Category Archives: Advice

Holiday Gifts for Wine Lovers

The obvious choice for gifts for your wine loving friends this holiday season is a bottle—or two—of wine.  Sadly, too many are intimidated to give wine to a so-called wine expert.  We’ve all heard the excuses: I don’t know anything about wine; I don’t want to embarrass myself by giving an ordinary wine; I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a prestigious one. Read more

Chilling Red Wines

I had to look twice.  On a warm June night in a lively Paris bistro many years ago, diners had bottles of Crozes-Hermitage in ice buckets.  I found this surprising, because the wines were red and conventional wisdom tells us to serve red wines at room temperature or–among sophisticates–at “cellar” temperature, but certainly not chilled.… Read more

Chablis: The World’s Best White Wine for Food

That’s a bold claim, but I think it holds up to scrutiny.  The only other contender would be Champagne, but once one takes price into account, the medal goes to Chablis because these wines are so well-priced.  Albariño from Rias Baixas, a region tucked away in Galicia in Spain’s northwest, is in the running, except so little is made and distributed that it’s not a reasonable choice. … Read more

Wine Cellar 101

With the current economic downturn forcing people to cut back at all levels, perhaps it’s foolhardy to suggest that now is the time to start a wine cellar. But paradoxically, now is a perfect time.

I’m not suggesting investing $10,000 or more in beautifully stained wooden racks, recessed lighting and an insulated, temperature-controlled room.… Read more