Well, I've gone and done it again, started a new book about southwestern France. This time, I'm off to the Atlantic Pyrenees region, that part of deepest Gascony not far from the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Spain to the south. In this book, I will be exploring The Mysteries of Armagnac, that distilled, aged golden elixir we in America have only just begun to discover. My most recent book, Families of the Vine, published in hardcover in the spring of 2005, has been exhilarating, giving me the chance to travel around the country meeting many, many people who care truly, madly, deeply about wine and winemakers. Oddly enough, this was not a public I had much in mind when I was writing the book, and so it was doubly gratifying to discover them while on the road last spring.

As well, new ventures present themselves! In 2006, I will lend my occasional presence and expertise to launch a series of southwestern French wine and gastronomy tours with the help William and Rose Haas, based at Le Haut Baran, their 14-room luxury inn in Duravel, overlooking the Lot River valley. Perhaps I'll see you there... and, in the meantime, bonne degustations et bon courage!

What's in My Glass

• Fall 2005
• New- Wine Tastings!
• Spring 2006