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Cathrine Todd

After growing up in the colorful city of New Orleans, I moved to Manhattan, in New York City, in 1993. I earned the Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), based in London, and am a Certified Specialist in Wine from the Society of Wine Educators. Also, I have been shortlisted for the Roederer Emerging Wine Writer of the Year, shortlisted for Best Editorial/Opinion Wine Writing for the Born Digital Wine Awards, a Wine Blog Awards' finalist for Best Writing and Best Overall Wine Blog and am currently a member of the prestigious Circle of Wine Writers’ group. My husband and I love to travel the world to experience various cultures, but we spend most of our free time running around New York City searching for the best food and wine. You can visit my wine blog and follow me on Twitter @damewine.

New York State of Wine

Food & Wine - 16 luglio

Franciacorta Sparkling Wine: How to Turn Regrets into Opportunities

For many of us, regret is an overwhelming emotion that we battle our whole lives. It is a feeling that misleads us into thinking that we have no control over our happiness or sense of fulfillment. But there are those rare examples of people or even organizations, such as the Franciacorta association of sparkling wine producers in northern Italy, who show us that those regrets can be turned around to be potential opportunities

Food & Wine - 1 luglio

The New Balance of Australian Wines in the US: the Case of McGuigan

At one time Americans had an intense love affair with Australian wines that abruptly came to an end. But now the wines from down under have evolved with the times offering fresh, elegant libations instead of flabby, fruit-bombs. But are US consumers ready to move beyond the past and trust their own tastes when it comes to some of these producers introducing themselves back into our market?

Wine Tasting at Cantine Florio

Food & Wine - 8 giugno

Sicilian Wines Embracing Innovation while Respecting Tradition

The only way that most wine regions can keep up with global competition is by focusing on progress - although I feel that sometimes, in the name of improving the past, wine producers can lose those precious treasures that are the heartbeat of that area; it is nice to see wineries in Marsala significantly improving on tradition while staying true to their area’s heart

Food & Wine - 22 maggio

Sicily’s Pantelleria Island: Sweet Wines with Raw Beauty

I had been told by many Sicilian winemakers that either I will love Pantelleria or hate it as it is a place of extremes that could either bring tranquility or discord within one’s soul. But it had been a long time dream of mine to visit the island of Pantelleria: those who love Sicilian wines know very well that Donnafugata makes one of the greatest sweet wines in the world on this sparsely populated island

wine-oregon-yoga

Food & Wine - 4 maggio

An Oregon Winery Surrenders to Life

What does it mean to have a life worth living? Does it mean we work on it, shape it, nurture it, and try to make the world a better place? Yes to all of those things but it can be exhausting to try to control it every second of the day; sometimes we fall into a dark spiral downwards when it doesn’t live up to expectations. Like some Oregon wine producers, sometimes it is better to surrender to the mysteries of life.

wine-american-agreement

Food & Wine - 24 aprile

Bipartisan Agreement that Protects the Names of Wine Regions

The main reason why I keep falling in love over and over again with the wine world is because of the sense of a global community that is among those who appreciate well-made wines. It is a world that doesn’t offer riches except in the form of drink, food and community. In a modern politicized world, where too many people are just out for themselves, it comes down to wine producers to show Washington what the spirit of coming together looks like.

wine-jacobins-french

Food & Wine - 9 aprile

Implementing Change While Respecting Sanctity of Saint-Émilion Wines

The exquisite beauty of Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, lies in its protected monastic history that is displayed by the limestone buildings which transport one to another place and time. It was certainly exciting to learn of all the progressive winemaking projects that Couvent des Jacobins was employing but it made me beam with joy to know that the importance of keeping the convent a sacred place was still paramount.

Valentina-Bianchi-Bodegas

Food & Wine - 21 marzo

Bodegas Valentin Bianchi: Italian Wines Influencing the World

A wine lunch in NYC to taste a selection of Argentine wines from Bodegas Valentin Bianchi showed how much Italian culture has influenced the world. A great reminder of how grateful I am that Italians continue to bring their passion for life wherever they go and inspire others to give themselves over to the love of food, the love of wine and the love of living a good life.

frescobaldi-wine-world

Food & Wine - 9 marzo

Frescobaldi Wine Creating a More Compassionate World

Frescobaldi Toscana’s newest wine project working with prison inmates on the penal colony island of Gorgona, off the coast of Tuscany, shows a glimmer of hope for second chances. A tasting with Lamberto Frescobaldi gives an insight into the moment he realized that some incarcerated criminals are capable of living a better life when released if given the tools they need to function in society.

valpolicella-amarone-wine

Food & Wine - 17 febbraio

A Wine that Tickles Our Mind and Warms Our Heart: Amarone della Valpolicella

An opportunity to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Valpolicella DOC in Verona, Italy, as well as participate in the first Valpolicella Education Program offered a chance to unlock the mysteries of the seductive powers of their great wine, Amarone della Valpolicella. A wine that is not only rich is flavor and weight, but one that is connected to a wealth of historical riches that are beyond our imagination.

chilean-wines-diversity

Food & Wine - 24 gennaio

Chilean Wines: Sometimes We Need to Embrace Discomfort to Promote Diversity

There is a movement that is starting, and hopefully it will continue to progress for many years to come. It is the recognition that words, as well as actions, that can demean people or whole countries based on their sex, race, or the general prejudice held by others, needs to be condemned. But that is not enough to continually fuel this movement; all of us need to evaluate our own choices in life and ask the question, “Are we proactively making the world a more diverse place?".

napa-valley-wine

Food & Wine - 9 gennaio

Becoming Part of the Heart of Napa Valley Wine Country

In January, it is customary to reflect on the past year after the whirlwind of holiday events, to reflect on the positives and negatives of 2017. As a wine writer, and overall lover of wine, the fiercely tragic California fires that happened in October 2017 stand out as one of the most heart-wrenching in the wine world.

italian-wine-larky

Food & Wine - 21 dicembre 2017

Brian Larky’s Italian Wines, When People Live Up to Their Reputation

It can be overwhelming to look for high quality, small family Italian wine producers. Since the US market is saturated with wine producers from Italy, it can be a Herculean feat to pick a special wine at a fair price. But finding those certain individuals, and companies, that we can trust that select these wines to import into the US can make this stressful task achievable for mere mortals.

newer-generations-wine

Food & Wine - 8 dicembre 2017

Millennials and Wine: They Appreciate What Had Been Taken for Granted

Sometimes we need to see a wine through the fresh eyes of a younger generation to appreciate everything that it offers. And so I come back to Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau to discover that it is all about finding a way to come together to celebrate and honor a man who captured the soul of a wine during bottling.

Photo Luigi Veronelli

Food & Wine - 25 novembre 2017

Luigi Veronelli: The Italian Wine Journalist Who Fought for Passion

The legendary Italian journalist Luigi Veronelli was an highly educated man who stood by his principles to protect small winemakers, as well as artisanal products, around Italy; so much so that he was sentenced to prison twice and, in 1977, successfully stopped the national distribution of Coca-Cola in Italy for one day.

Food & Wine - 9 novembre 2017

New York City Women in Wine: The Courage to Lead After the Struggle

During a panel discussion at the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium in New York City an important lesson was passed on to many women in the wine trade. We must think beyond the category we were placed in when we were young and proudly take our place of authority in the world.

Ferrari-Trento-italianwines

Food & Wine - 20 ottobre 2017

Ferrari Trento, Italian Mountain Sparkling Wines Fly High

A recent visit to Trento, Italy, to the sparkling wine producer Ferrari Trento, placed me in a position where I had to face one of my biggest fears – riding in a helicopter. In the end, this life changing experience taught me that sometimes it is worth taking a leap of faith to experience some of the best things in life, such as Trentodoc sparkling wines.

Portugal-Wines-Authenticity

Food & Wine - 14 settembre 2017

The Wines of Southern Portugal and the Meaning of Authenticity

Last August I went to a seminar to taste the wines of southern Portugal that discussed authenticity. It reminded me of my frustration when people think I do not fit the "authentic" stereotype of a person who was raised in New Orleans - although I have lived in New York City over two decades. Sometimes it happens the same with wines: for example, in Alentejo, they have authentic Portuguese wines although some of them do go against the preconceived grain of what wine lovers think Portuguese wines should be.

Donnafugata-wines-sicilian-family

Food & Wine - 30 agosto 2017

Donnafugata: the Right Wine by a Reassuring Sicilian Family

When you don’t have a family, you either look at those who have a dependable, warm one with toxic jealousy in your heart or you open your heart and allow someone else’s devoted, personal tribe to fill your heart with everything that is good in life. I have chosen to do the latter. And one family that I greatly admire is the winemaking family of Donnafugata in Sicily

Montepulciano-wine-name

Food & Wine - 25 luglio 2017

Montepulciano Wines: the Name is the Same, but the Nature is not

One is from Tuscany and the other is from Abruzzo. These wines have the same name even though they have very little to do with each other as they use different grape varieties: Vino Nobile uses mainly Sangiovese and the Abruzzo wines use a grape variety called Montepulciano.

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