The numbers on the Festival del Sole website are impressive:

• 10 days.
• 100 wineries.
• More than 60 events. Read more ›

If you play guitar with folk-rock legend Al Stewart—he of “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages” fame—for any length of time, chances are you’re going to have a few “wine experiences.”

That’s because Stewart is a wine lover. At the height of his career, when he made the move from the Janus record label to the much more prestigious Arista, the deal was sealed with three cases of 1960s-vintage French wines.

Stewart’s axe man on tour for many years was Peter White, who would go on to become one of the top stars of the “smooth jazz” genre. Although “smooth jazz” has nearly disappeared from terrestrial radio—programmers opting for formats with younger demographics, even if the listening audience is fewer in number—White continues to enjoy a successful career. Read more ›

When a recipe calls for wine, we typically suggest using the same wine that you intend to drink with the meal.

Members of our wine clubs have grown accustomed to this practice, either with the Tasting Notes they receive along with their wines, or through their exclusive Grapevine newsletter. It’s rare that we feature a recipe calling for “white wine” or “red wine”; whenever possible, we zero in on a specific variety. Read more ›

Here’s a quick statistical summary of the California wine scene.

• The Golden State produces 90% of all U.S. wine.
• If California were a country, it would be the world’s No. 4 producer, trailing only France, Italy and Spain.
• There are 3,540 bonded wineries as of 2012, up 108% from 1992. Read more ›

Alpana Singh is the youngest person—woman or man—to pass the master sommelier exam.

That landed her the sommelier’s job at Chicago’s four-star Everest restaurant, and then she became the wine and spirits director for the entire Lettuce Entertain You restaurant chain.

And because she’s smart and photogenic, she soon thereafter was named host of the restaurant review program, “Check, Please!” on Chicago’s PBS station. Read more ›

When Mother Nature is of a mind, the sunsets on Red Mountain in eastern Washington state are nothing short of spectacular.

And should Mother Nature choose to be cooperative on the evening of Saturday, May 25, that would be reason enough to attend the 5th annual Revelry on Red Mountain. Read more ›