There were fewer posts last week due to my travel schedule and sporadic access to wifi, but hopefully quality triumphed over quantity.

Located in the Atlantic 600 miles southwest of Europe, the Portuguese island of Madeira is mountainous, tropical and exotic. The wine is known throughout the world, but few people actually know anything about it: in fact, most consumers think of it as the drink of spinsters and maiden aunts. In A Glass of Madeira, My Dear, I describe my last visit to the island and a tasting of Madeira wine at the house of Blandy.

Interested in drinking a glass of history? Uncork a bottle of Arneis, a grape variety resurrected in Italy roughly 50 years ago. Crisp and floral, filled with succulent flavors of citrus and stone fruit, it’s a great match with finger foods, seafood, poultry, pork and veal, and a perfect companion to life outdoors as we move into spring and summer.

Even as we speak, our correspondent Ken Schechet is eating his way through Asia. His reports on the street food of Singapore and Vietnam will appear shortly.

Here are last week’s posts:

Vietti Arneis: Grape Aracheology

A Glass of Madeira, My Dear