The Wine Idea

  It was the Widow Clicquot (Veuve Clicquot) who around the turn of the 19th century developed several now­-standard techniques for making Champagne both reliably sparkling and profitable when produced on a … <span class="entry-title-primary">Up with Champagne, <br/>down with flutes!</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more

We long ago settled the question of whether cigarettes are bad for you and whether seat belts save lives.  While nothing seems more obvious now, it wasn’t always the case.  When … In search of the source of originality in wineRead more

Chris and I have spoken on air several occasions here about appellation wine—the most prestigious category of wine, wine made according to the rules you might say. On a recent segment … <span class="entry-title-primary">Wines that play by their own rules</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more

TBILISI, REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA.  If the steeply winding, cobble-stoned climb from Tibilisi’s old town up Metekhi Rise leaves you with any breath at all, be prepared for the view from its … <span class="entry-title-primary">Where English is spoken but only Georgian is drunk</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Cozy spot in Tbilisi Old Town sources natural wines from peasant vintners</span>Read more

We’ve devoted several radio spots to the question of how wine is priced and whether it’s always possible for even experts to accurately guess a wine’s price by taste alone. Recently … <span class="entry-title-primary">What’s the difference between expensive and inexpensive wine?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more

I drew this cartoon a few years ago after a conversation with my wife about just how much the where and the when of wine affects our experience of it. It’s … <span class="entry-title-primary">When we drank it in Tuscany . . .</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Imagination is wine's secret sauce</span>Read more

One of the more remarkable things about wine is the reverence that people seem to have for it. And I don’t just mean among geeks; you see this in people with … <span class="entry-title-primary">Water into wine</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more

Let’s talk about wine bubbles. Not bubbles as in Champagne, but the kind of bubbles that are created when a market overheats. Think real estate, for example, the stock market, or, … <span class="entry-title-primary">Is it time to make up with Merlot?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more

I get asked with surprising frequency which alcoholic beverage first passed our greedy lips – was it beer or wine?  Since it’s not a case of needing to have one before you can … <span class="entry-title-primary">Which came first – wine or beer?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more

The late Yogi Berra is credited with saying that you can observe a lot by watching. As with many of the late Yankee catcher’s quips, it seems silly at first. Only … <span class="entry-title-primary">Rhymes with Radicchio</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Food friendly Verdicchio has become our go-to white wine</span>Read more

If you’re a regular listener to America’s Test Kitchen Radio, you know that all sparkling wine is not Champagne and cannot be so-called, and that in most places where winemaking has long … <span class="entry-title-primary">The pet-nats are coming</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">America's Test Kitchen Radio</span>Read more