Many of our readers know from our blog post Champagne-Why I love this area, that we never tire of Champagne!  Bill focuses on non-vintage Champagne for this post, and allows the armchair traveler a tour of the Champagne Wine Region. A recent extensive tasting at Wide World of Wines in ...

How to Read a Wine Label Every look at a French wine label and wonder what it takes to read a wine label?  Let’s see what it takes to understand the basic terms on how to read a wine label.  It’s easier than you think! There are 7 basic components on how to read a […]

We have all heard that prices for Bordeaux first growths have gone through the roof. These five fine wines now average, as futures, $800-$1100 per bottle. If you add the comparable great wines of St. Emilion and Pomerol, Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Petrus, the outer limit may be $1250 or so. What ...

Bill Shepard, Wine Editor With prices for Bordeaux grands crus wines spiraling out of sight, wine lovers want to get the most for their money. What the French call “le rapport qualité/prix” is more important than ever. One good strategy is to explore the world of second wines now being made by ...

The scenic Beaujolais region, just south of Burgundy between Mâcon and Lyon, is four hours from Paris by car, and just half an hour from Lyon. It is full of vineyards, shops where the wines may be tasted, and bistros where the wines accompany French tavern food. It also boasts village bistros ...

Loire Valley White Wine: Perfect Summer Pairings Loire Valley white wine is highly regarded. Let us sample three of them, from three different grape varietals. The Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine is a light, flavorful wine with good body, the sort of wine you can enjoy at luncheon that won’t put you ...

Perhaps you have enjoyed one of the delicious Rhône Valley wines, say a Châteauneuf du Pape. Or, you may have memories of a trip to the region, and sampling an assortment of fine regional wines. These suggested wines achieve a regional balance, as you explore beyond the wines that you have ...

Sunshine, great food, and a palate of fine wines are your pleasure as you visit the Rhône Valley. This may be France’s oldest area of wine cultivation, and the tradition proudly continues today, with many lesser known wines surprisingly affordable. It is the region of Lyon (which may set the ...

All of these terms are sometimes used loosely and in many cases have no official definition. Certified organic wines, for example, actually have different meanings depending on the country of origin. Here’s a quick guide: Culture raisonnée or lutte raisonnée: Often translated as reasoned ...

Perhaps you’ve gotten one of those shiny new wine refrigerators, and would like to begin storing some excellent Burgundy wines for future enjoyment. Or, you’ve noticed a string of good vintages, and wondered how long they will be obtainable. Best of all, you may be pondering a trip to Burgundy, ...

Last month, we explored Burgundy wines and the first half of the Côte d’Or, called the Côte de Nuits, which extends from Dijon to Nuits St. Georges, passing fabled vineyards that you owe yourself to see in person. The wines are expensive, but the entire area is not called “Côte d’Or” (Gold ...

Burgundy France Of the Burgundy wine tours I have taken I can think of no more pleasant excursion than a slow drive through the Côte de Nuits, just fifteen miles of the Burgundy region, from Fixin just outside Dijon, to Nuits St. Georges. It is pleasant, rolling countryside, with vineyards ...

In the hot summer weather, there is a spectrum of fine French white wines to savor. Light or medium weight, the emphasis should be on flavors, and complementing your dining choices. Clearly, many meals are going to be informal. Uncomplicated, flavorful wines will set them off perfectly. With a ...

Rose Wines From Bordeaux? This is one of the hot new trends we are seeing coming out of Bordeaux – dry pink wines. Many folks in this country are afraid of pink wines, the fear is that they will be sweet a la White Zinfandel. Well contrary to popular belief the greatest pink wines are ...

Since I was in Paris for a few days, I really wanted to share some time with one of our guides based there.   Mary has been leading wine tours in France for wine professionals and enthusiasts for many years: in Champagne, the Loire and Rhône Valleys, Languedoc and Provence. Fully bilingual ...

Food and Wine Pairing Like a Pro Which wine tastes best with pork chops in a maple glaze? Does rosemary-marinated grilled halibut invite red or white wine? Are there also great food pairings for beer, spirits, cocktails, coffee and tea? To answer these questions and thousands more, the web site ...