Peter generously brought a bottle of Selosse Champagne from France for my birthday in the fall. And a concrete reminder, if we needed one, that Champagne is a great table wine. An unusual pairing, maybe, but Champagne is great with fried food, and the pickles didn't intrude at all. Well, of the last few months anyway. MORE >>

That is, unless one is in Burgundy where the chic restaurant Ma Cuisine is built on the grounds of a former royal stable, and the very warm and welcoming home of negociant Becky Wasserman -- in a charming village outside the city -- was originally built to shelter animals hundreds of years ago. Burgundy is a complex region to understand. MORE >>

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, celebrated the team’s NBA victory by ordering a $90,000 of Ace of Spades Champagne. And Mike Steinberger launches a discussion on why there’s no outrage about high Burgundy prices. SIPPED: white Burgundy, 2008 edition. SIPPED: bling. Of note: he did leave a $20,000 tip. MORE >>

There was everything from Grand Cru Burgundy to Barolo to Sancerre ros é. The Burgundies were not so impressive, on the whole. Maybe mature Burgundy doesn't show as well when surrounded by bigger, more obvious wines. The more I learn about wine, the more I realize that I don't know. Same is true with wine, I would say. MORE >>

The other day I was fortunate enough to meet Emmanuel Lassaigne, son of Jacques, and now the wine maker at Champagne Jacques Lassaigne. This place, known as the Montrachet of Champagne, is an island of Chardonnay in a sea of Pinot Noir. Tags: Tastings Lassaigne Champagne Jenny and François Excellent wine. MORE >>