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
Wine guides
All wine guides · Page 3
Every Wine Blue Book guide in one place: wine basics, grape varieties, wine regions, food pairings, wine ratings and research-based value picks.
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
Food Pairings
White Wine Substitute: What to Use in Cooking, by Dish
The best white wine substitute is broth with a little vinegar or lemon, or dry vermouth if alcohol is fine. Amounts from named cooking sources, by dish.
6 min read
Food Pairings
Wine and Chocolate: What to Pour With Dark, Milk and White
The best wine with chocolate is usually sweeter than the chocolate: Port, Banyuls or Brachetto. What to pour with dark, milk and white chocolate, and why.
7 min read
Wine Basics
Wine Coolers: The Drink, Its History and Wine vs Malt
The wine cooler drink is wine, fruit juice and fizz, but many today are malt-based. Here is the history, the 1991 tax change, ABV, labels and a homemade recipe.
6 min read
Best Value Wines
19 Crimes Wine: The Story, the Range and the Talking Labels
19 Crimes wine puts transported convicts on its labels and brings them to life with augmented reality. The story, the range, prices and critic scores.
7 min read
Grape Varieties
Aglianico: Southern Italy's Great Red, Taurasi and Vulture
Aglianico is southern Italy's great tannic red, from Taurasi in Campania and Monte Vulture in Basilicata. Here is how it tastes, the rules and the food.
6 min read
Wine Regions
Austrian Wine: Grapes, Regions and the DAC System
Austrian wine means Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt. Here are the four main regions, how DAC labels work and what to pair.
8 min read