Chateaux

Earlier this month I was invited out to dinner for the first time by a world-famous Hollywood film director. It was not clever of me to be blasé about checking the time we agreed on. I had thought that by arriving at 7.20pm at The Square, central London’s smart restaurant for wine lovers and hedge … Continue reading »

L. PIERCE CARSON Napa Valley Register | Posted: Thursday, June 16, 2011 10:03 pm | Vintner Greg Martin’s initial whack at winemaking didn’t leave a very good taste in his mouth. His parents owned and operated a restaurant along Highway 101, south of San Jose. The property also included stands of prune plums and walnuts … Continue reading »

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Kathy Kmonicek for The New York Times The Château des Thons, a French import, is headed to auction. AT the end of a long driveway winding uphill through dense woods stands a clearing. There a cobblestone courtyard leads to a castle with two ivy-clad turrets. A family crest is carved in the stone above the … Continue reading »

For staying on the straight and narrow, horses are proving better than tractors at Chateau Latour. Fine wine is outstripping gold, writes Fiona Walsh. AT CHATEAU Latour in Pauillac, horses plough the vineyards just as they did in the 14th century, when vines were first grown on the estate. But this is a recent return … Continue reading »

Chenonceau The first initials of Henri II and his queen, Catherine de Medici, when interlaced, can form the letter D, as in Diane de Poitiers. And indeed there were three in that royal marriage. Henri had been in thrall to the beautiful Diane since he was a boy, and she—20 years older—was a lady-in-waiting in … Continue reading »