Located on the Adriatic coast of Italy, the "calf" of the boot, Marche, has been known for its Verdicchio white wine that comes in the familiar green amphora bottle. The region was primarily known for its white wines and the Verdicchio di Matelica has emerged as one with even more character.

San Gimignano is an old walled city in Tuscany that I was lucky enough to visit during my cycling trip in 2006. Here is a beautiful red wine from that region called Tenuta Mormoraia Chianti Colli Senesi 2006 DOCG. On the nose is a beautiful ripe cherry aroma, and on the palate is tobacco, a slight minerality and spice with very soft tannins.

From the Colchagua Valley in Chile comes this playful Cabernet Sauvignon. it's a deep colorful wine, (literally and figuratively) and I found myself enjoying it more as it breathed. The color is a dark ruby, and fruity aromas prevail with a wisp of smoked bacon, probably from the American oak, caramel, and a hint of tree bark.

From "Katherine's Field" on the North Fork of L.I. This Cabernet Blanc shows colors and aromas of straw, hints of metal, like flint and stone with flavors leaning to the grapefruit side of citrus, and kiwi on the finish. Wine buddy Marco S. found this wine to exhibit grass, slate & melon, and I would have to agree

Open less than 2 weeks ago and ready to do business, Vin Et Fleurs is on my list of new wine bars to visit in the near future. passed by yesterday to peek in and it looks like a cozy spot for a bite and a glass of wine. Will be posting soon

It’s been a long, cold 2009 here in the northeast. All the more reason to have a little winter garden. In a wine bottle. Last fall, I discovered and was immediately inspired by the work of Paula Hayes, an artist in the East Village. So I did my best to replicate her art using my own medium: wine. This also makes them better terrariums!

Forget screwcaps versus corks : An English entrepreneur has sold this invention of single-serve plastic wine glasses–stem and all!–to 8211;to Marks & Spencer, which now “struggles to keep up with demand.&# What say you: abomination or genius? Would this solve all your needs for wine in the back of a taxi? At picnics?

On Wednesday evening I attended a tasting of fifteen wines from Bordeaux 2005. The vintage was widely hailed as superb and pre-recession demand drove the prices into the stratosphere. Over 100 of us packed a room in a midtown hotel for the event, organized by Executive Wine Seminars. The air practically buzzed with anticipation. Pavie, St. Emilion.

After uncorking a bottle and enjoying the wine, probably most people throw the cork in the trash. Certainly there’s worse waste: It’s not as if there are junkyards full of corks, and since they are the bark of oak trees, they are biodegradable. But surely we can do better than simply throw them away. Here are ten ideas! Recycle! ChiBart.