Mondovino

I just rediscovered the beauty of a Panini - simple to make, throw in a couple unique ingredients and you have an artisan lunch. I made a really great one today out of left overs in my fridge:

Whole Wheat Bread

Cracked Pepper Turkey

Aged French Swiss Cheese

Capicola

grill with a little olive oil and oregano on the outside

Voila! Its a great way to add some character and liveliness to a typically boring meal. This site has some other great panini suggestions too.

I watched a really interesting documentary on wine globalization today called Mondovino. What was best was watching and listening to some of wine's greatest icons such as "flying winemaker" Michele Rolland, Leon winemaker for Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Robert Mondavi and family as well as the famous critic Robert Parker. Did you know that Parker's nose and palate are insured for over $1 million??

What I loved best is its a very raw documentary, so you see both the human and professional side of all these individuals during interviews. This documentary definitely addressed head on, the controversy of wine globalization - a subject I attempted to decipher in my wine thesis a year ago. I still find myself going back and forth on the issue, hence my effort to marry 'tween the two. On the one hand the practical business person in me pushes traditionalists to adopt marketing practices and globalize in order to keep up with the industry; on the other hand, I do see their point in that globalization taints the spiritual relationship between man and nature in pursuit of money. Its a fascinating debate.