I remember drinking Merlot after I saw the movie Sideways, and I thought, "What's the big deal? Why was he so angry about Merlot? Despite my own affinities for the glass in hand, it was sad to realize such a blanket statement about a grape would stick around for a while. Fortunately for us amateurs, we get to make up our own minds about this grape variety. Here are a few tips on where it's made, how to serve it, and some tasty (and affordable) bottles to try out. More

I couldn't resist a few more red wine recommendations for those of you looking for something a little different for your Thanksgiving table. Here are three bottles worth considering if you haven't already stocked up. More

Last week, we found a few very tasty whites packaged in boxes instead of bottles. We love the long shelf life and environmental benefits of the bag-in-box. It's lighter to carry and fills fridge space efficiently. But they're not all delicious—we did the homework for you and ended up with this list of the best boxed red wines. More

There is a price to pay for eclecticism: you can forget to drink the six grapes that provide the backbone for wine production throughout the world. These six "noble grapes"--Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir--have been cultivated all over the world and been made into distinguished, even legendary wines. More

So I decided to give you a week's worth of food and wine pairing suggestions, all of which began with an inspiring recipe on this site. I don't adhere to many traditional "wine and food pairing rules," like no red wine with fish, so I'm including a white wine and a red wine recommendation for each. And, because food and wine pairing can be intimidating, I'm going to explain exactly why I chose the wines I did. More