All stories about "Wine"

Back in college I thought I was allergic to wine; a few glasses and I'd have a two-day hangover. But then I graduated, got a job, and was able to afford wine out of a bottle. Good bye Franzia, hello muse! But as much as I enjoy wine now, I hate the pretense that goes with it at some stores and restaurants. It's been a while since I gnawed on bark, so saying a wine has a "slightly oaky tint" doesn't tell me whether or not I'll like it. And the prices can be even more off putting. When I'm in your store at noon on a Tuesday reeking of last night, wearing a t-shirt that says "Dykes against Bush," with a cigarette butt in my hair, do I look like I'm in the market for a $30 "special occasion" wine? Here are some DC area wine stores that offer good selections at reasonable prices with minimal affectation. (photo)

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Want a big fruity drink with a little umbrella in it while in Honolulu? No problem (just don't show any pictures of yourself imbibing them to your friends; what gets consumed in Hawaii stays in Hawaii). Beer's not much of a problem, either : most bars in Honolulu offer a good selection, including excellent local brews from the Kona Brewing Company. But what about wine? Hawaii's climate isn't suitable for winemaking, but it's ripe for wine drinking. That being the case, it's surprisingly difficult to find restaurants with quality wine lists and wine stores with knowledgeable staff and an excellent selection. Some picks after the jump. (photo)

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Paris restaurant Le Refuge des Fondues is fighting taxes that the city's restaurants must pay when they serve wine in a normal stemmed glass. Instead, the refuge is serving their wine in baby bottles. A prix-fixe meal at the popular Montmartre fondue joint costs 17 euros and comes with one baby bottle of vin rouge. Once you get over the disturbing visual aspects, drinking wine from a baby bottle apparently has its advantages. One blogger who tried the baby-style booze got a great buzz: "you know how drinking any sort of alcoholic beverage from a straw sometimes seems to hit you much harder? That same logic applies to drinking wine from a nipple." How can you argue with that? (via)

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This coming Monday, March 3, veteran post-modern cabaret stars Kiki and Herb will be flogging their new DVD at Manhattan's Bottlerocket Wine. Expect a good and loud time. [MUG]

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Women are finally coming to the forefront of the wine industry in NYC. New eateries Dovetail and Eighty One both have female sommeliers. While the business is still heavily male dominated--"only three women (and 21 men) in the United States have the coveted 'Master of Wine' designation"--women do head some of the city's "most respected wine programs," including those at Gramercy Tavern, The Modern and the entire B.R. Guest group. [NY Mag]

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Brooklyn has a lot of fabulous elements: restaurants, cheaper rents, interesting people who are only occasionally douchebags. But the borough does not have wine. Don't be fooled by labels; Brooklyn Wine is totes made with California grapes. [via]

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Staten Island, the forgotten borough and biohazard, will soon host a Tuscan-style winery, as aspiring winemakers are setting up a two-acre vineyard at the Botanical Garden. SI is best known as a massive pile of garbage and for the eccentric fashion choices of residents, but perhaps now it can gain recognition for the garden vineyard's cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and sangiovese. One would think the toxic soil would make for poor grape-growing, but the buried mobsters might add an infusion of Italian authenticity to the wines. Bottles (or boxes) of the so-called "Super Staten Island Red" won't be reaching store shelves and tables in shitty restaurants until at least 2012. [AP]

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The weak US dollar is making it expensive to import foreign wine in to the United States, but Americans are drinking more wine now than ever. However, unlike beer (which everyone thinks they know about), most people are perfectly willing to plead ignorance when it comes to ordering a good bottle of wine. We asked for and received input from the crews of two of Brooklyn's finest wine shops, the punk rock boys of Uva and the lovely ladies of Blanc & Rouge. What makes a great wine list? For some, the sexiest wine lists include rare and hard-to-find vintages. For others, it's great value in wine. Here's a list representing the best of both worlds.

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We've already told you about LA's best wine bars and shops, so it's only fitting to follow up with a list of weekly wine tastings sure to keep you elegantly inebriated from Monday through Sunday. Here's a chance to learn something and have fun doing it. From retail shops to gourmet restaurants, and smooth Syrahs to shocking sakes, you've got options every day of the week.

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Avoid the fussiness and indecision of hard alcohol by indulging in the completely different fussiness and indecision of a refined and well-run wine bar. Wine bars have been gaining in popularity in San Francisco (mostly because it's the Devil himself to get a new hard alcohol license in this city) and there are several that do not disappoint. When I think of wine bars, I used to think of pretentious yuppie wine snobs swirling their glasses and making up flavors like oak, coal tar, grapefruit, and creosote, but these places have raised my opinions.

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In my last wine shop post, I mentioned that wine sellers are ubiquitous. What I didn't mention is that their customers are zealously loyal and vocal, as I discovered from audience suggestions. So without further ado, I present the a supplementary guide to New York wine shops according to our drunken oenophile readers.

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A charming wine-lounge in barrio Anton Martin, El Patio de Lucas (Calle Fernando VI, 11) is one of those places that automatically puts you into chill mode as you enter. A dim, candlelit area with curtain lightshades right out of Romeo and Juliet, the place is perfect for a quiet drink after work or an intimate though casual date. It isn't a restaurant, even though that's what its business card says. But El Patio de Lucas does serve basic Spanish tapas to pick on with your wine. You need to ask for it and even take the plates to your own table, but that's not uncommon in Madrid. The place is low-key and although young and trendy, it doesn't have web presence of any significance. However, it's never empty. Open daily 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m., it's a great option on weeknights or if you don't want to hang in the noisy city center.

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If you're like me, grabbing a bottle of wine before heading over to a friend's place is second nature. But there's something to be said for a little creativity. Here's a list of alternative non-wine inebriants and liquids inspired by the stuff friends lugged over to my Thanksgiving "dinner" party. Of course, I still appreciate all of that wine -- and the fact that there's enough left over to last until the new year.

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On doctor's orders, I've been banned from drinking wine for the indefinite future. Of course this means that, as a wine lover, I can't stop thinking about a nice glass of Medoc or Bordeaux. And walking through Manhattan, I can't get four blocks without passing a wine shop or a well-stocked liquor store. So as a cathartic exercise and to help out fellow wine lovers, the following map includes the city's wine shops with the best service, selection, tastings, and gadgetry. Your own constructive and generously polite advice is, as always, welcome in the comments or the tipline.

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Every Berliner loves the Weinerei, that kitsch little bar by Weinbergspark, where the so-inclined can drink endless glasses of cheap rosé and then throw €5 in a fishbowl and stagger home. But what about the wine connoisseur more interested in quality than quantity? Germany's vineyards are well known for producing Eiswein, a labor-intensive delicacy made from frozen grapes and Riesling dessert wines with peach, pear, apricot, and apple aromas. But wine bars and cellars in Berlin also stock vast quantities of French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese wines that pair perfectly with even the heaviest entrées. So skip the beer, and save trips to the Weinerei for the end of the month. Many of these locales also offer tasting events, where wine lovers can sip Pétillant and discuss the prädikat. Here's a quick roundup of wine cellars and bars around the Weinerei for all you oenophiles.

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