Advice columns this time of year frequently suggest wine gifts. Such columns often target the generalist reader who’s not that into wine but is looking for a gift to give to a wine-loving friend or relative. Thus, glasses. But give him or her good stemware (or a good wine book for learning more about how to choose good wine!), wine gifts MORE >>

For Edible East End‘s Winter 2011 issue, I wrote a piece on the sparkling wines of Long Island, titled, “Bring on the Bubbles&#. For this year’s Christmas and New Year’s festivities, check the North and South Fork’s bubbly production at Sparkling Pointe, Lenz Winery, Wölffer, Martha Clara, Lieb, and Croteaux. MORE >>

Montes , the Chilean Winery who produced a few wines reviewed by this blog has been chosen to represent Chile at the Terroir Gallery of the landmark exhibition How Wine Became Modern at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Specifically, the wine chosen was the Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon. MORE >>

Care for a Cava? When you reach for a Spanish Sparkler on your supermarket shelf, chances are it’s from Freixenet, given their 200 million bottle production. Did you realize that the family-owned Freixenet sells 160 sparkling and still wine brands worldwide? Ferrer Family History. Rioja – Solar Viejo. Ribera del Duero – Valdubon. MORE >>

David Pogue, tech columnist for the NYT, is known for his goofy videos. Earlier this week, on a lark, I joined him to tape a segment reviewing low-light cameras. Sure enough, it is pretty goofy–you can tune in to see my acting debut today at about 1:45 PM on CNBC. Don’t blink or you’ll miss my lines! he said with a touch of irony. MORE >>