Hangovers -- a hazard of the occupation. No one can work with wine without tipping back too much from time to time. The morning after. The headache, the nausea, and the sun, as Nicholas Klar once wrote, "is like God's flashlight." Nobody to blame but yourself...

Hand it to the folks at Planet Bordeaux. They're a creative bunch. As I've mentioned before, Planet Bordeaux is the marketing arm of the winemakers who produce Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur wines. These are the wines that often get lost between the more inexpensive “vin de pays...

“Do you like dogs?” The Sweet Partner in Crime and I had been dating for a few weeks when she invited me to swing by her place for some food and a glass or three of wine. My family had had dogs while I was growing up, although my sister was much more interested in them. I like pooches, though, and since I had some...

When in doubt...pink. Words to live by when you're considering food pairings. Few things go better with...well...everything than rosé. As I've pointed out in the past -- I'm not talking about white zinfandel here. White zin is perfect for...

"You know, Mike -- by nature, you're a cynical bastard. But when you write about wine, you always find the good stuff. Have you ever run into a wine you didn't like?" Actual quote from a recent conversation. And it's a good question. I mean, I'm usually pretty lucky with...

Chardonnay, the ubiquitous white. Chardonnay is the United States' most popular wine—and perhaps the most popular in the world. Walk into almost any neighborhood bar or five-star restaurant. Nine times out of 10, the "house white" will be Chardonnay. The history of Chardonnay...

Syrah—the juicy grape. Our final red class focuses on Syrah. (Or Shiraz, if you prefer—same grape.) Of the three reds, syrahs are biggest and fruitiest. Now, I use "biggest" to mean the fullest body—not necessarily the strongest flavor. I had a misconception about Syrah. I was under the impression that the French cultivated...

I wasn't always a big fan of whites. I'd drink them, sure—and it was nice to have something cold around the house, but I chilled them almost to freezing and basically used them like light beer. Once I started learning, I grew to tolerate them. I thought most were too tart or too oaky. I discovered good Riesling and my eyes opened—my gateway white...

A few months ago, longtime Vine reader and erstwhile neighbor Christine asked, "So, when are you going to do a column on box wines." I mentioned to her that planned to do one for April Fool's. "No, seriously," she said with an edge in her voice that gave me goosebumps. This is, after all, a woman who hiked the state of Vermont in five weeks...

The Scene: A novice wine drinker scurries nervously down the aisle of a local wine store. He studiously avoids eye contact with the "overly helpful" store employees who hover like Eddie Bauer associates around a 2-for-$25 rack of mock turtlenecks. All he wants is a bottle of wine...