Osteria L’Intrepido doesn't exist, but still won Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence in the August 2008 issue. As part of his research for an academic paper, Robin Goldstein duped the magazine by submitting the required fee ($250), cover letter, wine list, and menu ("a fun amalgamation of somewhat bumbling nouvelle-Italian recipes"). [via Eater]... More

Boxed wine usually comes in the scoffable Franzia or Gallo forms, but the quality may improve and shed its tacky taboo. In lieu of heavy glass bottles, the lighter packaging (oftentimes nicknamed the "bladder pack") is more environmentally and economically friendly. According to Tyler "Dr. Vino" Colman in a New York Times op-ed piece yesterday: a standard wine bottle (holding 750 milliliters) that travels from a California vineyard to a New York store generates about 5.2 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions, while a three-liter box generates only half the emissions per 750 milliliters. Perks of boxed wine: the box is good for table wines that don’t need to age (which includes all but a handful of top global wines); saving leftovers... More

Every other week, Deb Harkness of Good Wine Under $20 joins us to talk some Serious Grape. Here's the latest. Photograph from cynicaloptimist on Flickr Before Sideways, did you buy lots of Pinot Noir? Or did it take the film and its famous line about Merlot to get you off the ubiquitous red wine of the 1990s in favor of something a bit lighter on its feet? Wine grapes have as many promising upswings and dismal downward trends as your stock portfolio. Whenever two or more wine enthusiasts are gathered in a room, sometime after the second glass of wine the conversation inevitably turns to crystal ball gazing and trying to figure out what the next big grape will be.... More

The New York Times reports that some fine government-approved Italian wine will, for the first time, be sold in boxes instead of bottles. Italy’s Agriculture Ministry is now offering its D.O.C. designation, which verifies the product’s origin, for some boxed wines. Worry not—the more rarefied D.O.C.G. seal is still reserved for bottles. Boxed wine has been around for several decades and over the years has gotten better and earned more respect. According to a related article in the New York Times, opening up a nice box with dinner is a bit more embraced in Australia and in Europe than on our own shores. Still, wine from a cardboard spout hasn't been able to shake its cheap and crappy stigma. Might... More

With the media full of advice on how to “recession proof” your wine drinking habits, entering “recession proofing wines” into a search engine yields pages and pages of tips. People keep asking me if the recession has changed what I am drinking or how often I am drinking it. But the answer is no. I drink like it’s a recession all the time. The Three Golden Rules Tightening your belt and cutting back on your wine budget during economic hard times doesn’t have to be a curse or an unpleasant chore—it can be a blessing and an adventure. There are three golden rules for drinking good wine regardless of the economy: don’t get sucked into the lemming-like hysteria surrounding wines... More

Honor the ancient honey wine tomorrow with meadmakers across the country celebrating at registered sites. First described in the ancient Rigveda hymns, later in Beowulf, and beloved by ancient Celtic and Germanic tribes across centuries, mead has even inspired its own comprehensive book: The Compleat Meadmaker. Bees everywhere would want you to get your mead on.... More

Some of us just aren't well-versed in wine, but at least we can admit it with a bit more style and less sheepishness. Just hang one of these pretty letter-pressed wine tags by Popptags on the bottle neck, or customize your own. Hey, it's better than pretending to be a wine expert. [via New York magazine]... More

If Sideways didn't quench your thirst for a wine flick, look out for Bottle Shock. Based on the "Judgment of Paris" in 1976, a British wine merchant (played by Alan Rickman) travels to Napa Valley—not yet synonymous with good wine—to check out the small wine scene and is left so impressed that he decides to conduct a blind taste test between California and French wine. The movie premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and will be released in theaters August 6, 2008. Check out the trailer after the jump.... More

©iStockphoto.com/joanvicent Wine snobs—you can spot 'em a mile away: that look of deep concentration as they swirl their glass for a good measure, that thoughtful gaze that crosses their face as they take a sip, and then the look of concentration as they purse their lips, grasping to create flowy phrases using words like "acidic," "rustic," and "full-bodied." Well, the rest of us common folk can join in this elite league too—check out this guide on how to be an alcohol snob. Among the things to keep in mind: Smell the drink: "If someone ventures their own review as to what it smells like, frown as though you're too busy concentrating on this intense bouquet to interrupt it with... More