Wine
fromwww.mercurynews.com
9 hours agoHow to pair wine and chocolate for Valentine's Day
Balance chocolate and wine by matching sweetness and fat, avoiding tannin-on-tannin pairings; prefer high-quality chocolate listing cocoa butter.
In 2025, legacy Oregon craft brewery Rogue Ales & Spirits filed for bankruptcy and shuttered operations, California uprooted 38,134 acres of wine grapes (in order to cope with overproduction and stymie future excess crops), and Jim Beam announced it would cease production of bourbon at its main distillery for the duration of 2026. An increasing push toward sobriety has flooded the market with nonalcoholic alternatives to traditional tipples.
Surely you must have been wide awake enough to notice that the person who delivered your peanuts on an airplane was sometimes male, and that another male sometimes took your order at the local eatery. Yes, various jobs are no longer gender-specific. Miss Manners would be sorry to think that retirement had left you oblivious to the dynamics of life, which, indeed, lexicographers must follow. You may not always like the way the world evolves, but to deny it is to condemn yourself to social stagnation.
Doyers Street is a one-block strip in Chinatown that starts off perpendicular to the Bowery and then curves ninety degrees, like a lowercase "r," to terminate against the bustle of Pell Street. A notorious battleground for gang fights in the early nineteen-hundreds, it has, in recent decades, scrubbed out the bloodstains and redefined itself as a beloved, city-grid-defying idiosyncrasy, narrow and wonky and overflowing with atmosphere.
Country of origin labeling became mandatory on all international products entering the United States in 2009. The goal was to ensure American consumers knew where the products they were buying came from, enabling shoppers to make informed buying decisions. These products include everything from Mexican avocados to French wine to pasta from Italy, with the latter thankfully safe from recent U.S. tariffs. However, does the location a product comes from actually matter?
With more than 140 wineries spread across 11 glacial lakes, the Finger Lakes Region is home to one of the most distinctive wine regions in the U.S. The long, cool growing season of upstate New York produces bright, expressive wines, with riesling at the forefront, alongside chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet franc, and sparkling wines. Last October, the region's growing influence was recognized when Wine Enthusiast named Finger Lakes Wine Country the "American Wine Region of the Year."
The historic Trubody Ranch, a prominent and historic Napa Valley vineyard property that has supplied premium producers for decades, has changed hands for the first time in over a century and will now be the main source for a wine venture by some of the region's most notable restaurateurs. KHK Wines - short for Keller Hall Keller - was founded as a vineyard partnership among celebrity chef Thomas Keller of
For wine collectors, the art of cellar management has always been as much about precision as it is indulgence. Temperature, humidity, and provenance all dictate whether a vintage will flourish or falter, and even the most meticulous collectors know that storage mistakes can be costly. Now, a new wave of technology promises to take out the guesswork. AI wine cellars, as futuristic as they sounds, are systems that use artificial intelligence to track bottles, catalogue vintages, and anticipate optimal conditions.
We are proud to return to the Nexo Dallas Open for year two of our three-year partnership and celebrate the inspiring talent, energy, and spirit of the tennis community in Dallas, said Neb Lukic, President, Luxury Sales and Marketing, Treasury Americas. At DAOU, we believe world-class winemaking and tennis share a pursuit of excellence, precision, and passion. We look forward to continuing to share the essence of DAOU through 2027, creating memorable moments that reflect the quality and elegance of both our wines and this tournament experience.
Last August, on a hurried stretch of East 18th Street in Antioch, 20 acres of ancient grapevines seemed to vanish overnight. Once part of the historic Evangelho Vineyard, the parcel was sold off in the 1950s, changing hands several times before Rockefeller Construction acquired it last year. Morgan Twain-Peterson of Sonoma's Bedrock Wine Co. was crushed, but not surprised. In Contra Costa County, where rows of centuries-old grapevines are often sandwiched between gas stations and convenience stores, the sense of impending loss is palpable.
Of course, pasta is incredibly versatile and can be transformed into dishes showcasing an endless array of flavors. So when you're looking to pair your pasta meal with a glass of wine, it's important to consider what type of sauce you'll be using to ensure the ingredients work well with the wine. While some pasta sauces are more flexible to pair with, others require a bit more care to ensure the flavors aren't overwhelmed, muted, or negatively impacted.
As an editor and writer who regularly covers the world of nonalcoholic drinks, I have tasted more than my fair share of booze-free wines. Much like with regular wine, the results have been mixed some are bitter or super sour, or even worse, smell like nothing. But I've also had the pleasure of drinking alcohol-free wines that scratched the same itch as a top-notch riesling or champagne.
With thousands of acres of vineyards, Washington and Oregon are among the top wine producing states in the nation, with winemakers taking advantage of distinct climates and terroir to craft a wide range of fantastic wines. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that their neighbor to the east is one of the lesser known U.S. wine regions, quietly producing outstanding wines.
I'm having trouble talking about it. Everything's still burning. I did go down to work yesterday because the insurance broker needed photos. I watched a few of our customers walking around the premises and you can tell the effect that it's having on them. They're not really customers any more, they've become friends. I know what they're going through is hard and I can't help.
the company behind a new wine shop in downtown DC, Berry Bros. & Rudd, launched in London way back in 1698. The company's Jamie Ritchie gives us a peek at some of the rarest-and priciest-offerings at its first US store. Château Lafite Rothschild 1961 Imperial (6L), $100,000 "Large formats of this age are incredibly rare. This one was bought by Berry Bros. & Rudd on release and has been in our care ever since. We still have the original ledgers that itemize the purchase."
Dubai: The world's most expensive glass of champagne Luxury excess finds its natural home in Dubai, which tops Blacklane's Champagne Index as the most expensive city in the world for a glass of champagne, averaging $49 per 125ml pour - 21 per cent higher than in New York. The survey's most extravagant single pour was recorded at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai, where a glass of Veuve Clicquot costs $64.
Starbucks' Reserve Roasteries sell whiskey barrel-aged cold brew, some beer is aged in bourbon barrels, and wine is an obvious beneficiary of this method too. Though the practice of aging wine in bourbon barrels is contested by some consumers - naysayers say the process diminishes the flavors that come from thoughtfully growing and sourcing the grapes, thus undermining the farmers - others are staunch fans of the finished product.
According to Mike Zolnikov, who tends a couple of acres of Pinot Noir and an acre of Chardonnay on a flat, slightly soggy patch of the central Willamette Valley, in Oregon, it had been a once-in-a-decade growing season. "Not too hot, not too wet," he recalled, wistfully. "It would have been a really great year." A few hundred miles south, in California's Napa Valley, the winemaker Ashley Egelhoff, of Honig Vineyard and Winery, was feeling similarly about her Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc.
By age 10, the Mill Valley native had lived in Saudi Arabia, skied the Swiss Alps and traveled through Kenya, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Spain. At the time, his father was an engineer who had been temporarily transferred overseas, bringing the family along for a two-year adventure. In Saudi Arabia, his mother taught fourth grade, navigating laws that barred her from driving or riding a bicycle, while Cobb and his brother sailed and snorkeled to escape the sweltering heat.
I'm a certified sommelier, and I always keep a selection of wines on hand to serve my guests. You don't need a special reason to enjoy good Champagne or a nice Italian red wine. From grocery-store brands to small family-owned bottles, anything goes at my house. As a certified sommelier, when I entertain, I want to serve the perfect wines to match any meal, occasion, and person.
Accompanied by an expert wine guide, travelers take a scenic drive the following day through the Côte des Blancs and several Grand Cru villages for tastings at the iconic Moët & Chandon. The tour also includes a visit to the tomb of Dom Pérignon and to a charming family-run estate, where you can chat with the winemaker, wander through the cellars, and sample a generous selection of Champagnes.