Food & Wine

Following family tradition, PR Bottle Shop's founder Christina Coulourides has been involved in the wine industry for over 40 years. She shares her expertise below and her approach to wine as an essential part of life. Q & A with Christina Coulourides What is your favorite wine quote and why? “Wine is one of the agreeable and essential ingredients of life.” Julia Child. Julia Child continues to be an inspiration, teaching Americans how to enjoy food and wine thereby enhancing lifestyle. Often her message is delivered humbly, seasoned with humor. What sparked your interest in wine? In the 1980s when the California...

This old world fruit has become all the rage over the last couple of years. Now that products made from this fruit are being imported, this exotic fruit is becoming more readily available. One reason we love quince so much is that its season picks up where figs leave off. It can be difficult to find figs to add to our cheese plate after late summer. Luckily, autumn is when the quince is at its peak and its jellies, jams and pastes pop up in all sorts of markets around town. Our cheese plates can go on without feeling incomplete....

Serves 4 *Vegetarian 2 Medium Turnips 2 Medium Rutabagas 2-3 Large Carrots 1 Large Red Onion 2 tbsp of Olive Oil 1 tbsp of Dried Thyme Salt & Pepper to taste Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Peel the Turnips, Rutabagas and carrots. Then, cut roughly into 1.5-2 pieces. Peel the onion leaving root end intact, then quarter. Add all the vegetables to a large bowl, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the salt & pepper. Toss the vegetables until they are entirely coated. Then, transfer to a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet into the oven uncovered and roast for...

When travelers come to wine country, they are first greeted by neatly trellised vineyards repeating at various angles to the passing landscape. This topiary-like vision is not just for the delight of visitors. The method to this geometric madness originates from how a grapevine captures the sun’s energy. Left to its own devices, the vitis vinifera, or wine grape, grows and vines with reckless abandon, climbing over anything in its path to reach blessed sunlight. From rootstock to tendril, the plant has many essential structures. These are nurtured, controlled, enhanced, or tamed by skilled growers through vineyard row direction, pruning,...