Jim Boyce, a Canadian residing in Beijing and the author of the Grape Wall of China blog, tweeted this the other day: exhausted after 3 bottles of Lafite but that’s a typical Beijing night (note: 7-UP > Sprite as a mixer) #ihaveagreatwalltosellyou. Is this an overblown story that needs to be put to bed? China MORE >>

Here are the wines I drank in November that have not, even in passing, appeared recently on this blog. The "excellent" group consists of wines that are truly memorable, wines that inspire me to seek out and buy these and wines like them. The "excellent" and "very good" groups are wines that I would happily buy at the given price. FANTASTIC. MORE >>

Terraazas de los Andes is a beautiful property in Lujan de Cuyo with an amazing history. It began in the 1950s when Moet & Chandon, which belonged to the French company LVMH, sent their winemaker Renaud Poirier to Latin America to monitor the native soils of the region. The wines come in three quality levels. Winemaker Gustavo Ursomarso. MORE >>

All too often, Zinfandel is a highway to a quick, cheap buzz. It’s often confused with white zin, rarely celebrated by wine writers aside from patriotic holidays, and it’s almost never aged. However, there’s Zin, and then there’s a wine like Ridge Geyserville. The lay of the land. David Gates, head of Vineyard Operations. MORE >>

I've made Osso Bucco before, but with beef shanks, never with veal. The other day prowling the meat case at the coop , I saw three shiny and beautiful veal shanks sitting there, and so I pounced. Osso Bucco is braised shanks, a humble cut of meat, and yet there is something celebratory about it. It's worth using twine. used some orange juice. MORE >>