Wine

Most wine drinkers are probably familiar with the term ‘corked wine’, but I hazard a guess that not as many wine drinkers really know what a corked wine tastes like, how a wine becomes corked in the first place, or how to detect a corked wine. To find out more, read on. Wine being corked doesn’t mean that is has tiny particles of cork floating in it, or that it simply tastes like cork.

February is Soup Month at The Kitchn, so I thought that I would look at some great soup and wine combinations. Traditionally, soup has been considered a difficult course to pair with wine. The reason for this is texture. Pairing liquid with liquid simply did not seem like an appealing combination. Well, as we all know, there is soup and there is soup.So don’t let incumbent ideas about food pairing stop you from enjoying a glass of wine with your next soup dish.

It's wine's easygoing, effervescent cousin.

You probably already have everything you need to do it.

Most recipes just call for "dry red wine" — we're taking the guesswork away.

Your beer and wine stash is key.

Pair a nice bottle of wine with your favorite Christmas cookie, and invite some friends over.

There's almost no waiting and ZERO need for special equipment.

For some people, leftover wine is a rare occurrence. But if you find yourself with a half-empty bottle that you forgot about or didn’t really like, here are some tasty ideas on how that wine can find renewed purpose in cooking or drinks! Think of wine as a cooking liquid: it has acidity, sometimes sweetness, and body, making it a great vehicle for enhancing whatever it comes into contact with.

Keep these easy hacks in mind all summer long.

Now, we’re not trying to get into a “Which is better: beer or wine?” debate here. It’s just that we believe that there are some beers that you steadfast wine drinkers out there might really enjoy. Call them cross-over beers. As in, they cross the line between beer and wine. As in, come on over and we’ll pour you a pint.These beer styles draw on many of the same flavor profiles as our favorite wines: robust, fruity, and spicy; crisp, tart, and dry.

Some people say timing is everything, but I’d argue language is everything — especially when it comes to wine. We’ve all been there — standing in the wine aisle, paralyzed by the wealth of choices and dumbfounded by confusing language describing every bottle. Wine-speak can be intimidating, but it need not be. Here are 10 critical wine words that make talking about wine, whether for Taco Tuesday or a fancy dinner out, a little bit easier — i.e.

Up until recently, I’d tuck my white wine in the fridge until it was as cold as I could get it before popping the cork. It was icy and refreshing as can be, and no one was complaining. But I found that most of the white wine, regardless of what kind I was actually drinking, tasted mostly the same: It was very cold and it was wine. Come to find out it’s because I have actually been drinking it too cold this whole time.

To me, steak is one of the ultimate special-occasion foods. We don’t eat it very often, but when we do it’s usually when Valentine’s Day or my husband’s birthday rolls around. That’s when I pull out all the stops: a nice piece of meat, extra-buttery potatoes, and, of course, good wine. When you think of steak, you probably think of red wine.

The shelves at Sam’s Club started looking a little different around this time last year. See, that’s when execs decided to rethink their private-label products. “At one point, we had 21 private labels,” says Chandra Holt, vice president of private brands at Sam’s Club, in a press release. “So the first thing I set out to do was to simplify for our members. We now have one private brand: Member’s Mark.

We in the wine business have an unfortunate habit of throwing around our lingo as though everyone will understand it. Get a few of us together with a bottle (or two or four) and we might as well be that teacher from Charlie Brown. In attempts to turn all that womp womp womp into words you’ll not only understand, but also be able to use yourself, here’s a quick explainer — in total laymen’s terms.

A year ago, I finally replaced the stiff IKEA futon in my living room with my dream sofa from West Elm — one I had spent years saving up and planning for. The mid-century sofa quickly became my most beloved piece of furniture, but from the very beginning I was concerned its light grey fabric would attract accidents. My biggest fear was that someone would drop a big saucy meatball or spill a giant glass of wine on it.

I have good news for anyone with good taste in books and who loves a great adventure. Limited-edition Lord of the Rings wine is now available to purchase and it actually sounds like it might be tasty. The first thing you must know about these Lord of the Rings wine offerings is that there were only 6,000 bottles of each made.

From my first sip of vin with my mom in Paris (I was 16 and pretty sure I spat it back into the glass) to the everyday catch-up session over a glass or two, wine has always been a central part of my relationship with my mom. So, when it came time for us to plan our next girls’ trip, we decided on Sonoma. We blocked off four days and flew out to California for eating, drinking, and taking in the breathtaking landscape. Here’s what we learned along the (delicious) way.

Wine tasting is one way to see what blends you like. Another way? A DNA test. Now, thanks to a company called Vinome, you can use your DNA to navigate your way to the perfect bottle of vino. Vinome was founded by a team of genetic scientists and wine experts in 2015. Using genetic analysis, the company determines what bottles are best suited to your preferences.

My husband and I enjoy pizza night at home almost every Friday night, and it’s a tradition we don’t plan on shaking anytime soon. It usually starts with sipping Americanos and munching on marinated olives on the couch while the pizza stone preheats in the oven. Then, as we assemble our pies, we pop open a bottle of wine. It’s the same kind of wine each and every time because, in my opinion, it’s the best bottle you can drink with just about any kind of pizza.

Just when we’ve finally mastered the art of gracefully using a waiter’s key, the trendiest and best new wines have made the skill obsolete. Not because they’re all coming in screw-top bottles (although plenty of good options do come with screw tops!), but because they’re all coming in cans. Just like beer, soda, and LaCroix! There are lots of canned wines on the market this summer (think: rosé, rosé, and more rosé). Here are some of our current favorites.

There seem to be weekly moments when you’re gathered with friends and need a good snack and a drink. Maybe it’s book club, game night, or just that 5 p.m. drop-by of a couple of your best buddies looking to catch up and laugh a little. Whatever the excuse, bites and sips are a must. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be fun — just a few good apps and a bottle of wine can win in these instances. That means these moments also don’t need to break the bank.

When you are a self-professed booze-hound and a baker at heart, it is almost too easy to incorporate flavorful alcohol into everything from weeknight dinners to luscious birthday cakes. Honestly, though, I’ve made more than a few mistakes along the way when trying to add the smoky sweetness of bourbon to dinner or the dry sweetness of Champagne into cake.

If you’ve ever tried to sip a glass of Cabernet alongside roasted asparagus or stewed artichokes, you probably had an unpleasant experience. Did the wine taste bitter and almost metallic? Don’t worry — your wine isn’t bad. This is often what happens when you drink wine with these veggies. Both are known for being quite difficult to pair with wine due to this effect, but luckily there is one bottle that matches up perfectly.

With spring almost upon us, it’s hard not to start dreaming about all the asparagus and artichokes you’ll be gobbling up throughout the season. Perhaps you have had the experience of drinking a glass of wine alongside a dish with either veggie and noticed the wine tasted far from normal. In fact, the wine suddenly tasted bitter and metallic. This is a common occurrence.

Sometimes.

It’s Valentine’s Day and if you, like me, have not yet figured out what you’re drinking tonight, there is no shame. There is still time to choose something special — and by special, we mean bubbly. There really is nothing like the fizzy stuff when you want to feel festive. The real question is: Which bubbles should you drink?

This time of year, when chocolate hearts line the drugstore aisles, roses fill the flower shops, and love is in the air, it feels fitting to drink something fizzy. I would argue that even if your romantic situation is, like mine, somewhat nebulous, it’s just as appropriate to pick up a bottle of bubbles and make a big deal out of a Tuesday night. But perhaps this year is an extra-special occasion.

The goal of a food and drink pairing is to make both taste better when consumed together. It’s a partnership to bring out the best in everyone! So while red wine with steak is probably the most well-known duo, there are still a handful of beverages — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — that will make that juicy steak you just cooked up an even more delicious experience to partake in.

Bubbly makes everything better: a night becomes an evening, and lunch becomes a rendezvous; a gathering is a celebration, and an intimate dinner for two becomes a pronouncement of intention. Bubbly is, in all its forms (Prosecco, Cava and Champagne), magical in its ability to enliven and uplift every occasion — but never quite as much as when the bubbly is Champagne.

If you’re looking to add some pop, fizz, and bubble to your holiday occasion, cava is pretty much always a good solution. Spain’s answer to Champagne can make the leap from office white elephant party to black-tie dinner party with aplomb. In fact, we’d argue cava is so versatile that you should just buy a case now. But our favorite way to use cava this time of year is in punch. (Because what are the holidays without something fizzy, festive, and spiked?

Wine glasses can be confusing. Beyond the basics — with stems or without, white wine and red wine — there are glasses for specific varietals. A Cabernet glass is different from a Bordeaux glass, and while most white wine glasses are more tapered, a Burgundy glass (ideal for Chardonnay and Gruner Veltliner) has a very generous bowl. Who can keep all that straight? But here’s a little secret I’ll let you in on: None of this matters when it comes to how much wine to pour.

There are a million good reasons to pop a cork. The real question is what kind of cork we want to pop. There are basically three categories of bubbles to choose from: Champagne, Cava and Prosecco. Each has its own distinct characteristics, flavors, and style, which dictate when and how I want to serve and sip each one. For brunch, my choice is Prosecco.

Earlier this year, I attended a dinner that highlighted the wines of Bordeaux. But these wines weren’t the ones I expected to see; the serious and spendy reds I think of when I hear “Bordeaux.” Instead, they were affordable and approachable, the kind I’d want to serve for the holidays — or just drink on any given Tuesday night.

When I think of white wine from France, my mind goes straight to the Loire valley, specifically to the appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. These wines are crisp and flinty — just what I’m looking for in a white. The price tag on these wines, however, are often a deterrent. Which is why I looked to another French wine region. And if you, like me, crave a white that is throughly enjoyable, uniquely accessible, and rarely expensive, you really need to consider it, too.

This time of year is simultaneously the most joyous and the most nerve-wracking. When family gatherings, fourth-quarter deadlines, children’s pageants, and caroling collide this season, wine is basically essential — and not just to ease the holiday stress. Having a go-to bottle on hand can make impromptu get-togethers easy and (dare we say?) enjoyable, even. There’s no need to make a mad dash to the liquor store when your mother-in-law shows up for a surprise visit.

These days, drinking outside the wine bottle doesn’t have to mean a massive headache the next day. Good things come in boxes — promise! And while we fully support pulling out the box o’ wine when friends stop by this holiday weekend, we also get that you may want to dress things up a bit. Enter: Beso del Sol sangria. Pour it in a pitcher with some ice and sliced fruit and you have yourself a festive holiday weekend sipper. The fact that it’s low in alcohol — 8.

Today is the last day of August, and although there are still 21 days of summer left, we know they’re going to fly by. School will start back up again (or has already), the days will get cooler, and soon we’ll be preparing for the holidays. Yeah, they’re coming. Ready or not. So we’re making the most of the season by raising a glass of wine whenever possible. But what to drink?

During these last few weeks of summer, we’re drinking all the rosé we can get our hands on. And our tastes run the gamut from sweet to dry, and ever-so-slightly pink to full-on strawberry-hued. You can find out more about what we’re drinking, but maybe you’re also curious as to what everyone else is sipping. We know we were. That’s why we did some digging to find out the most popular bottle of rosé this summer. Can you guess what it is?

Let’s be clear about one thing upfront: Any kind of alcohol — be it wine, beer, or spirit — enhances the spiciness of a food. So, if you’re really looking to quell the heat, milk is the answer. If, on the other hand, your goal is to complement the heat and enhance your eating experience, we say absolutely enjoy your favorite takeout Thai curry with a glass of wine.

There are few things as synonymous with French living as wine, enjoyed as much for everyday moments as for special occasions. And while preferences run deep —as deeply as those for cheese, coffee, and chocolate — you might be surprised by what real people pour on a daily basis. My (French) husband and I always have a bottle of red wine on hand, but our selection isn’t based on oenological expertise or extensive experience traveling through wine regions.

There’s no rule that says you can’t drink your red wine chilled to its tannic bones at refrigerator temperature (around 40°F), or that room-temperature red isn’t perfectly fine — even if it is summer and you don’t have AC. That said, there is an ideal temperature to drink your red, and for most that’s cellar temperature, or around 55°F to 60°F. At that temperature, your red will open up to show you its very best self.

We love rosé as much as everyone else and yes, it’s probably safe to say that pink is the color of summer wine, but there’s no need to banish red from the summer rotation. Just throw those cold-weather sippers in the fridge and prepare to see a softer side. Yes, you read that right! Despite what often passes for conventional wisdom, enjoying red wine cold is far from blasphemy. In fact, you’re probably drinking your reds too hot.

In putting together this list of perfect poolside wines, we looked for pours that are refreshing and light on their own, but also pair easily with summertime staples like burgers, potato salad, and popsicles. They had to be affordable and uncomplicated — daytime drinking should be fun, not fussy — and they also had to satisfy another requirement.

The internet isn’t sure exactly why wine coolers fell from grace. Perhaps White Zinfandel is to blame, or maybe their slide into oblivion was the result of a perfect storm of food trends of the 1990s. Regardless, the beverage favorite of the 1980s is staging a comeback, popping up on cocktail menus, cooking shows, and (let’s be honest) our hearts. Here are three reasons we’re betting this is the summer of the wine cooler.

To say restaurant wine lists are daunting is an understatement. Often they’re as big as phone books and filled with obscure names, confusing italics, and triple-digit price tags. But vodka need not be the answer to quenching thirst and relieving wine list anxiety — even Michelin-starred restaurants have inexpensive gems hidden on their pages, and rigorous sommelier training isn’t needed to uncover them.

As much as we like finding out about new wine varietals and off-the-beaten-path biodynamic producers, we often find that wine writing is a bit of a snooze. Which is too bad because we think wine is pretty great. We love a bottle of rosé on a hot summer afternoon (or even in the dead of winter), and we find that steak au poivre just tastes better with a glass of Bordeaux.

If there’s one thing Americans can agree on, it’s rosé wine. No longer confined to the brief season between Memorial Day and Labor Day, rosé is poised to maintain its lead in the U.S. growth charts, beating out white wine and craft beer with imports booming for the fifth straight year. And not only is there more of the pink stuff, but there’s also more depth than ever before. So it seems like a good time to pause and consider: What exactly is rosé?

Both rice wine and rice vinegar are widely used in Asian cooking, but they’re two very distinct products. Do you know what sets them apart, and when to use each one? While both products are made from fermented rice, the difference is in the manner in which each one is produced, as well as how they’re used. These two can easily be confused, since rice vinegar is sometimes also labeled as rice wine vinegar (which is a vinegar, and not wine).

The anything-goes potluck dinner, those democratic shindigs where each guest comes armed with a homemade dish, is great fun to attend. After all, how often does one get to pile a plate high with a mélange of discordant items like vegetable lasagna, quiche Lorraine, and Cajun-spiced chicken fingers? But these convivial smorgasbords are also rife with risk, because what if no one has the good sense to make green beans, and there are three platters of chocolate chip cookies?

Bubbles are basically always appropriate, whether savored as an aperitif before a five-course blowout at a mahogany-walled bistro or at home alongside kung pao chicken takeout. But the effervescent stuff is especially fitting on Valentine’s Day. Really, is there anything like the sound of a cork popping to heighten the holiday’s starry-eyed pursuits?

You most likely have a cocktail mixer on hand that you’re not using: I’m talking about boxed wine. We already agree that it is totally deserving of a place in your fridge, but we often overlook its potential as a cocktail mixer — especially for large pitchers and punches. Making your pitcher cocktails with wine will take them to a level beyond the standard booze and juice combination.

Whether you want to quick-chill a glass of warm white wine or rosé, or keep it chilled as you sip, there’s a simple solution — and it does not involve ice cubes (keep those in the freezer, please). Instead, keep your glass of wine chilled with a few frozen grapes! Not only are frozen grapes a refreshing snack, but they do wonders for chilling otherwise warm drinks.

Yep, I said it. No other words in the world of domestic wine seem to generate the same intensity of reaction as white zinfandel. Virtually everyone has a strong opinion on this pink wine and, although still one of the most popular wine styles in the U.S., it has become an object of finger-pointing to many wine enthusiasts. Thankfully, a new generation of winemakers is taking a twist on this American classic.

We all have those friends who pigeonhole themselves into the beer-drinking category. Maybe they had a bad first wine experience, or perhaps they haven’t even started to explore the world of wine yet. I say, “Why choose sides?” Choosing a wine style similar to the style of beer you enjoy is a good way to make the transition. Finding a good wine match for a beer-lover is all about pairing weight, texture, and notes — like fruit, herbs, and earth.

We’re about to kick off our Beer School (it starts Monday, and it’s free — want to learn to brew?), but what if you’re a little more interested in wine? Sake is surprisingly easy to brew, and this kit gives you just about everything you need to start a batch.

Science and food are natural buddies. Take the discovery of fire for example: it not only makes food super tasty, but cooked food is both safer, and easier to digest. Thanks to advancements in food science, we consume food in a way that would’ve been unheard a mere century or so ago. And modern life is not only made easier by these discoveries, it’s made possible by them.

Thinking of picking up a bottle of bubbly this weekend? Like chocolate, Champagne gets lumped in with the tropes of Valentine’s Day, but hey — I will take any opportunity to drink more Champagne. Just don’t stop after the holiday. Consider Valentine’s Day this year an opportunity to brush up on your knowledge of sparkling wine and Champagne. Do you know what Champagne really is, and how to open a bottle the elegant way?

I love Champagne, yet I’m often hesitant to pop open a bottle at home since it has a shorter shelf life than other wines. The longer it stays open, the fizz that makes this drink so magical starts to fade and eventually goes flat. But maybe that can be remedied. I recently read that a single raisin could have the power to revive a near-flat bottle of Champagne. It sounded almost too good to be true, so I put this tip to the test to find out!