Caught looking

THE FELLOW ASSIDUOUSLY OGLING his glass of red wine is a detail from a lithograph that hangs in my office, one of a trio I bought from a shaggy bouquiniste (quayside seller of vintage books, pamphlets, and prints) in Paris long ago. There were around a dozen in a series depicting the pleasures of wine, but…

In love with the Loire

If you love the world of wine, there’s no corner of its territory that’s without interest – not a single one you wouldn’t care to explore if you had the time and the money.  A field of vines set in orderly array has the same aesthetic appeal wherever it’s found, yet every vineyard is somehow…

Glass menagerie

Historians of material culture know as new foods, dishes, and ingredients enter a social space they’re often accompanied by new equipment necessary – or at least helpful – to both preparing and serving them graciously. Sugar, coffee, chocolate, and tea all found their way to European and American homes beginning in 18th century, and provided…