Greek Whites 'Smack of Sunshine'

Study suggests wine aficionados often skip the meal

(NEWSER) - We’re always hearing that this wine goes with that food, and feel guilty when we get it wrong—but what if it’s all a scam? asks Jason Wilson in the Washington Post . A new study suggests it might be: More than 60% of wine sipped by “high-frequency wine drinkers”—those who drink wine several times weekly—isn’t accompanied by a meal. It just goes to show, argues wine blogger Alder Yarrow, that the chatter over correct pairings is propagated by the wine establishment, perhaps as a moneymaking move. "For every glass carefully chosen to go with a specific dish, there appear to eight more consumed in the same way most people drink a scotch," writes Yarrow at Vinography . More»

Washington has had enough

(NEWSER) - The New York Times delivered its latest review of the Washington DC dining scene last week, and it was as withering as ever, raising its nose at the “spread of Everyman Eating” on Capitol Hill, where restaurateurs don’t even try for a Michelin star. It’s typical, writes Tim Carman of the Washington Post . The Times always treats DC like “an exotic animal worthy of examination until the time comes that it must be shot in the head.” More»

Riesling, Oregon, Costieres de Nimes, and Kermit Lynch are your friends

(NEWSER) - Ordering wine in a restaurant can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. "Quit being afraid of wine!" wine blogger Nilay Gandhi writes for The Awl . "There's one truth to that wine list you're so terrified to negotiate: it's full of baloney." You can't go wrong by ignoring half of the vintages on it, which are "show wines. Stop ordering them." More»

Expect your cocktails to be herbal, matched with food, and cold

(NEWSER) - Absinthe and other speakeasy libations are so last decade. Now that craft cocktails are mainstream, what will the next 10 years bring to the hottest watering holes? Derek Brown of the Atlantic looks into his crystal ball:

• Food pairings: They're not just for sommeliers anymore. "Expect to see cocktails accompanying your food in 2010."

High-iron reds make a poor accompaniment, scientists confirm

(NEWSER) - Researchers conducting intensely necessary studies have confirmed what connoisseurs have always told us: Red wine doesn’t go with fish. Tasters tried 38 red wines and 26 whites while noshing on scallops. They discovered that wines with higher iron content—meaning most reds—unpleasantly accentuated the seafood's “fishy” taste. If researchers added a substance to the wines that masked iron, the taste diminished. More»