Kathy A. McDonald

There's a bunch of good new wine bars on a particular stretch of Sunset Boulevard....

Want to just be mesmerized by a craft?...

Most designated days celebrating a specific food or drink originated as a marketer's ploy. Not so with Sake Day. In Japan, the first day of October marks the official beginning of the sake brewing season -- a tradition that dates back more than 1,000 years. Outside of Japan, Oct. 1......

A celebration of America's most popular wine, the Chardonnay Symposium, which is held Friday, July 19 through Sunday, July 21 in Santa Maria, makes it so that attendees -- about 500 are expected -- can not only drink what feels like a barrel of Chardonnay but also actually learn something......

Drop into one of L.A.'s seven Pitfire Artisan Pizzas and the casual approach to dining is apparent. Order at a counter, find a table (either inside or out) and wait to dig into freshly prepared and flavorful wood-fired cooked pizzas, salads, soups, paninis and pastas. What's not so apparent is......

Like a lead singer with a side solo project, AVA Santa Barbara is winemaker Seth Kunin's side gig. Because Kunin Wines is a well-established, Santa Barbara County-based brand -- known for its Rhone-style blend, syrah and zinfandel -- Kunin decided to create another label, AVA Santa Barbara, to explore and......

A restaurant is in many ways like a party: You need atmosphere, music, good food and choice of drink. At the recently opened Hinoki & the Bird in Century City, the party is in full swing: entrance jammed, bar, dining room and patios full, and the cocktails and wine flowing......

Wine as an expression of a specific locale, or terroir, is what countless skilled winemakers strive to achieve. A noble goal, to be sure. One winery has taken the task a step further, specifically 22 miles further, offshore on Santa Catalina Island. Buffeted by salty ocean air, the island makes......

Six weeks into its new Eagle Rock location, Colorado Wine Company buzzes. A customer asks for a "yummy" Prosecco; another wants a well-priced Chardonnay. Owner Jen Nugent quickly obliges and welcomes a couple who've arrived for the weekly Friday night wine flight tasting. At the same time the Mandoline Grill......