The Vine Guy

New Year’s Eve is almost here – and no wine is more fun to welcome in the New Year than Sparkling wine. But just how should one go about finding the right sparkler for their particular palate? Well, price is always a factor, but how a wine gets its sparkle can also be important – since the bubbles impact both the flavor and the mouthfeel. The bubbles can be tiny or effervescent. In addition, wines can range from bone-dry to wonderfully sweet. They can be white, red or rosé. They can be fresh and lively or older and mellower. But it all adds up to a good time whenever a sparkling wine is in the glass.

Here are a few Sparklers from around the world that put the “pop” in popular.

Click Here to read this week’s recommendations on Sparkling Wines for New Year’s Eve

Click Here to listen to WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week segment (3.3 mins)

Have a happy and healthy New Year’s Eve – and please drink responsibly!

Thanksgiving is by far and away our favorite holiday since Cindy and I get an opportunity to spend the day together cooking great food and then sharing it with family and friends. But it is the same wonderful food that can also cause a little heartburn when it comes to selecting the right wine to enjoy with dinner. The traditional Thanksgiving meal includes so many different types of dishes that end up competing for space on your plate and on your palate.

From tart cranberries to sweet potatoes, there is a plethora of complex flavors that makes picking the right wine a genuine challenge on “Turkey Day.” So versatility is the name of the game when it comes to pairing wines with the one meal that just might be the most important one of the year.

To help alleviate the stress on this important decision, we have assembled a few wonderfully versatile wines that we think will give everyone at the table something to be grateful for. Retail prices are approximate.

Click Here to read all of our recommendations

Click Here to listen to the recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week

Half bottles are not as easy to find as you might think. Many wine shops carry limited quantities of quality wines in the 375ml size either because demand is low or supply from wineries isn’t readily available. In addition, many of the half bottles that do make it to the wholesaler are often offered to restaurants first and wine shops second.

The good news is that diligent wine shoppers can pick up some great half bottles if they keep an eye out for them. Here are a few you should keep an eye for, too.

Click Here to read about some terrific wines that you can find in half-bottle sizes

Click Here to listen to WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week recommendations for half-bottles

When I think about transitioning my wine palate from the hot summer months into the cool, crisp season of fall, I traditionally think of pinot noir as the ideal grape varietal to gently take me back to the red wine end of the spectrum. After all, pinot noir can be subtle, charming and mellow. But it turns out that Pinot Noir is not the only light-styled red in the wine kingdom that plays the role of palate shifter.

Click Here to read about several other lighter-styled red wine varietals that will provide your tongue with an easy evolution from whites to reds that you should consider when both the leaves and the temperatures begin to fall.

Click Here to listen to this week’s WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week

Where did the summer go? How did we get all the way through the heat and humidity of the August – which actually wasn’t as torrid as usual this year – and slide so quickly into September and the hustle and bustle associated with deadlines at work and homework at school? With demands on our time piling up like cars on the Beltway at rush hour, sometimes the best course of action one can take to regain some modicum of relief is to simply order a pizza and open a decent bottle of wine.

Click Here to read about four affordable and delicious wines you can kick back and enjoy with pizza

Click Here to listen to my recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week