Wines for Cookies

Champagne with your sugar cookies?

11-26-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

The Race to Grow a Low-Caf Coffee Bean

"They've rooted through seed banks, assembled teams of agronomists and tasted countless cups of coffee, all in pursuit of what some people call the industry's holy grail, a bean that produces a great-tasting cup of "low-caf.'"

11-18-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Knife and Fork Cocktails

More ambitious than Jell-O shots: the French Toast and other solid cocktails.

11-17-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Wineries Go Urban

From Brooklyn to San Francisco, wineries are cropping up on city streets.

11-14-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

What to Drink When You're Expecting

What to Drink When You're Expecting [New York]

11- 7-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Dept. of Excuses to Drink: Wine May Protect Against Dementia

Wine May "Protect Against Dementia" [Decanter]

11- 6-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

DIY Vintners Die from Grape Stomping

Amateur winemakers die treading grapes [Decanter]

10-23-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

A Nation of Sorority Girls Mourns: It's the End of Zima

MillerCoors ends production of Zima [Chicago Tribune via yumsugar]

10-22-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Memo to Beer Snobs: Get Over Your Aversion to Canned Beer

Canned Beer That's Actually Good [CHOW]

10-21-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

In Italy, the Wine Flows from Water Taps

Due to a plumbing error, a vineyard in Italy's Alban Hills, south of Rome, accidentally sent sparkling wine through the water taps of homes in the town of Marino. The wine was meant for the Sagra dell Uva Grape Festival, where free wine gushes from a fountain instead of water.

Wine flowing from Italian taps is hailed as a 'miracle'  [Telegraph]

10- 7-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Last Days of the Tanoeiros

Barrels Portugal's centuries-old tradition of making and repairing oak wine barrels is coming to an end as they are pushed out by "bag in box" containers and a dearth of skilled tanoeiros (barrel-makers).

Portugal's wine barrel tradition fizzling out [Reuters]

09-30-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Red Wine Resists Radiation

Bomb Is your fallout shelter stocked with Shiraz? Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered that resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, may help protect against radiation.

When the scientists gave acetyl-altered resveratrol to mice before exposure to radiation, they found that theircells were protected against radiation-related damage. The team is now conducting further studies to evaluate whether resveratrol can help protect humans as well.

"Currently, there are no drugs on the market that protect against or counteract radiation exposure," said Dr. Joel Greenberger, chairman of the department of radiation oncology at the University of Pittsburgh. "Our goal is to develop treatments for the general population that are effective and non-toxic," he added.

Wine Compound May Protect Against Radiation Exposure [USNews & World Report]

09-24-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Bam! Pow! Uncork! Slosh!

Kami_no_shizuku2 The Japanese manga comic "Kami no Shizuku" ("The drops of the gods") follows the adventures of Shizuku Kanzaki, an anime oenophile in search of the world's finest wines.

The popular comic character has apparently emerged as a powerful force in Asian wine markets, triggering a boom in wine sales in Japan and South Korea.

Cartoon wine critic Shizuku Kanzaki boosts Japanese sales [The Times]

09-23-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story | Comments (0)

Traditional is Trendy

How did Rothaus, a very traditional, state-owned beer from Bavaria, buck falling beer sales in Germany and become a favorite of Berlin hipsters?

09-18-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Wine Online

According to the Wall Street Journal, amazon.com will begin selling wine on the Internet this fall.

09-11-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Wine and Conflict

Campaigners in Poland, a staunch ally of Georgia, are urging their compatriots to drink Georgian wine as a show of support for Tbilisi in its conflict with Russia.

08-26-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Wine Spectator Defends Awards

At its online forum, Wine Spectator defends its Restaurant Awards after news that it bestowed an award upon a fake restaurant.

08-22-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Vindicating Vermouth

A trend toward drier martinis, along with the advent of the vodka martini, "meant vermouth became largely ignored and, as a result, misunderstood."

08-20-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Certified Crazy (About Coffee)

Sniffing and slurping with "Q graders," coffee industry professionals certified to distinguish and grade brewed coffees by taste and smell.

08-20-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

The Post-Baghdad Binge

A new study published today in JAMA (link) reports that binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems have been pervasive among national guardsmen and army reservists following deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. The study found that the risk of developing new drinking problems in those who fought abroad, compared to the guardsmen and reservists who weren't deployed, was about 60 percent higher.

08-13-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Hold the Sugar

Is Starbucks committing the cardinal sin of automatically sweetening their iced coffee?

08- 8-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Waterspeak

Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel offers a menu of 20 types of water with wine-like descriptions such as "bold" or "velvety." Some fetch prices as high as those for wine.

08- 7-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Tastemaking Tonics

Move aside Schweppes, a spate of upstart artisanal tonic waters have arrived.

08- 5-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

"Dude, you're a bartender"

At Gourmet.com, Francis Lam has words for today's bartenders mixologists: "If you’re not inventing a new profession, why do you insist on a new word for what you do? That’s just being pompous."

08- 4-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

A "Taste Scale" for Riesling

Concerned that consumers have only a one-dimensional notion of Riesling as just a "sweet white wine," producers are considering the creation of a "taste scale" that would be printed on wine labels to indicate information about gradations of dryness and sweetness.

07-31-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Vintage Medicine

Many grateful patients thank their doctors with a bottle of wine.

07-18-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Somethin' Special

"a thick and fizzy, jet-black blend of espresso and seltzer topped off with a bracing wallop of pure cane sugar," Manhattan Special is back, from today's New York Times.

07- 7-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

WhiskeyTown

Time Out rounds up "America's Next Top Bottles."

07- 4-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Fun Fruit Drinks

Make your own horchata and aguas frescas, courtesy of the LA Times.

07- 2-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Better Home Brewing

Ten ways to make coffee taste better, according to Epi-log.

06-27-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Cocktail Culture

Three phases of the cocktail renaissance, according to New York Times' Frank Bruni.

06-27-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Summer Sips: Sweet Tea Vodka

John T. Edge sizes up Firefly Distillery's Sweet Tea Vodka. Made with and tea from the Charleston Tea Plantation and sweetened with Louisiana sugarcane, "The stuff should be swill, consigned forever to be a base spirit for Long Island Iced Teas. But it’s not." Add lemonade for a Drunken Arnold Palmer. 

06-23-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Sangria Variations

New York magazine rounds up five new takes on sangria concocted by New York City bartenders.

06-12-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Margarita Variations

Eight twists on the classic margarita, from cocktails infused with watermelon to guava.

06- 9-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Pink Picks

As appreciation for dry rosé wines has increased, so too has the number of dry rosés produced by U.S. vintners. The San Francisco Chronicle surveyed more than 135 domestic pink wines to find the best.

05-23-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Hangover Helper

In The New Yorker, searching for a cure for the common hangover.

05-19-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Big Beer Nation

The Toronto Star suggests today's best brews come from the US. With over 1400 craft breweries nationwide in '07, more breweries mean better beer. "U.S. craft beer is probably the most diverse and interesting brewing scene in the world," aficionado Cass Enright said. Courtesy of "Epi-Log."

05-15-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Brunello Block

Following Italy's impoundment of millions of bottles of brunello di Montalcino, Washington threatens to block imports if shipments don't show lab analysis confirming wine that's 100% sangiovese, Eric Asimov reports on "The Pour."

05-14-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Merlot Mind Games

How thinking about price, context, and ratings motivates wine choices. Earlier: The price of pleasure.

05- 7-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Cube Control

A guide to a dozen specialty ice cubes favored by the top mixologists. And you thought ice was just ice.

05- 2-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Nebbiolo Through a Nipple

A Parisian eatery serves wine in baby bottles. That's right. Wine in baby bottles. See for yourself. Via gastrokid.

04-29-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Beer Fest

Six beer festivals worth the trip.

04-24-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Wine Taster Buys Nose Insurance

European winemaker and taster Ilja Gort has taken out an $8 million insurance policy on his nose. He purchased the policy after hearing about a man who lost his sense of smell in a car accident. The policy covers Gort for the loss of either his nose or his sense of smell,

03-19-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

A Tongue for Taste

Wine expert Tim Hanni's unconventional theory of taste contends that taste in wine is physiologically predetermined by the number of taste buds on one's tongue.

03-12-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Pairing Beer and Glass

Which is the right glass for which style of beer, and does the shape matter anyway?

03-10-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Live Fish, Red Wine

Animal rights activists are coming down against a Belgian rite involving the consumption of tiny live fish immersed in red wine.

03- 7-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

RIP: Postum

Postum, the caffeine-free coffee alternative made from roasted grain, has been discontinued by Kraft Foods, and fans of the beverage are bidding up the price of the last remaining jars on eBay. NPR's Scott Simon sat down with a Postum devotee for one last drink.

03- 4-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Pepsi, Naturally

Pepsi is launching Pepsi Raw, an "all-natural" soda sweetened with cane sugar and containing no artificial preservatives, colors, or flavorings.

02-12-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Irreconcilable Differences: Cabernet vs. Chardonnay

Is there any hope for "mixed couples" -- where one partner prefers red wine and the other prefers white -- to find common ground in their wine choices?

02- 8-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Tipsy Tasters

Santa Barbara wineries are fighting back against drunken tourists cruising the wine country in limos.

02- 4-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Top Wine Expert is a Teetotaler

Tim Hanni, one of the wine industry's top experts, is a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in 14 years. Considered a maverick in the wine world, he is responsible for developing the "progressive wine list," a menu format that organizes wines from lightest to heaviest. He also created the Budometer, a quiz to determine wine preferences.

01-22-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Full Disclosure

Setting a new benchmark in the transparency of winemaking, Bonny Doon Vineyard has pledged to begin disclosing all wine ingredients on its white and red wines beginning with vintage 2007 (ingredients will be listed in two sections on the back label of each bottle). More than 200 additives to wine are currently allowed by the U.S. government.

01- 3-08 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Gaga for Grapefruit?

It's official, grapefruit is making a cocktail comeback (according to the Washington Post).

12-27-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Get Your Glögg On

Chef Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for the Swedish spiced wine. See also: 10 winter cocktails.

12-20-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Holiday Beers

The New York Sun rounds up the dark, seasonal beers of winter.

12-19-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Anatomy of a Champagne Bottle

The essential characteristics of a champagne bottle, from cork to "punt" (that indentation on the bottom).

12-13-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Snooth Like That

Snooth.com is a online rating tool and search engine for wine.

12-11-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Global Bubbly

The San Francisco Chronicle provides a field guide to the wide world of sparkling wines, from Australia to Lithuania and everything in between.

11-30-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

The Case Against Wine Bores

On his blog, Eric Asimov considers the problem of "wine bores": "You know the type, the person who only talks about wine, all the time, nonstop.... Even passionate wine-lovers can’t stand to be around wine bores, not because they have special knowledge of wine that is threatening but because they are bores."

11-13-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Kickapoo Joy Juice

A cocktail improvisation created by American troops in World War II Italy: Just add grappa and grapefruit juice.

11-12-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Understanding "Red Wine Headaches"

Chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, have created a device that can detect biogenic amines, the chemicals that many scientists believe cause "red wine headaches."

11- 5-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Nuke Your Nebbiolo

Refrigerating leftover wine can slow its deterioration, but red wine straight from the fridge is too cold to drink. A few brief zaps in the microwave will quickly bring your wine back to room temperature.

10-31-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Hallowines

Wines for Halloween, from "Pure Evil Chardonnay" to "Hocus Pocus Syrah."

10-30-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Getting Crafty

Major brewers Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors Brewing, and SABMiller have entered the craft brewing market with craft beers that avoid using the parent company's name. Who knew that the tasty white beer Blue Moon was owned by Coors?

10-26-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Urban Vintage

A growing number of small vintners are bringing winemaking to city surroundings.

10-22-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Chill Out

Chillable red wines for hot summer days.

07-10-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Tastings Gone Wild

Long Island's wineries are attracting unruly groups of drinkers who are sloshing and guzzling their way through free tastings.

07- 9-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Beer for Bags

Got beer? Get a bag (official site).

06- 7-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Wine Online

Food & Wine picks the 10 best online wine shops.

06- 5-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Pow! Wham! Slosh!

A collection of Batman-themed cocktails, from the "Bat Bite" to the "Robin's Nest." Via sf.

05-25-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

To Study or to Slosh?

In the New York Sun, Matt Kramer dissects two schools of thought about wine tasting: the formalist "you have to study it" technique and the more populist "pull the cork, pour, and glug" approach.

05- 2-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

The Great Vodka Debate

A debate is brewing over a European Union initiative to define vodka simply as diluted ethyl alcohol. Writing in the New York Times, Serge Schmemann says that his "beef is with the whole brouhaha over a liquor whose greatest, and only, virtue is that it is colorless and tasteless."

04-17-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Best Beers

The Guardian travels from China to South America in search of the world's best beers.

03-30-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Guide to Glassware

CHOW offers a guide to drinking vessels, from champagne flutes to Pousse Café glasses.

03-20-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Kosher Coke

In order not to lose sales from observant Jews during Passover, Coca-Cola produces a special, seasonal "Passover Coke" blended with refined sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, which is proscribed during the holiday. Via megnut.

03-15-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Cool Off

Four spring coolers to quench late winter warmth.

03-13-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Golden Elixir

The Financial Times explores Québec’s ice cider industry.

03-12-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Make Your Own Moonshine

CHOW offers an haute moonshine how-to.

03- 8-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Neat Fee: Annoying

Drink: The "neat fee" is the price of keeping ice out of your single malt scotch. Says Ruth Reichl: "Seems like a stupid move to me, a perfect way to annoy your customers."

02-15-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Ice is Hot

Drink: For the modern mixologist, ice is the new hotness.

02- 7-07 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Sparkling Wine Advice

Drink: Sparkling wine advice for every budget.

12-29-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Wine Glasses for Twentysomethings

Drink: Beyond the sippy cup: break-resistant wine glasses for clumsy twentysomethings.

12-28-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Illy vs. Starbucks

Drink: Frowning upon frappucinos, Illy seeks to fight back against Starbucks' global dominance.

12-26-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

TeaMap

Drink: TeaMap tells you where to find tea rooms in your local zip code.

12-11-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Drinking with the Times

Drink: The art of oddball mixology, specialty tonics, big beers, aged tequila, and drinking while pregnant are on tap in the New York Times special drinks issue.

11-29-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Bond and Lillet

Drink: Casino Royale gives a boost to the tiny French producer of Lillet, an aperitif made from wine, fruit liqueur, and quinine that is an essential ingredient in James Bond's signature cocktail.

11-27-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Pork Margarita

Drink: Cocktails for swineophiles: the pork margarita.

11-20-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Booze is Money!

Drink:  New York Magazine wonders what's taken restaurants so long to set up bar annexes and ouzo rooms.  Four drink spots opening in Manhattan this month include more wine bars and a place that specializes in all things Shochu.

11-13-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Trump and Tonic

Drink: How about a Trump and Tonic?

11- 6-06 in Drink | Link | add to del.icio.us | Digg this story

Beer History

Drink: In the New York Times, William Grimes reviews two new books on beer and American history.

10-27-06 in Drink | Link |