Food Pairings
Marsala Substitute: Best Swaps for Chicken and Desserts
The best Marsala substitute is Madeira, with dry sherry close behind. Here's what to use in chicken Marsala and desserts, with and without alcohol.
5 min read
Wine guides
All wine guides · Page 2
Every Wine Blue Book guide in one place: wine basics, grape varieties, wine regions, food pairings, wine ratings and research-based value picks.
Wine Basics
Mead: What It Is, How It's Made, Styles and ABV
Mead is wine made by fermenting honey and water. How it's made, what melomel, cyser, pyment and sack mean, how strong it is and how US labels treat it.
9 min read
Grape Varieties
Mencía: Spain's Fresh Red Grape, Taste and Regions
Mencía is a fresh, floral red grape from northwest Spain, the star of Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra, and known as Jaen in Portugal. Taste, regions, labels and food.
7 min read
Wine Regions
Priorat: Spain's Slate-Soil Red Wine Region Explained
Priorat is a small mountain region in Catalonia known for dark Garnacha and Cariñena reds grown on llicorella slate. Its history, villages, labels and food.
7 min read
Food Pairings
Red Wine Substitute: What to Use in Stews, Sauces and More
The best red wine substitute is beef broth with a little vinegar. Grape juice, cranberry juice, red vermouth and strong black tea also work, by dish.
6 min read
Food Pairings
Sangria Recipe: Classic Red Sangria, Ratios and Rest Time
A classic red sangria recipe from Serious Eats, compared with Spanish, Wine Folly and Wine Spectator versions: ratios, fruit, rest time and batch sizes.
8 min read
Food Pairings
Shaoxing Wine: What It Is, How to Use It and Substitutes
Shaoxing wine is an amber Chinese rice wine, not a grape wine. How cooking and drinking bottles differ, how to use it, and what to swap in.
6 min read
Food Pairings
Sherry Substitute: Best Swaps for Cooking, With Amounts
The best sherry substitute is dry vermouth or another dry fortified wine. Here are the alcohol-free options too, including America's Test Kitchen's mix.
5 min read
Wine Basics
Sparkling Rosé: Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and Crémant
Sparkling rosé is pink wine with bubbles. How rosé Champagne, Cava, Prosecco Rosé and Crémant get their color and fizz, how sweet they are and what to eat.
7 min read
Wine Basics
Vermouth: What It Is, the Styles and How to Store It
Vermouth is wine flavored with wormwood and other botanicals, usually with added alcohol. Here are the styles, its history and how long an open bottle keeps.
6 min read
Wine Regions
Washington Wine: Regions, Grapes and How to Choose
Washington is the second-largest US wine state, known for Cabernet, Merlot and Riesling from the dry Columbia Valley. Its AVAs, climate, grapes and food.
7 min read
Wine Basics
What Is Table Wine? US and European Meanings
In the US, table wine is grape wine of no more than 14% alcohol. In Europe, it was long the name of the basic quality tier. Here is what the term means today.
6 min read