If your local wine shop is like mine, you've noticed that the Portuguese wine section grows larger every month. Wines from Portugal are becoming more and more popular. At the heart of this surge in popularity is the Douro wine region, known for centuries as the home of Port wines . Today, the Douro Valley is also famous for its excellent unfortified wines, particularly reds.

We recently asked our panel of wine experts to recommend a wine to pair with roasted chicken. While a variety of recommendations came forth, the clear winner of the day was New Zealand's Spy Valley Pinot Noir as two of our experts independently suggested this gem of a wine. I would recommend a Pinot Noir. Pinot is a great match for fowl. The roasted qualities of this preparation call for one that is perhaps a bit smoky or has some toasty oak notes (within reason). I am going to recommend a Spy Valley Pinot Noir from New Zealand .

Women have played a role throughout wine history, but many gained status through husbands or fathers. Since the 1960s, the number of women making their way into the industry on their own merit has greatly increased. Even without prominent family ties, women have become winemakers, winery owners, grape growers, researchers, writers, managers, sommeliers, educators . . . in fact, experts in all areas of the business.

Germany’s second most well known wine region, behind the Mosel Valley, is certainly the Rheingau. Guided by the Rhine River, the steep slopes march down to the river itself like little lines of obedient cadets. Rudesheim is the most well know town within the region, the center of tourist activity where the train and the ferry land at its doorstep.

Some of the great wines in Italy, and the world, hail from Tuscany. Other articles have discussed Super Tuscans , and some of the great wines based on the Sangiovese grape including Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino . In this article, another great Sangiovese based wine is explored: Vin Nobile di Montepulciano. The name of this wine can be confusing. Long ago these wines became the chosen wine of nobility hence the Nobile part of the name.

In December 2008, the Navarra DO will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its first constitution. Of course, Navarra has been producing wines for much longer than 75 years. In fact, archaeological finds from the second century B.C. include Roman-era earthenware wine jars. Perhaps the DO should be celebrating its 2,075th anniversary instead.

Be they clubs, books, glasses, fridges, gadgets or wine, here are ten gift ideas for wine lovers: My Wines Direct The My Wines Direct Wine Club makes a great gift for any wine lover. With both 3 month and 6 month options, My Wines Direct offers 3 bottles of wine delivered each month (either 3 bottles of red or 2 reds and 1 white). The wines are included in the club are from “small undiscovered vineyards around the world” and are chosen through consumer tasting panels that the company holds each month. Over the course of the club, recipients can expect to taste a variety of wines from California, Europe, South America and Australia. My Wines Direct wine club information / Wine Shipping Information . Christmas Wine Gift Recommendations New Years Eve Champagne Recommendations Books There are a lot of wine books out there and any wine geek has likely learned that people love to give wine books to wine geeks. In other words, they probably have a dozen wine guides to this or that collecting dust on their bookshelves. If you are going the book route for a gift, consider Julia Flynn's book on the Mondavi Family, The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty . It's a quick read on the first family of American wine and provides an interesting perspective on the evolution of the US wine industry.

In the region of Campania (see related article on Lacryma Christi ) there is red wine that is worth knowing about and which merits acquisition. This wine, named Taurasi, is made from the Aglianico grape, the same grape discussed in the article on Aglianico del Vulture from Basilicata. Indeed, the Aglianico grape is utilized over much of southern Italy. For reasons which will be explained below, the Aglainicos from Campania are some of the best made anywhere.

Size Isn't Everything Rheinhessen's long winemaking history and large size are the building blocks of its reputation in the world of wine – and there are pros and cons associated with both. Rheinhessen's most famous wine, Liebfraumilch, while well known as far back as the mid-1700's, might well be called "infamous" today because of its reputation for insipid sweetness. Still, it's hard to argue with brand-name success, so you're likely to find Liebfraumilch prominently displayed in your local wine shop's German section.

The name Burgundy conjures up images of lush pinot noirs and chardonnays with expensive price tags, served to you with a French accent. It’s most wine lovers dream to visit the region and immerse yourself in pate, pinot and pastries.