Take a look at this baby. Now you can pour like the pros.
“A sleek blend of form and function, the Skybar(tm) Wine Preservation & Optimization System as designed by Altitude, Inc. is the first home accessory to chill, pour and preserve multiple bottles of wine from a single system. “
What does that mean? Basically, you can store three bottles of wine in this gizmo, use one of nine pre-set temperatures and enjoy it at your leisure for up to 10 days.  There’s a special vaccum seal that allows the wine to pour a perfect glass smoothly, and …read more

Tis the season for Bordeaux, the beautifully complex wine that collectors vie to get a single bottleof. In fact, a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite became the most expensive wine ever in 1985 when it sold for $210,000 at Christie’s.
The reason for this? Bordeaux completely embraces the concept of terroir: the idea that wines taste of their place. You can taste history in every single bottle of Bordeaux.
The weather is vital in Bordeaux, because these wines taste like their place and it’s that soil and weather that makes the ultimate grape. Each year, the Bordeaux region prays for serious sunshine, …read more

A few months ago, when Gary was in Seattle, I had the pleasure of getting a precious 45 minutes with him, in which we sipped, slurped and critiqued wine,  and talked about some of things his book touches on, but that the other reporters he talks to haven’t asked him about.

See, I didn’t want to ask the typical questions. So, without further ado, here are five questions Gary had never been asked before. (image source: Wine Library TV)
Drinks After Dark: In your opinion, what is currently the most undervalued wine region in the world?
GaryVee: Portugal. Hands down. The quality …read more

Wine.com, the #1 online wine retailer, says that Syrah (Shiraz) outsold Chardonnay for the first half of this year. They say that Syrah sales have grown 47% for the year to date, which is pretty impressive. The close red second is a Cab Sauv, which basically means that by outstripping Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah is pretty much the top-selling wine for the year so far. GO SHIRAZ!
It’s a little difficult to tell if those numbers are going to stand up nationally or not however. The press release goes onto say that:
“What you’d typically see in national wine consumption …read more

Every industry has different categories of connaisseur. Loosely grouped into general consumers, hobbyists, and experts, each are vital for the other to thrive – when you ignore the consumers and hobbyists, companies can have a hard time subsisting. However, if one neglects to care for and love the experts (both self proclaimed and accredited), value gets diluted, products are cheapened, and the experts carefully step back and bandy together to support those who do appreciate them.
The language around wine is fascinating. I’d hardly consider myself an expert on the subject and you may have noticed my reviews are short, simple …read more

The LA Times has a great article on when and why you should consider investing in a case of wine rather than purchasing bottles individually. With summers come parties and informal get togethers. By having a case (or two, depending on your budget and entertaining needs) on hand, you needn’t worry about running dry just as things start to wind up.
Of course, there’s another reason to consider purchasing in advance. When your favorite wine is also loved by local restaurants, it’s not unlikely that by the middle of summer you’re going to be searching for something that simply suffices when …read more

At home, I have a box of corks that represent many fantastic evenings and bottles savored. I’ve seen people do some lovely things with their corks – even something as simple as displaying them on the wall in a glass case works. Their rough texture and symbolism co-mingle to provide an impressive representation of a wine lover’s travels.
Well, here’s another alternative, if you’re short on wall space, storage room, or (gasp!) just aren’t that attached to your personal collection of corks.
Terracycle takes waste and processes it in order to turn it into something useful again. Their products, such …read more

From BBC News:
Resveratrol, a plant polyphenol found in red wine, grapes and pomegranates, has been suggested as one of the reasons for the so-called “French paradox” – the relative longevity of the French despite a diet rich in artery-clogging animal fats.
It has been suggested that the traditional glass of red wine taken at mealtimes was helping beat heart disease.
The Wisconsin researchers the chemical on “middle-aged” mice, looking at the effects on the workings of genes in the heart.
The natural ageing process in animals and humans is marked by changes in the function, or expression, of thousands of genes in …read more

Suspense and intrigue over the weekend at a wine auction event in Hong Kong over the weekend.
From the International Herald Tribune:
The event at the Island Shangri-La Hotel was expected to last six hours. But long after potential buyers had finished their lunch of beef tenderloin and goose liver ravioli, it became clear that frantic bidding for the 922 lots would last into the evening. In a rare move, the entire auction was moved to another room, where glasses of 1995 Dom Perignon were handed out the way most places hand out water. The crowd roared with applause when the top …read more

You probably thought that was a metephor, right? Like, “Oh that Rachel…she’s such a kidder and obviously doesn’t REALLY mean that there is a market out there for products made for doggie wine lovers.”
Well, as much as I’m flattered that you think I’m so creative and witty…the fact is, Dogs Uncorked does exist and apparently so does the niche crowd they cater to.
From their website:
Inspired by the wine country lifestyle, Dogs Uncorked celebrates the canines that live lavishly amongst the vines. Whether they are romping through vineyards, graciously greeting visitors at the tasting room, munching ripe grapes off the vine, …read more