Farmstead Cheeses and Wines: Jeff’s Blog

Here’s an article I wrote on Sherry, which appeared in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Alameda and Oakland Magazine Sherry – Not Just for Grandma Anymore Sherry is one of the world’s most misunderstood and under-appreciated wines. Most folks who don’t know about Sherry think it’s either for cooking or for solely to serve when [...]

Here’s an article I wrote on the Loire Valley, published in Alameda Magazine and Oakland Magazine, May/June 2011 issues. Loire Valley Wines by Jeff Diamond The Loire Valley is one of France’s largest and most diverse wine regions, with 65 designated wine appellations (called AOC or Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) along a 300-plus mile stretch of [...]

The Royal Hotel is a recently refurbished Colonial hotel, located in the burgeoning wine district of Riebeek Casteel, about one and a half hours out of Cape Town. The front porch and public areas are charming and rustic, and the rooms have been redone to a level of casual luxury. Rooms rates are reasonable (about [...]

Here’s an article that I wrote for Alameda and Oakland Magzanines Malbec is King in Argentina by Jeff Diamond Look South for Value and Quality Wine Wines from Argentina are quickly becoming one of the hottest segments in the U.S. wine market. Why? A combination of great quality and stupendous value. Consumers can find great [...]

Taste of Spain by Jeff Diamond I’m bullish on Spanish wines. Whenever a customer asks me for a great bargain red wine, more often than not, I’ll suggest a Spanish red. Why would I do this when we’re only a few miles from some of the best wine grape growing regions in the world? Well, [...]

Alameda and Oakland Magazine pushished this article on the glories of Rosé wines! Rosé Rises to Many Occasions – By Jeff Diamond I’m often asked in my wine and cheese shop what wine to pair with barbecue, and more often than not, my response is rosé. I’ll provide the same answer for wines for a [...]

Every year Fran Kysela, the mind behind Kysela Père et Fils, throws two huge tastings of his entire portfolio in his Winchester VA warehouse. He calls the tasting Mondovino, after the documentary I guess, but unlike that amateurish film, Mondovino is a fun, educational and eye-popping afternoon of over 200 well made wines. I carry [...]

Here’s an article that I wrote for Alameda Magazine’s December ’08 issue Bubbly Holiday Spirits A Short Course and Selective Guide to Sparkling Wines, by Jeff Diamond Most of us associate sparkling wines with festive occasions: weddings, romantic evenings and the traditional New Year’s toast. It’s December, and New Year’s Eve is just around the [...]

The weather is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, it’s time for some comfort food, and nothing says comfort louder and clearer than melting cheese. Raclette is both a type of cheese and a communal meal. he cheese is a raw, pressed, semi-firm, pungent cow’s milk that melts easily without liquefying. It tastes similar [...]

The Cheese Plate Here’s a reprint of an article that I wrote a way’s back for the Alameda Sun, on how to construct a proper cheese plate. I hope that you enjoy it. The Cheese Course Almost everyday, someone comes into my shop and asks for help in putting together a Cheese Plate. A lot [...]