Concentrated along the South Coast of a state whose reasonable summer temperatures and oceanfront destinations, phenomenal universities, and rich history already attract visitors aplenty, Massachusetts wine country -- like its counterparts in higher production states -- offers the good and the interesting alongside a few duds. We have several favorites.
Read moreSER Restaurant is Simple, Easy, Real. Spain in America, an Arlington, Virginia best.
Another warm summer's evening in Arlington, Virginia sets on the patio at SER, the splendid Spanish restaurant. Simple. Easy. Real. This is the vision in which owner Javier Candon, a native of the region around Seville, Spain, has crafted one of the best restaurants in Arlington over the past couple of years. He's created something really special here.
Read moreCasual Wino: The Wine 101 Guide for the Curious
Today we're publishing our new Casual Wino: The Wine 101 Guide for the Curious, where we’re sharing wine basics, tips on how to not break the budget unless it’s a special occasion, basic terminology, wine advice to help you get a second (and third) date, pairing ideas for food, recommendations on visiting wineries we’ve discovered, tasting notes, and anything else we can think of to help you drink, enjoy, and share wine with confidence.
Read moreDistilling exceptional craft Rum and Gin at South Hollow Spirits in North Truro, Cape Cod, MA
Summer sun shines down from a blue sky that looks like the ocean inverted, reflecting brightly on the whitewashed Cape Cod style house and barn. Your chair sits beneath stately tree branches. A cooling breeze wafts through the yard as you put a cocktail to your lips. It's the height of summer, and you've discovered the exceptional rum, gin, and related cocktails at South Hollow Spirits in North Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Read morePenada Wines from Portugal's Trás-os-Montes exude character and delight the senses
A delightful Portuguese wine arrived in the United States for the first time this year. In the Montez family vineyard high on the Penada hill that rises above the village of Loivos, winemaker Marco Montez has labored to produce three wines from distinctly local grape varieties that thrive in the hot weather and drink well in the scorching summer.
Read moreHow to be a Wine Snob: Learning to sip through any wine tasting like a sophisticated pro
Today, my goal is to help demystify wine tasting. Because honestly, tasting wine is the easiest and most enjoyable part of wine appreciation! So grab a glass of your favorite (or soon to be favorite wine) and give this method a try.
Read moreHow to get a Second Date with Kathleen: You must be able to pair wine with food
Sometimes we crave our favorite wines or maybe you don’t care for particular types of wine. But when you’re on a date, you’re trying to impress. I’d rather you tell me you don’t like red wine than order a white wine with a steak. At least then you’re being honest. Now, I don’t expect my dates to be able to tell me why certain wines pair with certain foods, but I do expect reasonable pairings. For that reason, we’re going to focus on basic pairings. I’m also not going to focus on pairing wines with cheese here, that’s a lesson in and of itself.
Read moreUnderstanding retail and restaurant wine pricing leads you to better wine for the money
Knowing what kind of value your getting is tough when you don't know how what you're buying is priced, wine or otherwise. Naturally, no two bottle shops or bistros are the same, so we can't make absolute statements about any of them, but a little knowledge about wine pricing will go a long way helping you navigate the list.
Read moreTop five wines for August: Unique whites, Rosé summer sipper, and red fine dining champions
Each month your Wine:Thirty Flight writers bring you a lineup of different wines meant to educate and diversify your palate, and that are of course in some way appropriate for the season. Everywhere we've been, the last month has been predictably hot. If you live and travel where summer is going strong, you've undoubtedly been on the search for refreshing wines that cool you off, "porch sippers" or garden party whites.
Read moreRed Hook Winery showcases New York State viticulture in an urban on-water setting
Red Hook offers a unique perspective on wine making. Owner Mark Snyder started the winery in 2008 to bridge the gap between New York City and the local growing community. Today, the winery has three winemakers who each bring their own perspective to the same grapes. Understanding the style of the winemakers is the key to understanding the wines at Red Hook.
Read moreRoss' Grill in Provincetown, MA at the end of Cape Cod is "The Good Life in Summertime"
Were I to show you one picture that sums up "the good life in summertime", I'd be hard pressed to find something more compelling than the site of a sangria on your table and the harbor view from the Ross' Grill balcony beyond. Today we're going to our favorite place for lunch in our favorite town: Ross' Grill in Provincetown, MA, the last town on the end of Cape Cod.
Read moreRefresh yourself with our Sparkling Sangria recipe, 5-minutes to the perfect summer evening!
We're big fans of sprucing up a bottle of bubbles to make a super-refreshing Sparkling Sangria. Don't go out of your way here, because the recipe is too easy... you're looking at about $12.50 per bottle all-in!
Read moreHow to be a Wine Snob: These top 10 wine terms will help you understand and describe your vino!
So, you want to feel fancy and enjoy a glass of wine AND know how to talk about it. No problem! How to be a Wine Snob will walk you through all the various aspects and fundamentals of tasting and evaluating wine. The main goal is to demystify wine and make it enjoyable and fun for everyone while helping you figure out how to talk about and understand what YOU like. There are five major terms that you will hear any wine snob discussing when considering a glass of wine.
Read moreOur quick and easy red Sangria recipe will make you a summertime wine-drinking champion!
We've made no secret of our love for sangria, the (usually) red wine cocktail that hails from Spain but has become incredibly popular in the United States. It's our favorite summer drink, one that we look for everywhere we go. Today we're sharing our rather easy recipe.
Read moreHow to get a second date with Kathleen: You must be able to order the wine you've chosen
Pronouncing wine names correctly is the first step in impressing your date, but that will only get you so far. No one will care if you can say the wine’s name correctly if you can’t order it properly.
Read moreBest wine of June: Three whites to celebrate summer, two reds for your favorite steak!
June was a great month for wine and food! We're also now decidedly in white wine season, so while it would be very difficult for us to get through an entire month without one or two red wines on the Best of list, we're definitely recommending you cast an eye to light and chilled as we enter the long hot summer.
Read moreWestport Rivers truly sparkles as the premier Massachusetts vineyard and winery
Of all the splendid places you'll find as you travel through New England, Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery in Westport, MA may surprise you most. The winery experience is delightful in itself, marked by a ton of outdoor character and of course Mao the winery cat roaming freely about the grounds and through the tasting room. Sparkling wine is a point of pride here, making them unique even among the already-unique world of Massachusetts wine.
Read moreHow to get a second date with Kathleen: Know how to pronounce the wine you're ordering
He attempted to tell the waitress what he wanted. She couldn’t understand him and looked at me for help. I also couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. He said it again. This continued with increasingly bungled pronunciations until finally he just had to point it out on the menu. He wanted a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Read moreUrban Wineries add their own city terroir to the evolving landscape of American wine
Urban wineries have been getting more attention lately. Deservedly so. Once a bizarre oddity in city landscapes known for brewing beer, creative winemakers are cultivating America's taste for wine as they open up shop and move some combination of their crushing, blending, aging, bottling, and tasting into warehouses and storefronts across the nation's great cities. These wineries seem to be situated at the intersection of two trends. The first is the revitalization of America's cities as the young, affluent, and highly educated continue to congregate around urban cores. The second is America's growing wine consumption.
Read moreChimichurri Grill in New York is one of our favorite restaurants anywhere
At the corner of 43rd Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan, in Hell's Kitchen just west enough of Times Square to make it reasonable, sits an extraordinary restaurant called Chimichurri Grill. Stunning food and wine, warm-from-the-very-first-moment hospitality from our friends Carlos and Wilmer, and charmingly intimate spaces have made Chimichurri Grill one of our favorite places in New York City, and easily one of our top five restaurants anywhere.
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