Finding the Mele in Kalikimaka: Hawaiian Christmas Music and Wine Pairings

Thanksgiving is officially in the books and the Christmas madness is in high gear. In every store and street corner, one must fight the bevy of busy patrons procuring their holiday treats, trees and trinkets. Stressed and overwhelmed? My reliable method of relaxation during this bustling holiday season is the strategic alliance of a refreshing vinous beverage and festive Christmas tunes.

In this post, I briefly ponder the fascinating musical heritage of Hawaii, while recommending a few wine and Christmas album pairings that will help you to celebrate the season in [Hawaiian] style. Fear not; we have many more options from which to choose than Mele Kalikimaka.

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The Wine Blog Amplification: New Friends and Wine Conference Musings

A belated but very happy Thanksgiving greeting to my loyal and wonderful readership. In this season, I am extraordinarily grateful for you, my readers: for your enthusiasm in reading my blog and for tolerating my dry Irish wit, wonkish tendencies and nonsensical banter. Thanks for journeying with me.

My recent mainland sojourn brought me to the annual Wine Bloggers Conference, held this year in the Northern California town of Santa Rosa. A weekend of wine, blogger training and best of all, fellow wine enthusiasts! I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with like-minded bloggers who share my passion for food, wine and storytelling. And now I want to share their writings with you! This post introduces a few of my favorites.

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The Ho-Lee Alliance: Ho Farms and The Pig & the Lady Present a New Farm-to-Table Paradigm

The Pig & the Lady, located in Honolulu’s Chinatown district, has developed a steadfast following for its unique Vietnamese-inspired menu, whimsical personality and family narrative. Chef de cuisine Keaka Lee has elevated the original concept with elegant fusion dishes that emphasize local ingredients and fresh, vibrant flavors. Keaka’s style focuses on a seasonal menu that highlights the restaurant’s affiliations with the community. For Keaka, strong relationships between chefs and farmers are central to achieving a sustainable, effective local food network. Chefs and farmers partner to provide a complete farm-to-table culinary experience. 

This symbiotic relationship was on display when The Pig & the Lady joined forces with Ho Farms, a family farm located on Oahu’s North Shore, to host a collaborative six-course farm-to-table dinner with wine pairings designed to stimulate conversations about food, community and culture. Sounds informatively tasty.

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The Enchanted Vinous Collective: Spooky Wines and Halloween Wisdom With Jorge Garcia and Kevin Keaveney

In Part I of the Enchanted Vinous Collective, I recommended a few bargain spooky wines to bring to your Halloween party that will simultaneously keep you in theme and a few extra dollars in your pocket. Win-Win. On certain occasions, however, you may require a high quality vino for your All Hallows’ Eve exploits. Perhaps you are attending a party hosted by your sommelier and oenophilic friend. In that case, a bargain wine just won’t impress. Or perhaps you prefer to indulge at home with a glass of wine and your favorite cinematic Halloween horror. We have you covered.

To inject qualified expertise into the Halloween dialogue, I sit down with Kevin Keaveney and Jorge Garcia (LOST, Hawaii Five-O), two consummate Halloween super fans and masterminds behind Skeleton Key Hawaii’s unparalleled haunt experience, Mummy: Curse of the Crypt. We sample a few spooky wines from the top shelf while discussing Halloween movies, music and events that are certain satisfy your ghoulish proclivities. Need some inspiration and recommendations for all things Halloween? We have it.

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Wine Country Conflagration: Devastating Wildfires Sweeping Across Northern California

Many readers, including myself, are extremely blessed. Wine brings joy to many of us, and we have the financial means to procure it without much thought or hesitation. With it we celebrate, we toast, we fellowship with friends. Wine is a catalyst for festivity, merriment and conversation.

We colloquially discuss wine in terms of varietal, region or style. This week, however, we are painfully reminded that each glass is unequivocally defined by people. It represents farmers. It represents families. It represents communities with proud traditions and heritage. People like us; families and communities like our own.

Too many of those who labor tirelessly to produce our favorite wines presently find themselves injured, homeless, and with their livelihood entirely dismantled. A state of affairs that is difficult to fathom.

In lieu of a regular post this week, I am compelled to pause and reflect upon, and to raise awareness of, the devastating wildfires sweeping across Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties of Northern California.

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The Enchanted Vinous Collective: Spooky Wines for Your Halloween Palooza

October is here. Let the Halloween excitement commence. It is finally time to adorn your long-anticipated, carefully-crafted costume for this year’s epic All Hallow's Eve Extravaganza. To accompany your glorious attire, some spooky skeleton cake pops and a bottle of wine should be a sufficient entry fee. So, what wine befits such an occasion?

This is not the night for serious wines. Proof is in the mirror: you are presently stuffed with pillows and outfitted in an uncomfortable body suit in vain attempt to impersonate everyone’s favorite Star Wars galactic gangster and crime lord, Jabba Desilijic Tiure aka Jabba the Hutt. You look sufficiently nonsensical; don’t confuse things further by toting a 2010 Cos d’Estournel.

Instead, go spooky or go home. In this post, I offer a few easy tips and recommendations for procuring the perfect vinous beverage for this year’s Allhallowe'en Palooza. Let's get creepy ...

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