All in Wine

Exploring Chilean wine - Valdivieso

Valdivieso winery dates back to 1879 when they introduced the first sparkling wine in South America – the “Champagne Valdivieso”. And yes, they could call it champagne back then because the whole ‘champagne from Champagne only’ laws only came about after that! They focused on sparkling wine for the longest time and introduced still wines in the 1980’s. Even now, they are mostly known for sparkling wine in South America, and the majority of their still wines are exported, although the production of both is pretty much split evenly now.

Ottoman Taverna - A true Turkish delight!

Ottoman Taverna is the latest restaurant by restaurateur Hakan Ilhan in the Mount Vernon triangle neighborhood, where he also runs Alba Osteria and L’Hommage Bistro. Hakan runs over 20 restaurants, eateries, and gourmet markets in the area, but he waited a long time before opening one fashioned after his own Turkish roots. Why, you ask? He wanted to get it right.

And get it right he did!

Hungry in DC: The "Balkan experience" at Ambar DC

We can all agree that DC is a smorgasbord of global cuisine, but there are not too many places for Balkan cuisine!  Enter Ambar.  Ambar has been open for a couple of years now, serving up Balkan specialties, in tapa style small plates. When they opened, I had a fantastic meal with friends trying out the cuisine for the first time. I recently went back for dinner, and although I’m not too familiar with Balkan food, I can definitely say this place has turned me on to it!