Justin Herbinet of New York’s National Arts Club shares his philosophy for pairing wines with Thanksgiving dinner — and reminds us that gratitude pairs best with the bottles you already love. The dining room at the National Arts Club glows with the amber light of late afternoon. Stemware catches the sun from Gramercy Park as Justin Herbinet circles a table, pouring a ruby-red Gamay into half-filled glasses. The air smells faintly of roasted beets and wood polish.…

Exploring the spirit of wine from Sebastopol’s fog-kissed coastal hills If you’ve ever cruised down Burnside Road just west of downtown Sebastopol, passing sheep-dotted pastures and groves of redwood and eucalyptus, you’ve already begun to experience the quiet mystique of Halleck Vineyard. In a recent episode of Wine Talks with Paul K, Ross Halleck—founder of Halleck Vineyard Estate Winery & Wine Tasting Room at 3785 Burnside Rd—joined host Paul K. for a conversation that ranged from his Silicon Valley past to his spiritual present among the vines of West Sonoma.…

Last week, I ventured from Halleck Vineyard Winery and Wine Tasting Room in Sonoma to the Sculptor Garden Room of the historic National Arts Club in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park to pour our California wines for a room full of artists, philanthropists, and musicians. It was my second Sonoma Wine Education Seminar at the club, and it was completely full—oversold, in fact. I designed this event with intention: shorter than a traditional vintner dinner, more welcoming to people with all levels of wine knowledge,…