The crown jewel of the southern Rhone, this oldest of appellations in France (it was the birthplace of the appellation system) has the highest minimum strength in alcohol of any French wine (12.5 percent) and often surpasses 14 percent alcohol. The terroir of…

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The real amateur winemaker made wine for the sheer pleasure of doing so and not from any financial motives. Nowadays, however, although many individuals continue to make their own wine for pleasure, there is frequently a financial element.

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Three Decanter writers were honoured last night at the prestigious Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards, 2007.

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The US autumn wine auction season is set to open amid uncertainty as to whether the record sales achieved last year will continue

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2005 Tres Ojos Calatayud Old Vines Garnacha ($8) - What sold us: The region of Calatayud, in Aragon, is gaining a reputation for stellar, dirt-cheap Garnacha (Grenache, to the rest of us) and here’s a great example. From a co-op 20 miles north of the…

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The Cigar Bar & Grill in Jackson Square in San Francisco serves a Manhattan you can’t get anywhere else, as it’s made with the restaurant’s exclusive 10-year-old bourbon. Harris’ Restaurant and Nopa have exclusive bourbon, too, as does T-Rex Barbecue in…

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There is nothing quite like sipping on a glass of your favorite vintage after a hard days work. Unless, you cant find it because you dont have a specific place to store your reds and whites. No kitchen is complete without a wine rack, and it is easy to find one to fit your needs and your space.Rather than dragging yourself all over town to find the wine rack; you should try shopping online. Not only will you find the best selection of wine racks, but you will also fi…

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A Mendocino County wine owner is donating US$30,000 from sales of his latest Pinot Noir to the 9/11 memorial.

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Love beer and boats? Indulge in both (responsibly) on Saturday and Sunday at Brews on the Bay, a tasting of San Francisco’s artisan beers aboard the World War II Liberty Ship Jeremiah O’Brien at Pier 45 in San Francisco. From noon to 4:30 p.m., sample more…

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The forest fires raging throughout southern Greece are worrying winemakers already experiencing a difficult year with record high temperatures and early harvest dates.

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On the face of it, Sky Vineyards shouldn’t even be in Napa Valley. Its mailing address is in Sonoma County. So is the turnoff to its long dirt driveway. Only as you climb near the summit of Mount Veeder and cross the precipitous ranch trail that divides the…

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Roth’s Private Reserve, a new cheese from Wisconsin’s 17-year-old Roth Käse dairy, had an auspicious debut at this year’s American Cheese Society competition. The cheese placed first in the American Original category for cow’s milk, a prestigious award…

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If you personally make the choice that you are going to drink alcohol, whether on a regular basis or occasionally, you need to be sure that you always drink responsibly. There are a variety of different habits that you need to get into if you are going to drink in a responsible manner. Remember that you will be held responsible for your actions, whether you were drinking or not, so it is important that you only drink in a responsible manner. The following are a few tips that can help you with responsible drinking habits. Only Drink When YOU Want To. It may be easy for you to be pressured into drinking alcohol by friends, but you should only drink whenever you feel like you want to. If you are not comfortable drinking in a certain environment, or you are just not in the mood to drink, stick to how you feel and do not let others dictate when and where you drink.

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Wine making instructions can be lots of fun for you as you learn the basics of wine making. Here are some reasons how they will help you enjoy it more.

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The 15th Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction raised a record $1.3 million for local charities last weekend through winemaker dinners, tastings of local restaurant fare and Sonoma Valley wines, plus auctions - both silent and live. Honorary auction co-chairs…

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Gift baskets are on everyone’s mind these days when searching for the perfect gift. Customizable and coast effective, they’re also quick to order. There are so many different gift baskets to choose from, though, and that can make it difficult to decide on one.

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My childhood was fueled by rice. There was the always-present steamed jasmine or long-grain rice as a backdrop to innumerable stir-fries, stews and soups (I loved adding rice to Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, which my mom occasionally served). On his half-…

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Fleshy and robust with loads of character to enjoy during the next year. Cabernet? Nope, it’s the 2008 Napa Uncovered calendar, starring 13 Napa County Farm Bureau members shedding their clothes for a cause - the NCFB’s efforts to preserve the valley’s…

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Michael Jackson, a leading world beer critic who praised the brews of Belgium and acknowledged he would never be as famous as “that Michael Jackson,” has died. He was 65. Jackson, known as “the beer hunter,” died Thursday of a heart attack at his home…

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This adventure took me to Linz, Austria, where we visited a Greek restaurant just outside the city, perched atop a small cliff with a terrific view of the Danube, or Donau, as it is called in Austria.

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UK high street chain Woolworths is launching a Champagne at £5 ($10), the cheapest ever to be sold in the UK.

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As a wine lover of some years standing, I am puzzled by one thing. Why in all the buzz and writing about wine is so much more attention paid to red wines than white? It wasn’t always so. Readers as, ahem, experienced as me will recall the white wine boom of…

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Thursday you have the opportunity to taste more than 300 sakes at San Francisco’s Joy of Sake event, though we strongly suggest you don’t try to get through them all. The 6-8:30 p.m. event takes place at the Hilton Hotel, 333 O’Farrell St. The tasting hall is…

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Renowned Argentine winemaker Roberto de la Mota has been seriously injured in a car accident in southern Mendoza.

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You would be hard put to find a more agreeable picnic site than the terraces that wrap around the tasting room of Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves at the southern end of the Carneros district. You wouldn’t be hard put, however, to find a more agreeable tasting…

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Collapsed UK wine merchant The Cellaret failed to pay Bordeaux negociants for 2005 en primeur ordered and paid for by their customers, it has emerged.

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Beaujolais producers who have already completed this year’s harvest are calling it the strangest they have ever experienced.

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Petit verdot, one of Bordeaux’s lesser-known red grape varieties, is on the rise according to figures from the Bordeaux wine trade body (CIVB).

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It’s going to be a wet September this year. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared it California Wine Month, while the U.S. Senate calls it National Bourbon Heritage Month. The Senate may have been too busy with other matters to notice that specifying bourbon…

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It’s the main event in the battle over how to close a bottle of wine: Cork vs. screw cap. To some, it’s a matter of style. To others, it’s an issue of quality. And now, it’s a question of what is best for the environment. Cork was the standard closure…

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