationships in the restaurant business, chef and sommelier. Jane and Michael Stern take us to The Peanut Shoppe in Mobile, Alabama, and Lynne and grocery guru Al Sicherman taste canned tomatoes; who will win—Hunts, Contadina, or Muir Glen?
It's a look at winemaking with David Bruce of the David Bruce Winery. David makes award-winning Pinot Noirs. FYI, it's no small feat for an American winemaker to make a great pinot, it's considered by the industry to be one of the most difficut grapes to master. David tells the secret behind his great bottles—a rather ancient technique! Jane and Michael Stern take us to Vermont, again! This time off Route 132 in Sharon, home of Brooksies, and Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan answers the age-old question —does the glass you serve your wine in really matter?
Cold season is upon us, and rather than heading to a drugstore—think about heading to your cupboard for apple cider vinegar, peppermint and thyme! Judith Benn Hurley, author of Healing Secrets of the Season, joins us with some seasonal home remedies. The Sterns have advice on San Diego street food and we check in with Specialty Produce Expert David Karp in the field, the orange groves of California!