My friend operated a retail wine shop. And he was incredulous. It was 1983, and I had just written a wine column praising dry pink wines as a revelation, calling them a great compromise when two diners are having radically different foods, and a great wine to cool off with. When a red wine doesn’t…

Writing about wine is an art form that’s almost as interesting as making it—and it’s a lot less messy. Poets love wine, but alas, what we often get is mundanity. A phrase that comes to mind: “A dinner without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Or, “Life’s too short to drink bad wine.” Nothing…

Wine geeks use the French term “terroir,” a hard-to-translate term that relates to how grape varieties are impacted by the regions in which they’re grown. In theory, it means that chardonnays display unique characteristics that emanate directly from the grape variety as well as from their growing regions. But in practice, what a winemaker does…

Younger people (under age 45?) say zinfandel is a dark red wine that’s bold, brash, thickly rich, soft, and sweet-ish; that has slightly Port-y aromas and high alcohol content; and that should be sipped immediately after release by itself. Food is optional. Older people (over age 60?) tell you zinfandel ought to be a medium-weight…

Wine purists will tell you that the wine you choose for a dinner should match the food that’s on the table. Others say, “Poppycock! Drink anything you like with any food.” Riesling with steak? Hey, if you like it, go for it. It certainly would challenge the wine, though. I can’t imagine riesling with steak,…

Most people assume that all expensive wines are very good and that the more expensive a wine is, the better it is. But in many cases, quality and price have nothing to do with each other. Price is based on many factors. Before we purchase a car, we take a test drive. But even that…

Dear Dan: A good friend hosted me for a birthday dinner, and the elegant table was set with crystal stemware—but the wine he served was sealed with a screw cap. Should I be offended?—Wine Novice Dear Wine Novice: Have you been living in Siberia for the last 50 years? Around 1970, screw caps were associated…

When a recipe calls for a cup of white wine, the cook who wrote that suggestion likely wasn’t referring to a $50 bottle of chardonnay. In basic terms, when cooking with wine, use one that’s clean, fresh, and young. Indeed, historically, the phrase “cooking wine” conjures up bad images, including wine with salt added, wine…