By Margie Roelands A week rarely goes by without someone asking me about the connection between Zinfandel and Primitivo grapes. So I thought I’d try to uncover the mysterious relationship between California’s Zinfandel (ZIHN-fuhn-dehl) and Italy’s Primitivo (“Pree-mih-TEE-voe) grape. Until the late 1990s, Zinfandel was California’s “mystery grape” because its origins were unknown. In 1994, Read More
By Margie Roelands The best containers for storing extra virgin olive oils are those made of tinted glass, porcelain, or stainless steel. Oil should never be stored in plastic or in reactive metals. The ideal temperature for storing olive oil is 57°F, although a normal room temperature of 70ºF works very well if the Read More
Margie Roelands left the corporate world to pursue her passion for wine and food. She discovered her love of cooking at an early age while cooking with her grandmother and mother. She borrows from old-world traditions while creating her own new-world style in the cellar and in the kitchen. “Simply sicilian” is the fruit Read More
By Margie Roelands Mulled wine, which has been enjoyed for thousands of years, is the perfect drink for a chilly winter evening spent with good friends and family. History’s first references to mulled wine are prescriptions for its medicinal properties from the physician Hippocrates in ancient Greece. In later times, wine as medication fell from Read More
