As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been tasting my way through a slew of under-$20 California Merlots, and frankly, it’s been painful. Here’s how my evenings have tended to go: open a couple of the Merlot bottles, taste, spit, pour down drain. Then reach for a really nice red — either from my own stock or another sample — [...]

One of the most common misconceptions, at least amongst American wine drinkers, is that a single varietal (or even a single vineyard) wine is always the best. This completely omits the complexity. depth and synergies that a blend offers. As in, the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon, the supple smoothness of Merlot, etc. Why not take advantage of [...]

It’s almost funny to think about now, with the glut of Australian wines on the worldwide market, but I remember when wines from Australia were first starting to create buzz… Many of those wines were GSMs. Grenach-Shiraz-Mourvedre blends from a handful of labels, many bearing the word “Bin” along with a number, creating a mental [...]

I tend to avoid politics here (and most everywhere else, to be honest), but I think this issue needs comments from all corners. HR 5034 is a bill working its way through Congress. It was introduced by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and is supported by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America — [...]

I tasted this a few months ago and immediately pegged it as one of my summer 2010 patio wines. Perfect with little bowls of salty nibbles — almonds, pistachios, ham, aged Manchego, olives – it’s a lovely off-the-beaten-path choice. And the price is right, too. (Hint: when in doubt on how to serve a Sherry — [...]

If you’ve ever felt too small to make a difference, you’ve never been in bed with a fatal malaria mosquito. April 25th is World Malaria Day, and Malaria No More, the Case Foundation and Twitter are launching ‘End Malaria’ to activate tweets from all over the world to help end malaria deaths in Africa. You [...]

I feel like it’s part of my duty to pass along successful recipes when I find them, and I recently loved this Olive Oil Granola with Dried Apricots & Pistachios from the New York Times. Didn’t change a thing, and it turned out beautifully! Get the recipe here — and the original article here!