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“Contains Sulfites.” Just two little words — yet so frequently misunderstood! Words you see on almost every bottle of wine. What are sulfites? Are they really bad? Do they cause wine headaches or other related ills?

The Languedoc Roussillon is probably France’s oldest wine region, dating back over two thousand years. It is a region steeped in history, culture, food and great value wines. If you like rich, ripe red wines (under $15!) then read on for a list of wines you'll love.

Are you going to a fun Halloween party and wondering what wine to bring? This is not the night for serious wines. Spice it up with some ghostly wines. Over the past few weeks I’ve been scouting out fun wines to fire up this ghoulish night; here's a look at what I've found!

How familiar are you with the wines of Long Island? How good are they? And how do they compare price-wise with other wines you may be drinking? Having participated in a blind challenge last week, the answer is clear — the wines are excellent, exciting and they won’t break the bank.

Buying a wine from an unfamiliar place, made from an unfamiliar grape, may be somewhat daunting. But, when it is red, from Bierzo in Spain, and made from Mencía, it is absolutely worth taking a leap of faith. You won’t be disappointed!

Manhattan finally has a Whole Foods Market wine store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Eager to explore, I popped along to see what exciting wines I could find!

September was California wine month. My posts only covered a tiny fraction of the amazing and very different California wines available throughout the country, but today I want to share two great books on California wine to take you further in your explorations of the region. I also want to share some fantastic wines from the celebrated Stags Leap District.

Red Zinfandel, or the ‘real’ Zinfandel, is regarded as the quintessential California wine. Incredibly popular and delicious, Zinfandel wines are perfect for a host of fun gatherings. It is no wonder it is considered California’s heritage grape.

Located in the heart of the Central Coast, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles is highly reputed for its red blend wines, and is well regarded as California’s “Rhone zone.”

For the fifth year in a row, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared that September is California Wine Month. Dozens of retailers and restaurants throughout the country are participating in the promotion to support our most important wine producing region. Want to celebrate it too? Here are a few California wines I have particularly enjoyed lately.

I love Labor Day weekend, and we always spend it in the City, relaxing and avoiding traffic stress. For me it is a time to reflect on the summer, and prepare for autumn. As usual, we will celebrate my husband’s birthday, invite over some friends to enjoy good food and our favorite summer wines. As we say goodbye to the summer why not enjoy some of the great value summer wines available across the country.

August is Stay Cool! month at the Kitchn. As the temperatures have been rising, so has our frequency of serving ice cream for dessert. This always brings up the question of what are the best wines to serve with ice cream. Of course, you don’t have to serve wine with ice cream, but if you do here are some of my favorites.

When I first became serious about wine, I really noticed the difference that a good glass made to my appreciation of the wine. At that time the choice of wine glass was pretty polarized. Either I spent a great deal of money (more than I could afford) or I had to be content with an industrial, heavy, thick-lipped glass. There was very little to choose from in between.

Today, I can still spend a lot of money on a great glass, but I can also get a really good wine glass for a modest spend. Here are some of my favorites.

It seem that most of you agree with last week's post that great wineglasses do make a difference, and that they are worth the investment. But once you've invested, how should you care for them?