So much has been written about the Napa Valley, in such a way and so much so, that it seems almost, mythical, and a bit unreal. As a young connoisseur of wine with abundant experience selling and consuming wine, woven with my time living in the valley, I have a new perspective to share. One that has allowed me to enjoy the valley and all the plenty it has to share, despite being on a very tight budget. The valley has much to offer, for everyone, and despite the hype, Napa in its bounty is for all.

Surely it's just situational stress. A temporary period of adjustment. Frayed nerves. Depleted bank account with its bottom line rapidly diminishing. Nearly one month after moving to Napa Valley from 1200 miles away with the goal of taking classes to further my career in the wine business I find myself sharing a house with three people and a poodle while waiting with bated breath for the valley to emerge from its long winter's nap and start hiring again when the onset of Tourist Season (roughly concurrent with Bud Break) becomes clearly imminent.

Last year, I had the unique opportunity to attend a trade tour of the Rhone (even better, it was on someone else’s dime!) The itinerary covered vineyards from north to south, with the majority spent in the Cotes du Rhone Villages within mini-bus distance of southerly Avignon. But the brief days I spent in the Northern Rhone were a heavenly slice for this Syrah-lover. The Northern Rhone region of France is my Mecca for Syrah. Considered wines that “stand shoulder to shoulder with the Crus Classes of Bordeaux in terms of pure quality” by influential authority Tom Stevenson, the deep purple colored reds of Cote-Rotie and Hermitage are sought out by many as standard-bearers of the true expression of traditional Syrah.

Welcome to Red on Reds I This feisty Italian redhead is dishing about all things red wine. Now please don’t misunderstand: I’m not a white hater - I mean, who wouldn’t love a crisp Sauvignon Blanc with a bowl of mussels? But we’ll stick to the world’s glorious canvas of reds. Think of this as an adventure: I’m your old college buddy who’s just talked you into a spontaneous road trip! Come enjoy the ride from a fellow wine lover (not expert) point of view and we’ll even unearth some lesser known varietals to branch out together. Let’s share stories, seek out new varietals, and soak up as much as we can along the way.

Sonoma County winemakers are searching out the perfect marriage of locale and climate to produce noble cool-climate syrah. “This is, honestly, one of the best places in the world to grow syrah,” said winemaker John Holdredge, who makes a cool-climate syrah from a Russian River Valley vineyard called Lovers Lane. “You can have a nice syrah from a warm climate but it’s just a different animal. I don’t think I’ve had one where I thought, wow, that’s pretty.”

I was four years old when I had my first clue that you could pair food and wine for anyone at any meal, and I was lucky enough to learn this from a master. It was many years ago, and we were the quintessential All American Family: Mom, Dad, and two tow headed kids piled into our car on a tour through France, discovering the joys of French food, wine and culture. Find bargains on Vintage Champagne One bright spring day in the Champagne region, we visited the Pol Roger Chateau in Épernay. As we entered the sunlit foyer, an impossibly elegant woman in Chanel greeted us. She spoke for a few moments on the phone: “The Americans are here”

Italian Wines 2007 came to San Francisco's Fort Mason on Thursday, March 21. Not every wine shined, but most of the people did. They had not only dressed in fantastic, glossy outfits of unparalleled poshness, but the greater portion seemed to be Italian and had evidently flown all the way here to sip these wines.

Recently, I joined a friend who was writing an article determining San Francisco’s best wine bar on a field trip and it started me thinking about what I like and don’t in a wine bar. Mind you, I don’t own a wine bar nor have I ever worked in one, but I have been to many. So perhaps it’s best to think of the following as a collection of thoughts from the peanut gallery—notes from Andy Rooney’s trip to a couple of wine bars.

It was my love of fine wine that led me to follow my muse by attending culinary school. As a result, my culinary mission statement has always read “a meal is never complete unless it is accompanied by great wine.” Hence, adding a well chosen, value oriented bottle can make a simple meal a great one. That brings me to the current and frequently misunderstood state of Syrah in the USA.

Apartheid. Nelson Mandela. Zulu Kings. Wildlife Safaris. When most people think of South Africa, a variety of things come to mind, but wine usually is not one of them. Yet that’s exactly what brought me to Stellenbosch, South Africa’s premier wine appellation, earlier this year. I was curious to see what the wine industry was like in a country with such a troubling, turbulent history, an industry that is still relatively elusive to the American consumer.