It’s a bitter drink to swallow, but Colorado’s not exactly famous for making outstanding wines. Instead, an invitation to sample Colorado wines is typically met with anything from incredulity to utter scorn. That’s not to say that all Colorado-bred wines suck. It’s just that there aren’t more than a handful…

2011 isn’t just a new year. You may not be ready to face this just yet, but you’re now on day four of an entirely new decade. Why aim low by setting a beginner’s resolution to drink more wine, when you can truly step up your game for the Twenty…

With only a few days to go until Christmas, it’s time to ‘fess up: Have you been naughty or nice? For your sake, here’s hoping you’ve been good enough throughout the year to merit yourself worthy to partake of some seriously good juice between now and the new year. Read…

Have you ever found yourself pondering the notion that if your goal was to drink a bottle of wine every day from today until your last day on this earth, you’d never have to try the same wine twice? A nobler task may never present itself to you, so what…

In case you haven’t noticed, 2010 is most definitely going to go down as the Year of the Cocktail. Seems like dozens of swanky, speakeasy-type establishments (complete with throwback-era barkeeps) opened their doors in and around Denver this year, proffering edgy concoctions designed to entice even the pickiest drinker. So…

Remember how when you were little, you couldn’t stand broccoli? That’s because your palate hadn’t matured enough to appreciate all of its crunchy-sweet goodness. Now that you’re all grown up, you’ve probably asked for double portions in your weekly fresh market produce delivery basket, you’re so in love with the…

You can try to deny it all you want, but Thanksgiving is a mere nine days away. That’s right: In exactly one week and two days, you’ll be up to your eyeballs in gravy, green bean casserole and drama. If your family is anything like mine, you’ll wise up and…

We about lost our shit this past weekend when, while meandering the aisles of a downtown specialty store, we felt our ears assaulted with — wait for it — Christmas carols. Despite the 75-degree temps Denver’s seen lately, ready or not, the 2010 holiday party season is upon us, which…

Sake and wine have more in common than you might think. Like, way, way more. For starters, both are ancient beverages, with histories stretching back thousands of years. Both are governed by strict production guidelines, upon which stringent quality ratings are assigned. And both can take a meal from everyday,…

Let’s be honest: Halloween is not a holiday that typically conjures up images of wine drinking. Visions of miniature Snickers bars, pumpkin-flavored beer and slutty costumes? Absolutely. Still, as any serious wine lover will assure you, not even the omnipresence of glowing jack-o’-lanterns needs to get in the way of…

New Zealand produces some damn fine wines, and it’s high time you started drinking them. Surely by now you’ve consumed more than your fair share of Australian red wines, right? Plenty of big, fleshy shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, each of which bears the telltale signs of an Aussie sipper:…

Cugnette. Steen. Pineau de la Loire. Vouvray. What do these four wine terms have in common? They’re all synonyms for chenin blanc, a stunningly drinkable white wine so worthy of your affection that you may find yourself tempted to consume it in abundant quantities shortly after reading this post (and…

Pork is having a moment. Meals featuring bacon in every form imaginable — including chocolate-dipped — have become de rigueur. Restaurants of every stripe are showcasing menus littered with sausages, charcuterie, salumi, pork belly and suckling pig. And perhaps one day, if you are very, very lucky (and clearly, not…

Last week’s Swirl Girl blog taught you everything you needed to know about scoring value wines, which pack the biggest bang for your hard-earned buck. This week, say hello to four insanely good wines that also happen to be good buys…

Ask your fellow oenophiles how they go about finding deliciously drinkable value wines and you’re guaranteed to get four different answers. That’s because their criteria for making that determination is likely to be as unique as their individual personalities, wine cravings and budget. When querying most peeps, though, the consensus…

The combination of pizza and Chianti has got to be up there in the annals of all-time best food-and-wine pairings (at least in terms of ubiquity). But if you, as a modern-day wine drinker, have moved well past that now somewhat-trite match up, you’re probably wondering what to pour with…

There’s just something about the month of September that makes us long for new things. As much as we adore the abundant sunshine and steady, radiant heat of summertime, all of a sudden we’re ready for new clothes, tailgate parties, and afternoons spent raking leaves. As the cooler temperatures arrive,…

We just finished celebrating EatDenver’s Harvest Week, where more than 40 independent restaurants fêted the harvest of the summer season’s very best produce, alongside some outstanding Colorado meats, fish, and cheeses. Each participating chef put his or her own unique spin on the event, producing a bevy of mouthwatering dishes…

Just because summer’s winding down to its inevitable end doesn’t mean that your rosé-filled days (and evenings) have to. Even if you aced this year’s rosé-drinking challenge with flying colors and have flown through cases of the five best rosés of summer 2010, no need to remove those rosé-colored glasses…

It’s been a summer full of fantastic wines, but even a wine-drinking professional (or is it professional wine drinker?) can grow weary of the standard red, white or rosé decision. If you, too, are searching for a supremely drinkable, inexpensive and easy-to-assemble option to guzzle throughout the few remaining weeks…

In 1976, to coincide with our country’s bicentennial celebrations, a wine merchant-turned-educator named Steve Spurrier organized an esteemed panel of wine cognoscenti to trumpet the (allegedly obvious) superiority of ultra-elite French wines over their Napa Valley counterparts. Spurrier got the shock of his life when the US snatched up the…

Porch pound-er (n): A highly technical, wine industry term referring to a wine which, after as little as one sip, uncontrollable guzzling of said wine occurs almost immediately. Exaggerated licking of lips and eye-rolling ensue as accompaniments.Typically, the wine is extremely affordable and has a tendency to be a crowd-pleaser…