It's time to get out the crockpot, holiday spices, and cheap Cab to brew up a batch of mulled wine. Mulling wine is a set-it-and-forget-it enterprise that rewards you all day long. It's cheap, easy, and forgiving. And after mulling (and sipping) a good gallon of wine this past weekend, I have some tips to get the most out of your brew. More

Today's playlist is all about fermented grape juice. Ever wonder how to tell if your wine is bad? Want to know how to swirl your wine without spilling it all over? Or how to open Champagne with a saber? We've included some of our favorite wine videos from around the web, including one wine lover's attempt to pair wine with breakfast cereal. More

Over at the Amex OPEN Forum, Maggie writes about creating a thoughtful restaurant wine list. It seems obvious to say it, but the best way for restaurants to encourage customers to order wine with their meals is to make sure the wine complements the food. Check out the article and tell us what you think. More

As part of a press group touring Louis M. Martini and William Hill Estate last week, I got the chance to check out a little winemaking behind the scenes. For a quick look at the making of the 2010 vintage, check out the slideshow! More

In the latest issue of Food and Wine, wine editor Ray Isle recommends 100 bottles to drink now. Some of them are good values, such as Borsao's Tres Picos Garnacha and Veramonte's Sauvignon Blanc. (The Veramonte is one of several Sauvignon Blancs that made our Top Picks Under $10.) Other wines on the list are serious splurges: sure, Dom Pérignon is great, but is that really how you want to spend $150? Isle's recommendation for grower champagne (from Pierre Gimonet et Fils) is probably a better value. More

Bordeaux is a wine with baggage. I always assumed it was an out-of-reach, snobby wine that was too expensive and available only to collectors and le wine buffs with deep pockets. And while it's true that some Bordeaux wines are indeed expensive (top-of-the line Bordeauxs are snapped up for hundreds or even thousands a bottle!) it's just not true across the line. Another common assumption: Bordeaux wines are all red. Nope. Learn more about the misunderstood wine here. More

Some wine experts say wine is easy. I'm not entirely convinced. Requiring a special opener, tippy stemmed glassware, and the potential for flavor flaws, wine comes with its own set of pitfalls. Here's how I avoid and recover from five of the most common entertaining-related wine disasters. More

This Prosecco hit all the right flavor notes, and at $12 a bottle, it's priced right too. But admittedly, one of the things I liked most was the exceptionally beautiful top to the cork cage. It's a painting of an arched wall rendered in gorgeous primary colors—blues, reds, and yellows—like a Renaissance-era painting by one of the Italian masters. Do you have any favorite wine bottle art, whether corks, cork cages, or labels? More

It seemed like a good indication that, when I bought my Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator a few weeks ago, the man at the checkout counter started a long-winded rave about the product. But I figured the proof would be in the pudding (and by pudding, obviously I mean my wine-filled belly). More

I can't help it. I crack up every time I enter a wine store, intending to ask for Soave, the Italian white wine, which frankly deserves some respect. But all too quickly, I lapse into an early 1990s flashback, and I hear in my head: "Suave. Rico...Suave." And with that guttural crooning cheesiness taking over my brain, I collapse into a helpless fit of giggles and have to flee the store. As a longtime Prosecco enthusiast, a sommelier friend advised me that if I like Prosecco, then Soave was a wine well worth trying. More