Watch as Sandra Spalding shows you how to make drinks in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Watch as Sandra Spalding talks about great New Year's Eve Cocktails.

There is a tradition in Siena, an annual event held in la Piazza Il Palio, the name of the event derived from the name of the piazza, or vice versa. Il Palio is a contest, the 17 contratae (districts of Siena) competing with a single horse and a single rider. They ride bareback around the outer ring of the piazza, a large imperfect circle that looks to be about a quarter of a mile around. The sidewalk café at which we sat is in this ring, and during the competition the tables are cleared away and dirt is poured and packed over the cobblestones. Thousands of people pack into the center of the piazza for the races and the vendors all around sell photographs of the intensely popular event. It will be something to plan for on the next visit over.

By Brenda Audino

I was recently on a trip to Oregon wine country in the Northern Willamette Valley and had the opportunity to visit with several well renowned wine makers. While they often disagree on whether it’s best to use a single vineyard for purity of the vineyard’s expression or which specific Pinot Noir clone makes the best wine, they all seem to agree that to make great Oregon Pinot Noir they must first start with great grapes. 

by Paul Gingrich

There are times in our lives that all the planets seem to line up, making for a perfect moment. I experienced one of those moments this year. The preparation for this perfect moment began in 2002 when, on a trip to Napa Valley, I stopped by Silver Oak Winery in Oakville.  I purchased two bottles of the current release, which at the time was the 1997 vintage.  1997 was a monster vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet.  It was one of those rare times when the fruit was so spectacular, winemakers prayed that they would get it in the bottle without messing it up.  At Silver Oak they got it right in a big way.  With every vintage there is a time when a wine reaches its peak and becomes everything the winemaker wanted it to be.  What, as a young wine, is unruly, with chewy tannins, and bright tart fruit will ultimately transform into a deep rich wine with velvet tannins, and fruit that seems to go on forever.  But you have to be patient. This is a hard thing to do.  Bottles of wine like this whisper to you when you walk by the wine closet, like the bottle in Alice in Wonderland that begged “drink me”.  By 2007, ten years from the vintage date, the voice gets louder like the Telltale Heart beckoning to you when you come near.  I succumb to the call and free a bottle from the cellar only to find that while it has matured, it still has a youthful side that needs more time. Okay, I know I’m being a bit melodramatic, but this is a bottle with amazing potential. The Silver Oak Website indicates that this bottle will drink through 2023.  That’s NOT going to happen.  Patience will only carry so far. 

Not a day goes by that a customer doesn’t ask me for some wine tips. Whether they are looking for something for a special occasion or just an “everyday drinker”, I almost always have the same general advice.
 
First and foremost-and this is critically important with wine drinking-wine is a beverage of pleasure! If you are not having fun, you’re not doing it right.
 
Secondly-this is one to which I personally try and adhere-there is too much great wine in the world to drink the same thing twice in one week. There are so many amazing new wines from every part of the world that weren't even imported into the US 10 years ago. Challenge your taste buds! You can find tremendous quality and value in places like Spain, Argentina, Portugal Southern Italy, and even Washington state!

When I was asked by Freixenet to spend a week in Barcelona (and surrounding Penedès) learning about Cava, I immediately started packing.   My friends all know that I have a huge weakness for sparkling wine.  When they are all ordering martinis or gin and tonics, I am ordering Champagne, Prosecco or Cava – basically anything with bubbles.

Sure I know that Cava is a value sparkling wine, but that is just the start of the journey.  This was the “Earth to Effervescence Trip in Penedès”.

The first day was a vineyard tour where I learned the best vineyards for Cava are protected by the Montserrat Mountains.  These mountains are not extremely high, but do offer protection from the elements.  Cava primarily utilizes the native Spanish grapes of Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada although they are now allowed some Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.