Every July 14, Frenchmen and francophiles alike revel in Bastille Day celebrations around the world. They’re all fêteing that historic day in 1789 when French liberal political groups staged an infamous uprising against Louis XVI and the French monarchy at the Bastille prison in Paris. To you, this may seem…

I can’t be the only person who got served multiple frostbitten glasses of sauvignon blanc during last month’s heat wave. Now that we’ve turned the corner into July where an onslaught of sweltering happy hours await us, we can only pray for salvation from glasses full of limp Rioja and…

Do you ever feel like July might as well be renamed “barbecue month”? Even though this ancient cooking method hails from the Caribbean, we Americans have utterly claimed the summertime ritual for our own. Like with so many traditions though, they can get a bit – um — old if…

What separates a good wine bar from a great one? More than you’d think. It’s an elusive mix at best: Easy-to-pinpoint characteristics can surely make you love a place at first glance, but it’s the more subtle, nuanced elements that will ultimately bring you back. Here’s how the best are…

I’ve never been a fan of soccer, but seeing everyone get all fired up for the start of the World Cup this past weekend gave me a great excuse to revisit the other cool thing you’ve probably never realized about South Africa, and that’s the fact that some rockin’ good…

For whatever reasons, Napa Valley is still viewed as the Holy Grail of wine destinations for a majority of American wine lovers. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve been to Napa many times and there’s no denying that some of the most fantastic juice in the world is produced there. But…

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, some people might say that summer has officially started. Others might insist that It’s now officially, unrepentantly, rosé drinking season. A few weeks ago I threw down the 2010 Rosé Drinking Challenge and gave you four reasons to get over your rosé-phobia…

The wine world has been buzzing all month over the latest issue of Wine Spectator magazine, which has finally acknowledged that not only are screw tops (aka Stelvin closures) perfectly acceptable for wine, they actually fared better than traditional and synthetic cork in terms of keeping wine fresh and ultimately…

About the only thing in life that I love more than wine is my iPhone. For those of you who are similarly gadget-obsessed, there are now 100-plus iPhone apps serving up everything from wine education to straight-up silliness (why is there an app that does nothing besides display a glass…

It’s only the second week of May, but the rosés (wines, that is) are already popping up everywhere. Dry, refreshing rosés have been making a comeback in the U.S. for the past several years, but Denver liquor stores, wine bars, and restaurants are selling these gorgeous wines in force now…

As the weather finally starts to warm up, invitations to springtime parties are sure to arrive in your mailbox (or inbox, as it were). A thoughtful guest will always inquire as to what they might bring as a thank-you for being invited; a lovely bottle of wine is a no-fail…

Q: My husband and I were given a bottle of moscato as a gift about six years ago. Is it still drinkable, or should I toss it? Swirl Girl Answers: This is an eternal question in wine: How long should I/can I hold onto a wine before I drink it?…

Believe it or not, we have the Greeks to thank for Italian wine. Actually, we’d need to thank them for French and Spanish wine too, but the history of winemaking as we know it is largely believed to have begun with Greek settlements in and around ancient Rome. Italy is…

If you’ve ever been awarded the honor of receiving the wine list upon being seated at a restaurant, only to open it and feel as though you were trying to decipher a foreign language, take heart. There’s no reason you can’t choose a winning wine for yourself (and your guests)…

In celebration of Westword’s annual tribute to all that rocks in Denver, here are a few shout-outs to my personal favorite wine-centric places around the city. Best Wine List in a Restaurant: Table 6 609 Corona Street; 303-831-8800; www.table6denver.com Foodies and wine lovers alike have fallen in love with the…

With spring officially sprung, it’s time to switch up your clothing, eat bushels of asparagus, and yes, drink wines that conjure up images of everything we love about spring. Look at the next three months as the perfect season for drinking wines that are as cozy as they are refreshing,…

People sure are funny about buying wine. Some go with a friend’s recommendation. Lots of people buy whatever’s on sale, or falls within their own personal “less than $12 is too cheap, but more than $20 is too expensive” wine price-to-quality indicator scale. Certain folks only buy wines which have…

Roasted bone marrow. Beef cheeks and fennel fronds. Lamb bacon. If you’re like most Americans, you have absolutely no idea what these foods are and you’ve never even considered eating them. Let’s try this again: Edamame beans. Free-range chicken. Balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella. Even if you don’t have these…

This time of year makes me crave and consume copious amounts of meat. You could chalk this up to evolution. Once upon a time, a diet that included meat-based protein greatly increased your chances of surviving what must have been some pretty brutal pre-historic cold spells. So in that very…

There’s nothing like snowy, blustery weather to conjure up images of classic cold-weather comforts like snuggling in front of a roaring fire with a warming bowl of steaming-hot chili. But as the saying goes, “man cannot live by bread alone,” so channel your inner oenophile and find yourself a bottle…

Remember all that talk about how to break up with the same boring white wines you’ve been holding onto for years? Now it’s time to dig out of the red wine relationship ruts you’ve been stuck in. If you’ve been obsessively buying Pinot Noir ever since you saw the movie…