The Naked Vine: Wine Advice for the Rest of Us.™

When I started filling this space with words, the cultural touchstone for wine was a 2004 indie-film-that-blew-up called Sideways . The ev...

Wood is good. Go to any winery and you’ll find oak barrels everywhere being used for fermenting wine, for storage, or just for decorat...

Quick quiz…I say “Nero.” What pops into your head? This guy? Teenage Wasteland! No? Maybe this guy? "Ambassador Sp...

Pumbaa : “Hey, kid, what's eatin' ya?” Timon : “Nothin'. He's on top of the food chain!” -The Lion King Astute obs...

The Loire (pronounced luh-WAHR) Valley wine region is a long, skinny stretch of land that lies along the river of the same name in France....

I’ve neglected German Riesling for a bit around these parts. Not long after I started the Vine, I got asked in an interview what my favori...

I like climate-based cooking. Lighter dishes and salads in spring, cold soups and garden-laced goodness in summer, grilling in autumn, sou...

Hope folks didn’t mind bit of a pause while the Sweet Partner in Crime and I were vacationing (well, I was – she had to work for a few days....

Wine tastings. Sources of inspiration, knowledge, and occasionally a pretty decent buzz by the time all’s said and done. When I’m asked how ...

A quick programming note before we get rolling. I’m going to be co-leading a wine tasting with Danny Gold on Wednesday evening (March 9, 201...

Aperitif --a common word in wine descriptions. I’m 100% guilty of throwing it out there myself, usually when I’m describing light, dry whit...

Happy New Year, everyone! I’ve neglected the Alphabet Soup Project for far too long. Thought I’d start the new year off right… At your nex...

How many times have you heard or read something to this effect in a wine description: “Make sure you open the bottle and let it breathe fo...