Wine

Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot

Flickr- darwin bell Wild Vine's blackberry merlot, a classy alternative to grape juice and grain alcohol. ​Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile ... More >>

What Wine Should I Give My Boss for the Holidays?

UNCORK THE ISSUE: What wine should I give my boss for the holidays? SPILL THE JUICE: "It depends on who your boss is and what he or she likes," says Stephanie Caraway, the southwestern regional manager at Terlato Wines International. We press her for a wine gift guide broken down by industry... we ... More >>

How Should I Plan a Wine Tour Vacation?

UNCORK THE ISSUE: How should I plan a wine tour vacation? SPILL THE JUICE: "Pick a region, know it proficiently, and try to taste as much as possible and experience as much as possible in that region," says Christine Wisniewski, the owner of Caffe Boa with her husband, Jay, and a certified sommelier ... More >>

A Wine Breakfast with David Mirassou: What's it like to be part of America's oldest winemaking family?

UNCORK THE ISSUE: We meet David Mirassou for breakfast and an early morning wine tasting at Vincent's Market Bistro and ask him, "What's it like to be part of America's oldest winemaking family?" School's so much more fun with food and wine involved... SPILL THE JUICE: "It's tough because I have so ... More >>

Foxhorn Chardonnay

Erica O'Neil Foxhorn Chardonnay's cute little fox mascot, beckoning you down the forest path to drunkenness. ​Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager p ... More >>

Oak Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Erica O'Neil Does this empty bottle of Oak Creek portend an awesome BoB find? ​Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we've scraped th ... More >>

Cape Peak Syrah

Erica O'Neil Drink enough Cape Peak syrah so that tacky wallpaper becomes palatable. ​Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we've scr ... More >>

Flat Rock Pinot Grigio

Erica O'Neil Flat Rock pinot grigio, ready for drinkin'.​Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we've scraped the Bottom of the Barrel ... More >>

This Weekend: Pillsbury Wine Tasting Room Grand Opening

Meet winemaker Sam Pillsbury (above, center) and taste his new releases at this weekend's tasting room shindig.​Looking for a weekend road trip idea? I suggest a jaunt up to Cottonwood, where winemaker Sam Pillsbury is hosting a grand opening party for his new wine tasting room and gallery ... More >>

Charles Shaw "Two Buck Chuck" Sauvignon Blanc

inhisgrace- Flickr Nine bottles of Two Buck Chuck will have you smiling like this, too.​Anyone that has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we've ... More >>

Wine Talk: David Johnson of Oakville Grocery Co.

David Johnson, the wine director at Oakville Grocery Co., dispenses unpretentious wine advice as a bonus to this week's Chef Talk with his business partner, Chef Walter Sterling.

Arizona Stronghold: Local Wines

Erica O'Neil Arizona Stronghold's red and white wines, ready and waiting. ​Northern Arizona isn't exactly synonymous with wine country, but Eric Glomski and Maynard Keenan (yes, that lead singer of TOOL) would like to change this assumption. Both are co-owners of Arizona Stronghold Winery, ... More >>

The Most Expensive Hot Dog, Matanzas Wine Dinner and Walking Tacos in Today's Eater's Digest

dineanddish.ne​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Matanzas Wine DinnerTonight, downtown restaurant Cheuvront will host a four-course Wine Dinner with pairings from Sonoma County Winery Matanzas Creek. Dinner will start with vichyssoise fol ... More >>

Wine Tasting

Wine Down

Vino pairings made easy at Cheuvront

AZ Wines Impress at FnB's Arizona Judgment

Caffe Boa chef Payton Curry (left) joins FnB's Pavle Milic on the Arizona Judgment tasting panel.​Even though you'd never know it to look at his jovial expression, FnB owner Pavle Milic was a ball of nerves leading up to yesterday's Arizona Judgment, a by-invite-only blind tasting of wines that we ... More >>

2010 Arizona Wine Awards: Your Chance to Drink and Vote!

​ ​ ​ ​Have you ever wanted to go to the voting booths completely sloshed -- if nothing else, just to forget how lousy your choices are? We're pretty sure there's some sort of legal issue there, so don't bother. You can, however, enjoy some vino with your voting at the 2010 Arizona Wine ... More >>

Tipsy Topsy

P.F. Chang's Rolls Out Its New Wine Label With a Free Toast

​Two hours from now, all the P.F. Chang's restaurants in the Valley will celebrate the launch of the restaurant's own custom-made wine with a complimentary toast. To save you the trouble of remembering the name of the vino and the time of the toast, they've come up with one number: ... More >>

FnB Hosts Meet the Winemaker Series, Plans Preliminary Blind Tasting

​Chef Charleen Badman's creative, farm-fresh American cuisine, Pavle Milic's expert selections of top Arizona wines, and a relaxed, convivial atmosphere have already turned Scottdale's FnB into a favorite haunt of food enthusiasts, wine geeks, and other bons vivants, but now there's ... More >>

Modern Steak Sommalier Nabs Top Honors in Food & Wine

A few years ago at a food festival, I overheard a so-called wine expert ranting about how women were lousy sommeliers. "It's not their fault of course," he drawled. "It's all of those hormones! A woman's ability to gauge the taste of wine changes with her cycle, you know." There' ... More >>

FnB Brings Wine World Heavyweights for Arizona Judgement 2010

In Italy or in Napa Valley, drinking the local wine is a given. But in Arizona, where the wine industry has waged an uphill battle to improve its image, local wines are still a novelty at most restaurants -- so much so, in fact, that when FnB owner Pavle Milic and chef Charleen Badman commi ... More >>

Winemaking 101: A Crash Course at Studio Vino

There's something magical about making food or drink with your own two hands. Not that I haven't passed a few store-bought cakes off as my own at dinner parties, but it just doesn't feel the same when your contribution to the meal comes out of a bottle, box or KFC bucket. But what abo ... More >>

Champagne Cocktails: Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere!

Diddy and Cristal (before it was racist).​Champagne isn't just for wedding toasts and hip hop videos anymore. What was once generally reserved for special occasions is now popping up on drink menus all over the country in cocktail form, and the standard brunch Mimosa is just the tip of the spa ... More >>

Corned Beef Cupcakes, Meet Napa Valley Wine Makers and The Worlds Largest Woman (almost) in Today's Eater's Digest

An early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives. ​ If you're a wine aficionado or maybe just a wanna-be Sommelier of sorts then you won't want to miss "Men Behind the Vines - Napa's Next of Kin" at Sanctuary on Camelback March 24th. The night kicks of with a ... More >>

This Weekend: Devoured Phoenix Culinary Classic

Jason Silva A year ago, I sipped some wine at West of Western culinary festival with entrepreneur and small business advocate Kimber Lanning of Local First Arizona, chatting about boosting the profile of local restaurants. If only I'd brought a crystal ball with me. ... More >>

Hartford Court Wine Dinner at BLT Steak Scottsdale

We know how expensive meals can get after you've downed a couple glasses of vino. All of a sudden, the hunger caused by the alcohol has caused you to eat five courses, and the bill is the last thing you want to see.Thankfully, for people like us who are looking for a fancy meal on a budget, BLT Stea ... More >>

Make Your Own Wine, Quick & Easy!

​ ​Famed director Francis Ford Coppola did it. So did Sam Neill and Olivia Newton-John and Tool's Maynard James Keenan. If they can get into the wine business, so can you! All you need is a large grape arbor, some vats, processing equipment, oak barrels, bottles, massive amounts of tim ... More >>

Maynard's Own: Tasty Locally-made Wine You Can Afford

arizonastrongholdvineyards.comThe Arizona Stronghold collection.​If you pay even the slightest attention to local booze news, you probably know by now that Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has taken up winemaking right here in AZ (check out Michele Laudig's 2008 feature story if you're out o ... More >>

BYOB: Local Places to Bring Your Own

Bringing our own at Hana Japanese Eatery.​We skimp on the appetizers, order the cheapest entrée, pass over dessert entirely, and the dinner bill is still twice as high as we expect, so what gives? Ahh, yes, dinged by the drink prices again. Sometimes the only way to beat back the booze stick ... More >>

Free Wine Tastings Tonight at Phoenix Public Market

A delectable red from Pillsbury Wine Company.​We're headed into Wednesday night, and that means the Downtown Phoenix Public Market on Central Ave. will be opening in less than an hour. From 4-8 p.m. this evening, the market is hosting two free wine tastings. Sam and Dana Pillsbury of P ... More >>

Chocolate Alert! Eleanor Joseph Truffles Land in your Grocery

Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that help fight free radicals and stave off aging, and a glass of wine a day can reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. So that fistful of dark chocolate medallions and glass of Cabernet you'll be downing tonight are totally healthy!

Local Wine Wins at Whole Foods

Lauren GilgerVoters tasting the local wines on Saturday at the Arizona Wine Consumer Choice Awards at Whole Foods Market in Chandler.Move over, Napa. Arizona's young wine industry is currently undergoing a growth-spurt akin to a 12 year-old basketball player. For proof, see Michele Laudig's cover st ... More >>

Binkley's Restaurant Hosts Winemaker Dinner

Here's something you don't see very often, if ever -- a special event at the highly acclaimed Binkley's. On Monday, March 23, the Cave Creek fine dining destination will be hosting a six-course winemaker dinner to showcase Frank Family Vineyards, a boutique winery in Napa Valley. AZ ... More >>

AZ Stronghold Gets Props from Wine Spectator

Jamie Peachey89! I hear this is the best score ever given to an Arizona wine (Callaghan's 2001 Syrah scored the same). Not bad for a debut label, huh? Wine Spectator rated Arizona Stronghold's Nachise in a recent Super Bowl feature where the editors rounded up 22 top wines (a la 22 players o ... More >>

Cowboy Ciao Hosts Siduri Wine Dinner

Sideways may have been a fictional tale, but the elusive and obsession-inducing qualities of Pinot Noir are completely true. Consider Siduri Wines, a winery that produces only Pinot Noir, all single-vineyard releases from its 20 vineyards in California and Oregon. Owners Adam and Diana Lee's d ... More >>

Phoenix Phoodies: David Johnson is a Sommelier and a Gentleman

David Johnson has wine on the brain. Why not? It runs in the family. He can trace his familial roots in the wine and spirits business back to 17th century Jacobite revolutionaries. As a sommelier in training, he spent years in Europe, honing both his palate and his craft. Now back in Arizona, he i ... More >>

Can Maynard James Keenan Put Arizona Wine on the Map?

Tomorrow: Arizona Stronghold and Page Springs Cellars Wines at Quiessence

By Michele Laudig Dear Chow Bella readers, I hope you check out this week's cover story (written by yours truly), where you'll get to read all about the great wines that Eric Glomski and Maynard James Keenan (yes, the singer from Tool) are making up in Jerome and Cornville with Arizona Stronghold, ... More >>

Caffe Boa Supplies Sophistication Just Off Mill Avenue

White truffle AND burrata alert!

Tool Juice: A novice wine drinker tries the wines of novice wine maker Maynard James Keenan

Heads up, Francophiles: Bastille Day celebrations next week

Fine’s Cellar pairs well with the Scottsdale dining scene

Even more foodie fundraisers

Que Shiraz Shiraz

"Personal sommelier" wants to fine-tune your palate

Phoenix Corkscrews charity wine tasting

Roshambo on the road

How to Choose a Wine

Grape expectations