With its lavender-laced valleys, seashores, medieval hill towns, and lively cities, the south of France is downright seductive. Travel writer Barbara Noe Kennedy offers a 4-part virtual tour of Provence and the Côte d’Azur and a guide to the regions’ most intriguing sights, historical aspects, food and wine, and art. This session highlights some of the South of France’s lesser-known charms.
Celebrate the start of summer with a delicious evening at Gravitas in D.C., a Michelin-starred modern American restaurant by chef Matt Baker dedicated to seasonal cooking and sourcing from local farms and waters. Baker’s four-course menu plus canapes specially designed for the event showcases the summer bounty of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Smithsonian Associates’ favorite sommelier Erik Segelbaum, who leads the popular Wine Adventures series, pairs wines with the courses with a focus on hidden gems. Chef Baker and Segelbaum are on hand to talk about the food and drink.
Germany has some of the world's most challenging vineyards to maintain, but the effort is well worth it. Erik Segelbaum reveals why the country’s wines are mainstays of any sommelier's toolkit for food-and-wine pairings in a delicious exploration of the wines of Germany and their rich histories.
At the nationally celebrated Moon Rabbit restaurant at The Wharf in Washington, D.C, chef Kevin Tien oversees a menu that’s a love letter to his heritage as a first-generation Asian-American and showcases dishes that tell his life story. Join him for a specially designed four-course dinner that reflects his upbringing in Southern Louisiana by pairing Vietnamese traditions with Cajun flavors, resulting in what he calls Viet-Cajun cuisine.
Our native forests, meadows, and wetlands are nature’s grocery store, chock-full of enticing raw ingredients just ready for the picking. Liana Vitali, a naturalist at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary and Anne Arundel County Park Ranger Victor Jones explore the makings of foraged feasts that can be found in the mid-Atlantic region. They serve up video vignettes that include cooking demonstrations of their favorite natural edible treats as well as go-to recipes for noshing on nature—ethically and sustainably of course.
From pulled pork to ribs to brisket, African American barbeque has something to tempt everyone. In his first cookbook, pitmaster Ed Mitchell explores the method that made him famous: North Carolina whole-hog barbeque. Mitchell and his collaborators on Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque, his son Ryan Mitchell and food historian Zella Palmer, join barbeque historian Howard Conyers for a conversation on the rich history and traditions of African American barbeque.
From Amarone to Barbera, Brunello to Chianti, Chiavennasca, and everything beyond, sommelier Erik Segelbaum explores Italy’s grapes and regions, proving that the alphabet never tasted so good. This immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
Sake, the national drink of Japan, is making its mark in the United States. Sake expert and professional kikizakeshi (sake sommelier) Jessica Joly-Crane of Sake Discoveries discusses the basics behind this historic, yet revolutionary drink. Learn about sake’s history, how it’s made, and how it’s categorized. Then use your new-found knowledge as you enjoy samples of sake following the presentation.
Reflecting thousands of grape varieties, Italian wine is an immensely complex subject that can make even the most knowledgeable sommelier's head spin. Sommelier Erik Segelbaum unravels the subject in a delicious exploration of some wonderful yet lesser-known Italian wines. This immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
With September marking the start of Piedmont’s truffle season, it’s only fitting to explore the complementary wines of one of Italy's most famed regions—one that boasts more DOCGs than any other. Sommelier Erik Segelbaum spotlights the range of notable semi-alpine Piedmont wines and why they belong at almost any dinner table. This immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
