Wine aficionados and Two Buck Chuck devotees alike will be able to please their palates with our comprehensive guide to the grape. First, we get the inside scoop—er, sip?—from vino experts on perfect food pairings, navigating a wine list, choosing the proper stemware, and starting a collection. Then we give you a comprehensive list of more than 30 wine stores to help you stock your cellar. (And if you don’t have a cellar, well, we can tell you how to build one.) Finally, we take you on a tour of four boffo local vineyards, sample the goodsat a handful of wine bars, and unveil five of the most expensive bottles in town. Raise a glass, people. It’s time to get your grape on.
BY CLARE BAKER, KATHLEEN DOANE, BRENT DONALDSON, KATHERINE L. SONTAG, AMANDA BOYD WALTERS, AND LINDA VACCARIELLO
ILLUSTRATIONS BY SEAN SIMS
Vineyard Visit: Chateau Pomije Winery and Banquet Facility
Vineyard Visit: Elk Creek Vineyards
Vineyard Visit: Kinkead Ridge Winery
Vineyard Visit: StoneBrook Winery
How to: Start a Wine Collection
How to: Build a Wine Cellar
How to: Find the Right Glass
How to: Interpret a Wine List
How to: Make Wine With Chip Emmerich
How to: Pair Wine With Food
Listings: A Key to Symbols
Listings: Wine Shops
Listings: Five Stand-Out Shops
Listings: Wine Bars and Other Producers
Expensive Bottles from Local Wine Lists
Four Great Local Wine Blogs
Five Local Wine Events
The Life of a Wine Broker
Cool Wine Gadgets
Anatomy of Mesh's Wine Wall
Originally published in the January 2008 issue.