Hilarie Larson

If you enjoy wine, chances are you’ve encountered many confusing terms on winery websites or restaurant wine lists. In an ongoing campaign to de-mystify the world of wine, it’s time to talk dirty – vineyard dirt, that is. “We grow our wines with Biodynamic principles!” states one winery while another boasts “Our vineyards are sustainably farmed”. All well and good, you may say, but what exactly does it all mean? Do these practices make a difference in my glass? And why should I even care?

EXPLORING THE HISTORIC WINE REGION OF BANDOL, FRANCE The Hidden Treasure of Provence By Hilarie Larson It may be France’s worst kept wine secret and the holiday destination the natives like to keep for themselves. There are breathtakingly perfect fishing ports and medieval hilltop towns surrounded by lush vineyards. The region’s wines have been sipped by royalty and its intimate villages the inspiration for great literature and a refuge for the intellectual elite fleeing 20th century oppression.

DISCOVER THE DELIGHTS OF DEAL A Classic British Seaside Town By Hilarie Larson Standing amidst the bustle of St. Pancras Station puts you in the pulsating heart of London. Throngs hustle their way from train to work or onwards towards the Eurostar to propel their way beneath the channel to Paris. Heads are down, thumbs and fingers dashing madly over tiny keyboards, they’re oblivious to this awe-inspiring Victorian behemoth that once echoed the progress of a great multi-continent empire.