It may not be exactly what the doctor ordered, but we'd argue that the best cure for long nights and harsh weather is a hearty helping of wine. So crack open one of these enticing bottles, pour yourself a glass (or two), and feel the warmth spread through your chest and chilled bones. Cheers!
Photos: Nicole Perry
As the French like to proclaim: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! Raise your glass, because Beaujolais Nouveau — the first wine of the harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere — has finally arrived. Today marks the annual release date for the wine, which is welcomed on what's called "Beaujolais Nouveau Day" with a colossal celebration across France each year.
Since the wine — which certainly isn't for snobs — makes such a splash each year, I thought I would throw out some questions and see if you can, ahem, arrive at the answers. What do you know about Beaujolais Nouveau? Let's find out.
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This year, don't spend countless hours deliberating over what should go into your Thanksgiving food spread only to overlook what you'll be drinking; after all, the wines served can make or break your turkey day feast.
For the ultimate holiday food and wine pairing guide, we consulted wine expert Eugenio Jardim, who offered his favorite accompaniments for every classic dish, from mashed potatoes and gravy to pumpkin pie. Want to be sure this year's your best Thanksgiving ever? Then keep reading for some of Eugenio's suggestions.
When someone is generous enough to open up her home for entertaining, you probably fall back on an affordable bottle of wine as a hostess gift. But this holiday season, offer something more unexpected — like cork candles or a clever gift that doubles as wrapping — that any wine lover will appreciate. We've gathered 10 gifts under $10 that look like they cost more. At these prices, you might just be able to gift them a nice bottle of wine, too.
If you've seen or read Bottle Shock, you may be familiar with Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay: the 1973 varietal won the Paris Tasting in 1976, putting Napa Valley and California wineries on the map. But the winery makes another white worth investigating: the Potter Valley Riesling ($25).
Wine connoisseur Mark Oldman teamed up with Roy Choi for the Pickles and Marinades: The Korean Way seminar at the New York City Wine & Food Festival to discuss pairing wine with even the most difficult flavors like acidic pickles and spicy Asian food. If you're looking for some tips to pair just about any dish with wine, look no further than Mark's basic suggestions. See his wine pairing rules here.
After tremendous success with the Food Network, several restaurants, a baby food line, and a handful of cookbooks, Tyler Florence is focusing his attention on wine. At a party in New York celebrating the national distribution of his labels, I had an opportunity to talk to Tyler personally about his venture into the winemaking world.
Despite his interest in wine, Tyler had no prior experience with blending, so he partnered with the Mondavi family, who helped create his signature wines. The chef also used his perceptive palate to guide him: "After years of experience [working with food], I know what tastes good," he declared. This led to the creation of two wine lines: Tyler Florence Wines, a casual, everyday line, as well as TF, a limited-production line.
Tyler worked with a "less is more" philosophy when designing the wine labels, because he claims winemakers put too much on the label, and then "the essence of the wine becomes lost." For the limited-production line, everything is abbreviated; Tyler kept it bare bones to evoke a sense of nonfussy sophistication. A 1930s library card inspired his Tyler Florence wines, as a reminder that these were handcrafted, and features the chef's own handwritten wine notes. Learn more about the wines.
We've tried quite a few bottles of wine, so when an organization called The Label Project reached out to us to participate in a wine tasting challenge, we readily accepted. The rules were simple: we received a shipment of three crates, each containing a different bottle of wine and written and physical clues as to its varietal and country of origin. Take a look at the clues we received and our experience discerning the varietals and region where the grapes were grown.
Photos: Nicole Perry
Kosher wine production is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, yet the framework and guidelines for its production have changed little, and while kashrut law, or Jewish dietary law, can seem very complex, its regulations toward wine production can be distilled into a few key points. See what they are when you keep reading.
Whether or not you're celebrating the Jewish New Year, there's reason to give kosher wines a try. Until a few years ago, the Sabbath-observing were limited to little beyond the syrupy Manischewitz, but in recent times, kashrut wines have gone through quite the makeover.
While there is quality kosher wine being made in America, some of the most intriguing wine hails from the homeland itself, in regions such as Israel's Galilee. To show you some of the variety that's coming out of Israel right now, our office previewed a number of wines from Yarden. Keep reading for our tasting notes.
