Travel Stories
Personal essays from the road — the customs officer, the lost luggage, the bottle we almost didn't open.
Five Days in Mendoza, Argentina: Uco Valley, Malbec, and How Not To Eat Steak For Every Meal
A five-day Mendoza plan that takes the wine seriously and the steak lightly ? because five days of Malbec-and-bife is two days too many.
What to Drink on a Tuesday: A Working Wine List
Most wine guides are written for Saturday dinners. This one is for Tuesday 鈥?when you want something good, not something serious.
What to Drink on a Tuesday: A Working Wine List
Most wine guides are written for Saturday dinners. This one is for Tuesday — when you want something good, not something serious.
Cellar Storage: How to Keep Wine Properly at Home
Most wine is drunk too young because most wine is stored badly. Here's how to store wine correctly at home without spending €10,000 on a wine fridge.
How to Read a Wine Label: A Practical Guide
Wine labels are designed to confuse. They reveal some information, hide other information, and use language that mostly doesn't mean what it appears to mean.
The Wine Glass Question: Does It Matter?
Wine glasses are sold at every price point from €2 to €200. Does the glass really matter, and if so, which ones are worth the money?
Raw Fish and Riesling: Pairing Seafood with German and Austrian White
Riesling and high-acid white wines pair with raw fish better than almost any wine. Here's why and which specific bottles to choose.
48 Hours in Porto: A Wine Drinker's Honest Guide
Porto is not a wine city. It's a city that happens to make wine. Two days is enough to understand the difference.
The Rhône Valley: Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, and the Northern Rhone for Serious Wine Drinkers
The Northern Rhône produces some of France's most serious Syrah and the most underrated white wines in the country. The region is small and most of it is on a single road.
Tuscany in Late October: Chianti Classico at Harvest
October in Tuscany means the harvest is finishing, the leaves are turning, and the serious wine drinkers are returning. Here's how to spend a week.
Rioja: Tempranillo, Old Vines, and What the Region Actually Wants to Be
Rioja is the most famous Spanish wine region in the world and the most misunderstood. It has spent forty years finding itself again.
Mendoza Off the Beaten Track: Uco Valley, Maipú, and the Wineries Nobody Talks About
Every tourist goes to Trapiche. The interesting producers are an hour further into the foothills, and they're not waiting for tour buses.
The Steak and Wine Problem: Why Cabernet Isn't Always the Answer
Red wine with steak is conventional wisdom. But the convention is often wrong. Here's how to think about pairing beef with wine.
What to Eat in Tuscany: A Practical Guide to Tuscan Wine and Food Pairings
Tuscan food and wine are inseparable. Here's what to eat in Tuscany and what to drink with it, in 12 specific pairings.
Alsace: Grand Cru Wine and the Case for Serious Riesling
Alsace is France's most German region, makes the world's most underrated Riesling, and is ignored by exactly the wine drinkers who should care about it most.
Three Days in Burgundy: A Non-Luxury Itinerary
Burgundy is expensive. But the region also has village wines that are genuinely excellent and small hotels that don't require a hedge fund to book.
Porto for People Who Don't Drink Port: A Weekend in the Douro's River City
Porto is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and one of the best food cities in Portugal. Port wine is almost incidental.
Piedmont: Barolo, Barbaresco, and the Langhe in Four Days
Piedmont is Italy's most serious wine region and its most underrated travel destination. Four days is the minimum. Here's how to spend them.
The Douro in Harvest Season: Why September Is the Only Month to Go
The Douro Valley in September is one of the most extraordinary wine experiences in the world. Here's when to go, where to stay, and what to drink.
Napa Valley: What To Actually Drink (And What To Skip)
Napa Valley has a reputation problem. Most of what visitors drink there is overpriced and mediocre. Here is how to drink well in the valley.
Burgundy's Cote de Nuits: The Six Kilometres That Changed Wine
The Cote de Nuits is 20km long and contains 24 of the world's most important vineyards. Understanding it takes two days and a willingness to be overwhelmed.
Three Days in Lisbon: The Wine City the Tourists Miss
Lisbon has more excellent wine bars per capita than almost any city in Europe. Three days is enough to understand why the Portuguese take their wine so seriously.
The Mosel Riesling: Reading a Landscape in a Glass
Mosel Riesling from the steep slopes is unlike any other white wine in the world. Understanding why requires understanding the slate, the river, and the altitude.
Chianti Classico: Two Villages, One Road, Too Much Wine To Drink In A Weekend
Radda and Panzano are the two villages at the heart of Chianti Classico. The road between them is the best wine road in Italy.
Lucky Brand Travel Denim: A Practical Guide to Dressing for Wine Country
What you wear to wine country matters more than it should. Here's how to look the part without sacrificing comfort on a long day of tasting.
Cheese and Wine: The Pairings That Actually Work
Most cheese and wine pairings are bad. Here's what actually works, what doesn't, and which five combinations to remember forever.
The Loire Valley: Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Why It Doesn't Get The Credit It Deserves
The Loire Valley produces some of the world's most food-friendly wine and receives some of the world's least attention. This is a region worth understanding.
Champagne and Food: Beyond the Brunch Table
Champagne is wasted at brunch. It's at its most extraordinary with food that most people don't think to pair it with — and at its worst with the eggs Benedict you've been planning.
Bordeaux vs. Burgundy: Two Philosophies, One Wine Country
Bordeaux and Burgundy make wine from the same grape and arrive at entirely different conclusions. The argument between them is the argument about what wine is for.
What To Pack for a Wine Country Trip (The Honest List)
The difference between a good wine trip and a frustrating one often comes down to what you packed. Here is what actually matters.
Decanting Wine: When It Matters, When It Doesn't, and How To Do It Right
Most people decant wine for the wrong reasons. Here is when it actually makes a difference and how to do it without looking like an amateur.
The Best Wine Bags for Travel: Four That Actually Work
The wine bag you use matters more than most people think. Here are the four that have survived my checked luggage, my carry-on, and my repeated attempts to break them.
Pizza and Wine: The Simplest Pairing Guide You'll Ever Need
Pizza and wine pairing sounds simple. It is, mostly, if you know which wine to reach for and which to skip.
The Corkscrew Question: Which One to Buy and How to Use It
The right corkscrew is the most-used piece of wine equipment you'll ever own. Here's how to choose one and how to actually use it without breaking the cork.