"I believe that the responsibility of the winemaker is to take that fruit and get it into the bottle as the most natural and purest expression of that vineyard, of the grape varietal or blend, and of the vintage."

"The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite."

"Part of life is to live it, and enjoy it, and seize the moments that you find particularly pleasing."

"No sane man can afford to dispense with debilitating pleasures; no ascetic can be considered reliably sane."

"Fettuccine Alfredo is dangerous for your health."

"I've always followed the rule that anything worth doing is worth doing excessively."

"When I put my nose in a glass, it's like tunnel vision. I move into another world, where everything around me is just gone, and every bit of mental energy is focused on that wine."

"These are the people who do studies that your carry-out Chinese meals are saturated in fat. I'd just like to meet them! I mean, what do they do for pleasure?"

"My personal philosophy is, you can be sure of nothing."