If you've ever wondered about the origin of the wine-talk sample in the Beastie Boys' "Blue Nun" (Check Your Head), look no further. It's from an audio guide to wine titled On Wine: How to Select and Serve by wine merchant Peter M.F. Sichel, who was responsible for popularizing the Blue Nun wine brand throughout the world. Sichel tells the Beastie Boys story in a video after the jump. More

It's nearly summer. What's in your fridge? High time you stocked up on affordable white wine, a stash of bottles that you can open when a friend stops by (with another friend) or someone at your party doesn't want to drink punch. You need bottles that can make your delivery Thai food dinner a little more special—without breaking the bank. Here are our favorites—the best bang for the buck in white wine under $15. More

They say all good things come in threes—The Three Musketeers, Three Blind Mice, Three-Minute Egg. I would give you a fourth example, but that just seems like poor judgment. Instead, I'll tell you about three brave grapes, that many years ago made the long and trying journey from a faraway land called "France" to an also faraway land called "South America". The names of these grapes are Carmenere, Tannat, and Malbec. For this post, we tried a whopping 22 bottles of Malbec to pick out our favorites to recommend. More

After tons of tasting and a number of exciting discoveries, today I'm pumped to present the first-ever edition of the Serious Eats Budget Wine Hall of Fame. Here are 15 awesome red wines for under 15 bucks, along with tips for how to make your own best-value wine discoveries. More

When I say Argentina, you probably think Malbec, and there's definitely a reason for Argentinian Malbec's popularity. On my recent visit to Mendoza, I did see Malbec everywhere I looked, and I tasted some delicious examples. But there is much more to Argentina than Malbec. What should drink if you're interested in exploring the rest of Argentinian wine? Here are a few other grapes to look out for, and some bottles to seek out, plus some snapshots of the vineyards and many, many varieties of empanadas. More

My brother is something of a serious outdoorsman. And though he's happy to go camping with just a tarp (who needs tents?) and toothbrush, he's also been known to jazz it up a bit, tucking a bottle of wine in his frame pack, despite the long hike ahead. More

My love story with Zinfandel started at a small winery in Healdsburg, California called A. Rafanelli. Their Zins are ripe, slightly spicy, and just plain delicious. The only problem was that I lived in New York, and so I've had to put a lot of effort into this long distance relationship. My first trip there, I took back 2 bottles, the next 4, and before I knew it, I was sacrificing extra underwear in my suitcase to make space for all the wine. (Totally kidding...underwear is one of the best shock absorbers to prevent breakage during transit.) More

Sometimes you want a glass of wine (something rich and Italian sounds nice). And sometimes you want to read about wine (knowledge is power, yo). Thankfully there are two new books to help you master either goal: Slow Wine 2012: A Year in the Life of Italy's Vineyards and Wines and The Ultimate Wine Companion: The Complete Guide to Understanding Wine by the World's Foremost Wine Authorities will have you sipping with substance and style this spring. More

The wine industry in Chile is far from new—Spanish explorers brought grapevines to the country as early as 1523, and wine has been made there for centuries. Here are my snapshots of harvest season in Chile, from 135-year old cellars to new coastal plantings. More

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