Robert V. Camuto

France's Roussillon region is known for dessert wines—to the extent that it's known at all. Yet it's becoming a source for bottlings that compare to the world's best reds, thanks to visionary winemakers like California's Dave Phinney.

By Robert Camuto

"Can we buy this?" Dave Phinney asked, pointing to a Grenache vineyard clinging to soil so dense that it looked more like rock....read more in Food & Wine Magazine.

By Robert V. Camuto

Special to the Washington Post

Our group landed at the Agadir airport at dusk and drove south for more than two hours along two-lane roads, through tiny Moroccan towns filled with mud puddles after recent rains. At Mirleft, we turned off the coastal road into the town — a grid of a few dirt streets lined with low white- and turquoise-painted cinder-block buildings.

Men cloaked in Jedi-like robes — traditional North African djellabas — sipped hot mint tea on the terraces of small cafes. Women veiled in brightly colored, patterned Saharan fabrics walked home from evening errands. Children played and fought in the street alongside lost-looking dogs. Meat hung out in the open in front of butcher stalls; Berber music blared from a few shops showing off silver and stone trinkets, brightly colored soccer balls, woven baskets, fabrics and other household goods.

Robert Camuto @ The Wine Bottega from Stephanie Najor on Vimeo.

ROBERT V. CAMUTO Special to Newsday 

A funny thing happened on the way to 21st century: Berlin became cool.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the German capital has been rebuilt with an extraordinary mix of modern architecture, frankness about its past and an abundance of artistic energy.

Once neglected, war-damaged areas in the heart of Berlin have sprouted new museums, art galleries and design houses. Art and...read more in Newsday

The Palmento US tour ended in Dallas Monday with a fantastic Palmento Sicilian wine dinner at Jimmy's Food Store in Dallas-- an old-timey Italian grocery with a beautiful dining room (in what had once been a beauty salon) tucked in back. Visiting Chef Sharon Hage (beloved in Dallas for her former restaurant York St.) and Matt Balkeproduced a five course Sicilian-inspired meal to pair with a variety of wines. Biggest surprise was a cheese course of  gorgonzola stuffed cannoli with carmelized honey and pistachios paired with Arancio Hekate Passito. Owner Paul DiCarlo made it all come together and the event sold out in a day. LIsten to Robert on KERA Dallas's Think program (1 hr. broadcast). 

Listen to Robert on KGO San Francisco's Dining Around program 1/2 hr. broadcast after news. (Mp3 format).

For Wine Country Travel, Piedmont is one of Italy's most rewarding destinations

By Robert Camuto - Wine Spectator Issue: April 30, 2011

Barolo is more than one of the world's great wines and a partner to one of Italy's most varied and refined cuisines. It's an evocative landscape of gently rolling hills covered by a quilt of vineyards and topped by medieval villages with winding cobblestone streets and views to the Alps.  Read the full article in the Wine Spectator...