Food & Wine Editor Kate Krader may be the darling of the restaurant world, but when it comes to wine, that's the domain of Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle, who not only runs the magazine's wine section, but also organizes all of the wine seminars and tastings at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic.

We managed to snag Ray away from his busy schedule for a moment to ask him about his favorite regions and values, which wines he thinks are overrated, and what we should look for next time we hit up winery tasting rooms. See what he had to say when you keep reading.

Earlier today in a white tent at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, Tim Love grilled up some big meat. The cowboy chef from the Lone Star State has a very specific steak-cooking method. He uses premium cuts of beef (his current fav is the Italian-equivalent to Wagyu) and is not a fan of marinades. "You want the meat to taste like meat. You don't want it to taste like Worcestershire sauce. If you want to taste Worcestershire sauce, have a shot of it with your steak," the chef joked. To check out his technique for perfectly grilled steak, read on.

From egg-in-a-nest grilled cheese to mac-and-cheese grilled cheese served out of a truck, the humble childhood classic is one of today's biggest food trends. But what do you get when you pair the lowbrow sandwich with wine, a beverage best known for its refined sophistication? Thanks to an Aspen seminar led by cheese expert Laura Werlin, I discovered the answer: pure gastronomic bliss.

Laura offered not only a number of steps to re-creating such sensory nirvana, but she also shared her favorite grilled cheese and wine pairings.

1. Before selecting grilled cheeses to pair with wines, taste each cheese you plan to use in its natural, unmelted state, alongside the wine you plan to pair it with.
2. Be sure to test the pairings both with and without a cheese's rind; a washed or blooming edible rind can tend to make wine pairings taste soapy.
3. When enjoying a cheese and wine pairing, always taste the wine first; cheese affects how wine tastes much more than the other way around. Start with a first sip of wine, then take a second to calibrate your palate and allow it to adjust to the wine's acidity and tannin; then take a bite of your cheese, followed by another sip of wine.

For some of Laura's favorite pairings, read more.

One of the most popular cooking demonstrations at the Food & Wine Classic every year is hosted by Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. However, today's seminar was a little different, as Colicchio had to go to the hospital and couldn't make it. Luckily, another bald chef was on hand to stand in for Colicchio: Iron Chef Michael Symon!

Symon and Simmons cooked one dish each using the same ingredients, except Symon's dish was savory and Simmon's dish was sweet. The featured ingredients were pistachios and basil. While he cooked an amazing-looking ricotta and egg yolk ravioli, Symon got to talking. To see what he had to say about cooking with kids and more, read on.

Welcome to our new series A Day in the Life, where we examine at what it's like to be a professional in the food industry. In honor of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, we look at a day in the life of Kate Krader. As the magazine's restaurant editor, Kate is a girl about town and friend to many chefs. Here's what she did yesterday, Thursday, June 15.

Disclaimer: This is not a normal day in my life. This is the first day of Aspen.

6:30 a.m.: I woke up at 6:30, which is earlier than normal for me at my house in Brooklyn. There was a car waiting to take me to the Westchester airport. I don't normally go to this airport.

7:30 a.m.: I was in the car for one hour, which is too much time to be in the car. Last year for the Classic, we got two private planes that flew direct from New York to Aspen with a bunch of chefs. This year it was the same, so I boarded a Bombardier Global with Michael Symon, Jonathan Waxman, Daniel Boulud, Paul Grieco (he's a sommelier at Terroir), Michael White, Danny Meyer, Marcus Samuelsson, and a bunch more people.

10:30 a.m.: Wheels were up at 10:30, and the plane was super deluxe. This is going to sound obnoxious, but it's true: the Krug wasn't chilled, so we had to wait for it to chill. They had these great vegetables and dip and an awesome caprese salad with burrata. The tomatoes were really ripe. You can do whatever you want on a private plane. You can watch TV or hang in the bedroom. The cool thing about the Bombardier plane is that they can change the pressure in the cabin so that the food actually tastes really good. When you fly in a normal plane, the cabin pressure changes the way things taste; food tastes duller, bad. But in a private plane, they can change it so it tastes good.

To find out what fabulous things Kate did when she arrived in Aspen, keep reading!

The world of wine has been a traditionally male-dominated industry, but that hasn't gotten in the way of wine educator Andrea Robinson: she's not only a TV host and author, but also one of only 17 women in the world who've been appointed the title of master sommelier. She was the first female ever to be chosen best sommelier in the United States by the Sommelier Society of America.

I met the enthusiastic wine personality, whose petite stature belies her upbeat demeanor, at an Aspen event to showcase her new line of stemware, The One. Over a glass of rosé, she weighed in on what it's like as one of the industry's few female leaders and how the landscape of wine is changing in America. See what she shared when you read more.

If you've never made a cocktail with herbs before, start with this recipe. It's a simple smash that results in a refreshing concoction with a beautiful color. Since basil is a mild and somewhat floral herb, it doesn't overpower the drink. The sweetness comes from juicy strawberries while fresh, naturally acidic lemons add a nice tartness. The recipe calls for gin, but if you're not a fan of the botanical spirit, use vodka instead. This libation is an ideal Summer sipper, so get the method now.