Kristin Hanson, a native Californian, is a Napa Valley resident, attorney, writer, artist, and self-described “casual connoisseur” of California wine and food.  She has contributed to tasting notes, developed recipes and provided wine and food pairing recommendations for local Napa Valley wineries.  Her parents, both professors, avid gardeners and food lovers themselves, instilled in her a lifelong love of wine, gardening and cooking. 

She has a casual approach to wine, food and entertaining.   Her backyard hosts a full vegetable and herb garden, which was primarily started from seed.   The concept of sustainability, meaning that which is grown herself, is intrinsic to her recipes and only supplemented by that which is seasonably available.    Her recipes are original and have been time tested on family and friends on countless occasions over the years.  The purpose of this web site is to provide inspiration and encouragement to others such that they can create dishes which can be paired easily with wine.  She believes that wine is meant to be enjoyed anywhere, any time and by anyone. 

“Wine is meant to be enjoyed, regardless the setting or formality.” 

~ The Casual Connoisseur ~

Rocky Mountain Vine:   Jan Littlefield, Correspondent Connoisseur

Jan Littlefield resides near Denver, works as a real estate and environmental paralegal, and was educated as a librarian.  A former assistant editor for a publisher of reference books, she has published some 500 book reviews.  Jan is also an avid knitter, a beader, a beginning silversmith, a fiber artist, and a founding member of a gourmet group of over 20 years’ duration.

Inspired by parents who were interested in food, wine and gardening, Jan is a fearless cook.  She travels to the Western Slope frequently, visiting wineries, orchards and farmer’s markets in Colorado’s growing wine country.  While gardening is limited, she uses organic and local ingredients whenever possible.  Jan’s collection of hundreds of cookbooks are thoroughly read and treasured, but seldom used for cooking; her recipes are original - tested and approved by family and friends.  Jan believes that cooking should be exhilarating and that pairing Colorado’s wines with food is not a mysterious process.

Mid-Atlantic Vine:   Kitty Maloney, Correspondent Connoisseur

Kitty Maloney, while born in Florida, grew up in California and was introduced to its food and wine culture. Today, she is a Fairfax County, Virginia resident, attorney, amateur photographer and writer.  Her knowledge and love for cooking began at the age of 13 and is rooted in a parent-issued challenge which coaxed her into taking cooking classes at such a young age. Kitty first took up the actual study of wine to prepare for an on-campus interview with a wine distributor her senior year of college. While she ultimately did not pursue a position with the wine distributor, a passion for wine developed.  Her continued passion for wine found a place in law school where she wrote a monthly wine column for the school’s student newspaper.  Kitty’s affection for Mid-Atlantic wines, particularly those found in Virginia, began in 2005 when she attended Mt. Vernon’s Spring Wine Festival and took her first sip of Virginia Viognier.  Since then, she has expanded her knowledge of Mid-Atlantic wines to be a worthy regional reference.

Similar to Kristin Hanson, Kitty takes a casual approach to wine, food and entertaining but adds to that a dash of adventure. Kitty is known to bring back spices from her travels domestically and abroad to enhance her personal kitchen. While she does not presently cultivate her own garden, she is a firm advocate of buying locally grown food and locally produced ingredients. Her cooking inspirations today are drawn from her vast cookbook collection which includes her Grandmother’s cookbook. She believes people tend to over complicate the subject of wine and that it is far more approachable than people imagine.  She readily identifies with William Sokolin’s wine quote, “What is the definition of a good wine? It should begin and end with a smile!”

Share on Facebook