April 2008

Features

• Oregon Buying Guide: 5 Favorite Pinot Producers

  I had a lot of good wines in Oregon, but here are five producers whose wines I particularly loved. (Honorable mention to Brick House Vineyards for its Pinot and Gamay.)

• Passover Recipes | Passover Reformed

  Chef Adam Perry Lang of Daisy May’s BBQ USA in Manhattan is busy creating a butchering empire. He shows his mastery of meat by preparing luscious beef short ribs for an inventive family seder.

• Promiscuous Food: Recipes that Pair with Many Wines

  The recipes here, from chef Shea Gallante of Manhattan’s Cru, are delicious with lots of different wines—red and white, light and rich, New World and Old—for the ultimate in simple pairing.

• Secret Winemaker Hangouts

  To find winemakers, don’t look in three-star restaurants. Instead, try the coffee bars and taco trucks only locals know.

• 67 Best American Wines

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting finds, from Chardonnay to Zinfandel— to buy by the case for everyday drinking or casual entertaining.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Free Tasting in Sonoma

• Great Value Region: Lodi

  The warm climate and long history of grape growing in California’s Lodi region have made it a reliable source for bargain wines like these.

• How I Overcame My Wine-List Phobia

  Author Phoebe Damrosch, a former restaurant server, tells how she became wine-confident with the help of her sommelier boyfriend—and a few easy rules.

• Cellar Rat’s Top Wine Picks

  Cellar Rat Wine Merchants in Kansas City, Missouri, is fanatical about offering what co-owner and ex-sommelier Ryan Sciara calls “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday wines”—that is, everyday wines from around the world for under $20. Here are three picks.

• Editor’s Letter

• Five Great Sleeper Napa Cabernets

  F&W's Ray Isle divulges his favorite findable alternatives to elusive cult bottlings.

• 5 Great Sparkling Wines for $20 or Less

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting sparkling wine finds.

• 5 Best Wine Storage Solutions

  Cellar designer David Spon builds a variety of shelving styles to store—and show off—his clients’ wine collections. These five are his most practical and versatile.

• 6 Pairing Tips from Shea Gallante

  These recipes are delicious with lots of different wines—red and white, light and rich, New World and Old. Chef Shea Gallante of Manhattan’s Cru also shares 6 invaluable tips for pairing such classic foods as earthy pastas, meat loaf and fried fish.

• A Restaurateur’s Rules for Multi-Culti Pairing

  Peter Kasperski, the iconoclast behind many of Scottsdale’s best restaurants, matches wines with fabulous Japanese, Italian and Mexican–inspired recipes.

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Other Reds

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting red wine finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Cabernet Sauvignon

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting Cabernet Sauvignon finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Chardonnay

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting Chardonnay finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Merlot & Pinot Noir

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Ray Isle reports on his most exciting Merlot and Pinot Noir finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Other Whites

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting white wine finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Sauvignon Blanc

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting Sauvignon Blanc finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Syrah & Petite Sirah

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting Syrah and Petite Sirah finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best American Wines $15 & Under: Zinfandel

  After tasting more than 300 affordable American wines, Senior Editor Ray Isle reports on his most exciting Zinfandel finds.
  Additional research by Megan Krigbaum

• Best Shops for Local Wine

• Best Wine-Country Inns

• Pairing Kendall-Jackson Wines with Kentucky Cooking

  Following the extraordinary success of his Kendall-Jackson wines, vintner Jess Jackson is now pursuing his passion for racehorses. He invites F&W’s Lettie Teague to a down-home lunch at his Kentucky horse farm.

• Where to Go Next: San Francisco

  New in the Bay Area: a great market that doubles as a butcher shop, a Spanish charcuterie specialist, an intimate Roman restaurant, and more.

• Wine Authorities’ Top Picks

  Although the ever-rising prices of Burgundy and Bordeaux may give the illusion that all French wines are expensive, according to Wine Authorities co-owner Craig Heffley, France is still a great place to find good, affordable wine. Here are two examples, plus a pick from Chile.

• Superchefs’ Best Wine Bar Recipes | Daniel Boulud, Tony Mantuano, Luke Mangan

  The next step in the evolution of the American wine bar: star chefs making great food. Three big international talents—Daniel Boulud, Tony Mantuano and Luke Mangan—divulge their tastiest recipes.

• Superchefs’ Best Wine Bar Recipes: Daniel Boulud • Bar Boulud

  The next step in the evolution of the American wine bar: star chefs making great food. Here, international talent Daniel Boulud divulges his tastiest recipes.

• Superchefs’ Best Wine Bar Recipes: Luke Mangan • South Food + Wine Bar

  The next step in the evolution of the American wine bar: star chefs making great food. Here, international talent Luke Mangan divulges his tastiest recipes.

• Superchefs’ Best Wine Bar Recipes: Tony Mantuano • Enoteca Spiaggia

  The next step in the evolution of the American wine bar: star chefs making great food. Here, international talent Tony Mantuano divulges his tastiest recipes.

• Wine Pairing Rules for Japanese, Italian and Mexican Food

  Peter Kasperski, the iconoclast behind many of Scottsdale’s best restaurants, gives tips for pairing wine with fabulous Japanese, Italian and Mexican–inspired recipes.

• Superfast Picnic Recipes

  Ingredients from great wine-country specialty-food stores were the inspiration for these quick and simple picnic recipes.

• The Ryder Boys’ Texas Wine & BBQ Tour

  On a tasting tour of Texas Hill Country, the Ryder brothers and their wives have a ridiculous amount of fun pairing wine and barbecue (big reds with brisket, Rosés with chicken) and chewing the fat with the region’ best vintners.

• Top 5 Kosher Wines for Passover

  Not all kosher wine is supersweet. We tasted 40-plus bottlings from around the world to find the five best kosher-for-Passover wines, which are made according to Jewish rabbinical law.