The New Prince of Pinot

Gavin Chanin has been profiled as "30 under 30" in 2011, a "winemaker to watch" by our own SF Chronicle in 2012, and even one of Food & Wine's "winemakers of the year" two years ago. The Wine-World Wonder Boy's most recent accomplishment is his shared vision and partnership with Bill Price (wine enthusiast and serial entrepreneur), in the formation of LUTUM. LUTUM wine is focused on small-production, single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with grapes harvested from several of California's destination vineyards (pictured above). Their next release of Pinot will debut this May. Learn more here.

The Good Life

    We all know "lifestyle" and "the home" are words often used together when thinking about where and how we will live. We dream up idyllic visions of a humble ski lodge nestled under a bed of tall pines where we can sip our morning coffee from canteens and snowshoe under blue skies for the afternoon. We think about the fresh fruit we'd eat for lunch, the afternoon sea breeze taunting us to challenge our windsurfing abilities off the dock of our island retreat down south. We smile, placing ourselves in a quiet green oasis miles away from the city where we can drink iced tea for days and marvel over our own garden while enjoying the local paper with a loved one nearby. I find myself thinking more and more about the things that make me happy, the surroundings that speak to me, and the realization that, I can actually actively choose these things in my life.

When thinking about creating my own home, and ultimately, lifestyle, I always think about India Hicks and her beautiful home in Harbour Island. For those that know it too, I'm sure the above photographs are not foreign to you as her home has been photographed time and time again. However, I go back to these photos thinking about the good life. What does that mean to me? What do I want? What can I live without? What does my soul tell me? What is beauty mean in my life ? Life is short and we have the power to fulfill it accordingly.

Images via

The Sign of a Good Party

My parents are very social creatures. I have a distinct memory of them revealing one Sunday morning that they "broke" their friend's kitchen counter-top from a late night dance party the night prior. (I think I was about 12 years old and too young at the time to appreciate their strong social pursuits). I've come across old Polaroids of belly dancers at my Dad's 30th birthday party, boozy couples cruises in the Bahamas and some "cheeky" photographs of a husbands vs. wives mooning competition at our neighbors house two doors down. Well, like Mom & Dad, I've thrown a few parties in my day and smirk thinking about some of the wild tales that developed from such nights. There are the noise violations from local policemen, a broken coffee table from a passionate (and very sweaty) co-ed karaoke to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," muddy footprints on the sunroof of my old Saab and many other tales that will forever refrain from being divulged. The point is, these obstreperous tales are what often, make a party a success. So, as host, embrace the quirky - sometimes stressful in the moment - party fouls, and carry on.

Bon Weekend!

(Above: a simple tablescape from our dinner party last eve).

A Table in the Making

      We are hosting an intimate dinner at our house this evening and I've been thinking about the tablescape for days. I've had visions of greenery, soft candlelight, Spring blooms and anything outdoors on the brain.  I've curated a collection of inspiration above to help me design our tablescape. Now I have to get working on the playlist and chill the rosé... Images via here & here.