Wines for Hearty Holiday Meals (Part 1/2) With the holiday season up on us, our tables will be amply adorned with an array of hearty holiday dishes that beckon for the perfect wine pairing. While traditional choices like robust reds—especially in cooler climes—may be the natural choice, I’d like to propose an alternative approach: the … Read more
Label Lingo Choosing a wine is often as much about the packaging as the information the producer provides. As you might imagine, I get a lot of requests for recommendations for wines that typically go something like, “Can you tell me a great Cabernet for under $40?” or, “Name a Pinot Noir for 30 bucks!” … Read more
Wine with Tomatoes! Tis the season to pair the acidity of tomatoes with the acidity in wine. Whenever I host wine tastings I take guests through a series of three sips, or tastes. The first sip is to simply clear the palate by way of a toast: “Cheers to what we professional tasters call ‘the … Read more
Burgundy Below the Radar One of France’s greatest wine regions might be known more for its unaffordability as its deliciousness. Until now. I’m just back from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I hosted a few events during their Winter Food & Wine Festival. During my presentation at their opening dinner I told a story about learning … Read more
Thoughts on Dry January My reason for dabbling with no-alcohol, low-alcohol, and full-on alcohol last month was the result of having done a lot of research toward the end of last year, when I began receiving emails from publicists pitching their best non-booze options for ‘Dry January’—and beyond. If you’re reading this while sipping a … Read more
Calories in Wine A friend reached out to me last week, quite sheepishly, to ask if I had heard of a brand of wine that she had recently subscribed to (to receive a monthly allotment). I said I hadn’t, so she sent me a link to their website, and I realized why she had subscribed … Read more
Natural Wines I’ve been tasting a lot of wines promoted as “natural,” how about you? I would bet that unless you’re in the industry (like me), and unless you’re under 35 (I am not), you probably haven’t. I bet you’ll be hearing more and more about the general concept as it weeds its way slowly, … Read more
Drink Sweet to Beat the Heat I’m just back from speaking at my 22nd Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the annual culinary festival that is widely considered to be the best in show anywhere. While I’m certainly biased because I’m a contributing editor to Food & Wine magazine and have been to dozens of other … Read more
Bordeaux the World Over The impact that this iconic French wine region has had on grape growing and blending has touched practically every corner of the winemaking planet. At a recent Master Class featuring the wines of “The Spire Collection” that I hosted at a swanky resort called, Windsor Florida, near Vero Beach, I found … Read more
California Wines Just Keep Getting Better Apparently, we drank more wine last year from the Golden State than ever before. You all know how this happens, right? You go online to search for, say, a statistic on consumption of California wines in the U.S., and before you know it, you’ve slipped quickly down the internet … Read more
