Inez Ribustello's Wine Blog
From the category archives:
If you frequent our restaurant, chances are pretty good that you have met Xavyer. One of On the Square’s longest employees (the only one who has worked with us longer is our beloved Frances), Xavyer is a serious, great-looking, well-spoken man who does exactly the opposite of me. He thinks before he speaks. A wonderful [...]
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In the past few months, my daughter Cynthia has decided she is quite the night owl. I think part of it is genetic (like her father who loves to stay up way past his bedtime), and part of it is wanting to be awake when we get home after work. I have to say selfishly, [...]
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Well, it’s that time of year again, and as I blogged so lovingly last December, my trials and tribulations with the “Elf on the Shelf” are back in full force. For those of you who may not remember, Elfie, the name of our sweet Elf on the Shelf, he is a small stuffed figure who [...]
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So, I haven’t written lately which I really don’t like. The more time between blogs, the more pressure I put on myself to make sure I write something super meaningful. Lately, I’ve been tasting a ton of wine, but I haven’t been contemplating and studying as I should. The punishment: I don’t have anything to [...]
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Have you ever gotten to know someone by their handwriting? Chris was left-handed, and his penmanship was so distinct I can see it in my mind as I type. It had a slant to it, and it was remarkably neat with immaculate perfection. No smudges, no erases, just perfect penmanship with a very distinct slant. [...]
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So, I just got this really great wine & food book, and I’m not just saying it’s good because the authors are all about the sommeliers. I’m saying it because it’s incredibly insightful and cutting edge, and it’s in a league all of its own as far as wine books are concerned. It started like this: [...]
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In January of 2000, I moved to Los Angeles to somehow find myself and my love of wine. Of course, hindsight being 20/20, I should have gone north to Napa or San Francisco where grapes and fine dining were more prevalent, but I chose not to listen to my father and go to Hollywood instead. [...]
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Last night, On the Square hosted its final Summer of Riesling Wine Dinner with Dan Melia from Mosel Wine Merchants. I know summer ended on the 20th of September, but Stephen and I forgot so we let it end last night on the 28th. Of course, if you live in Tarboro or anywhere else in [...]
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In our small wine shop in eastern North Carolina, I write shelftalkers for our displayed wines. Many times I try to give a few taste and aroma descriptors along with at least one food pairing. It is a great exercise for me as it forces me to describe wines in writing so that I don’t [...]
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I didn’t really believe a 10-year anniversary would mean much to me. However, as I should know already, most of the time I am completely confused and utterly dumbfounded by what affects me and what doesn’t. September 11th, 2001 happened 10 years ago, making me 35 years old. In great thanks to my cousin Penn [...]
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What’s going on in my world right now? Well, for one thing, I am counting the days until Terra Vita, an awesome event highlighting sustainable foods, beers, wines and coffees taking place in Chapel Hill for the second year in a row. The host/coordinator is Colleen Minton, a charismatic and beautiful redhead whose spirit is [...]
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Because this is one of the funniest things I heard this week, I thought I would share a short scenario of how funny children can be. My daughter Cynthia and her beautiful cousin Shelton love to play pretend restaurant. On Sunday night, they became even more innovative with their imaginations and placed a mailbox on [...]
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So, I’m not going to write a blog confessing all of my faults (only because you’d be reading for days), but I will tell you my weakness when it comes to talking about wine. Vintages ya’ll. They are the death of me. For those who may be confused, vintages refer to the year the grapes [...]
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I have to say I am an extremely spoiled Riesling drinker. Unlike many of my friends, Riesling didn’t make me think of a cloyingly sweet beverage served in a tall, slender bottle. No, the first Riesling I ever tasted was the Albert Boxler “Sommerberg” 1996 that was served at a class in the dining room of Wild [...]
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Four years ago today, I gave birth to a darling, precious son I didn’t believe I could have. It may seem crazy, but I am one of two girls, and my mother is one of two girls so it just seemed natural that I would have two girls as well. When Stephen was born, I [...]
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