The history of wine consumption in America has been frought with starts, stops, and inconsistencies. The American population has always had a love-hate relationship with alcohol.

As I have done for many years, I spent the last week of March in the Bordeaux region of France tasting the new wines from barrel samples at the legendary chateaux including Lafite, Margaux, Mouton, to name a few.

When ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant, make sure you check the cork.

Much of what I first learned when starting out in the wine business years ago still holds true today in terms of etiquette.

You’re lucky when you encounter that rare sommelier who’s knowledgeable about all wines and who’ll be waiting on you.

…I want to free you from the worst effects of a sommelier.

Next time you find yourself in a wine shop without knowing what kind of wine to buy and you ask the clerk for a recommendation, whatever his or her first suggestion, don’t take it. Do so in a very diplomatic way by saying something like, “That’s really interesting, but I had this in mind.

My date with destiny… Or how I spent Saturday night alone with a bottle of red and a box of raisinets.  

What happens in the average kitchen plows a wide path between wine and food.