I love movies that let you peek inside a subculture that you might not be able to access otherwise: Word Wars, which follows competitive Scrabble players, and Spellbound, which featured the kids vying to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, are two that come to mind. I'd say that SOMM, which will be available on iTunes on June 21st, has more in common with these movies than wine documentaries like Mondovino or flicks like Sideways. More

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Choosing wine for someone else is tricky, but if your dad's really an oenophile, he'll probably appreciate the effort...and maybe even open the bottle to share with you. More

Buying a liter of vermouth is not that different from buying a gallon of milk: if you don't have a house full of thirsty drinkers, you're better off sizing down. More

It's just the beginning for Mason Pacific, which opened last week in San Francisco's Nob Hill at (you guessed it) the corner of Mason Street and Pacific Ave. But I can say this: it's a nice place to have a glass of wine and the fanciest potato skins you've ever tried. More

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When last we checked in with him, Manny Torres Gimenez was serving fresh pasta and two different prix fixe menus at Roxy's Cafe in the Mission...all without much of a kitchen. At Roxy's, he could basically only boil water on an induction burner; now, he's moved into the old Palace Steakhouse on Mission and Cesar Chavez, and installed a real kitchen, complete with rotisserie, broiler, and grill. The chef, who trained at Nobu in New York and SPQR, Quince, and Coi in San Francisco, says of the new space, "Here, this is like my dream. Now I can use my entire imagination." More

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This time of year, it's easy to feel like you should always be grilling. Got fava beans? Asparagus? Throw them on the grill. Chicken? Who roasts anymore? But grilling adds a layer of flavor to food, and the best drink accompaniment will be different than if you prepared these ingredients another way. We asked 14 sommeliers for advice on the best wines to pair with grilled food. More

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It may be that 3-martini business lunches aren't the norm anymore, but many of today's companies see some value in gathering the staff for an end-of-week drink. What's happy hour like at Food & Wine or Saveur? What about the offices of Campari or Anchor Brewing? More

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Though summer nights elsewhere might have you craving a tall, frosty Tom Collins, the truth is that even the warmest San Francisco days dissolve into cool evenings. What's a bar manager to do? For Danny Louie and Ethan Terry of Alembic on Haight Street in San Francisco, the answer is to craft seasonal drinks—"but not too seasonal," says Louie. You'll see ripe strawberries, but not in a highball. There's a tart tequila drink, but it has added complexity from Oregon-made coffee liqueur, Mexican Fernet, and Spanish brandy. More

Firestone Walker's recently released Pivo Hoppy Pils was influenced by Czech and German pilsners, but was actually inspired by a dry-hopped pils from Birrifico Italiano in Northern Italy. More

Lillet has released a few vintage bottlings in especially good years for white Bordeaux wines, and one of those, 2009, has just reached the market. The blend is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels that are 225 liters. (Regular Lillet is aged in large oak vats ranging from 8,000 liters to 20,000 liters.) More

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This week marks the 20th anniversary of San Francisco's iconic Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, and we were invited to celebrate with cocktails and bites inspired by the season at last night's outdoor 'Cocktails At The Farmers Market' event. We sipped our way through the offerings, which included cocktails made with spring peas, strawberries, beets, and rhubarb from the bartenders of 15 Romolo, Tradition, Trick Dog, Lolinda, Hard Water, and others. More

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The Margarita, Caipirinha, Cuba Libre: "These Latin drinks have a long history," says Chris Lane, bar manager of the Mission's Lolinda and its new rooftop bar and restaurant, El Techo de Lolinda. El Techo's cocktails are meant for relaxed outdoor drinking, but you'll find that there's a craft-cocktail touch here and there. More

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While citrus season in San Francisco has been a pretty good time, fruits and vegetables are starting to get much more exciting. Last Thursday's farmers' market highlights included ripe apricots (!) and peaches (!!) as well as an assortment of berries. More

Portland, Oregon's Salt & Straw is known for churning up unusual ice cream flavors. We're big fans of their Coffee Bourbon ice cream, though we found last fall's rich and savory foie gras flavor a little challenging. In honor of Father's Day, they're launching a sixpack of beer-inspired ice creams featuring local breweries. More

Though 'burrito' isn't really the keyword you're usually looking for on a dim sum menu, this particular item, the Shredded Duck Burrito ($6.90) is a must-order at Koi Palace. It's essentially a set of two flaky, just slightly-greasy, tender scallion pancakes, rolled around moist, rich slices of duck and spears of cucumber. More

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We could just drink pink from here on out: crisp pale coral wines from Provence, fresh California rosés, magenta-hued bottles from Spain...there's a whole rainbow of pink to keep our thirst quenched for the warm months. But which wines should we look for? Which are the most delicious? We asked 15 sommeliers from around the country for their favorite rosé wines, as well as tips for what to eat alongside a glass (or three.) More

Premixed cocktails are tricky to do right. Citrus flavor often comes out oily and lacks the bright acidity that is needed to cut through sweetness. But this premixed cocktail, poured over ice, has more tartness than I expected, moving it toward balance. The only problem: a weird aftertaste from the artificial sweeteners. More

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If you've read up on mezcal and you really want to get into it, there's a world of cocktails out there for you: savory ones with Scotch, rich ones with ginger, cool variations on classics and original cocktails popping up in bars around the country. Here are 9 recipes we love from top cocktail programs around the country » More

You might have experienced a cheese cart or a chocolate cart, but what about a tableside basket of after-dinner bitter liqueurs? At Maialino in the Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC, bar manager Erik Lombardo recently introduced amari service, including a 16-bottle list and a few digestif bottles offered tableside for post-dinner sipping. We asked Lombardo a bit about the program and his picks for amari novices, plus the weirdest bottles and his personal favorites. More

These 7 dry rosés were made with an eye toward balance and character, and the results are elegant, refreshing, and just darn delicious. They'll make you want to get out an ice bucket and blow off work for the afternoon. (And since they're all pretty low in alcohol, you can pour yourself another glass or two.) More

If you're a Campari junkie, or you've been flirting with Fernet, it's time for your next step. Vergano's Americano is one bottle to seek out. More

Ever try to really challenge a bartender who offers 'bespoke' cocktails? The folks at Zagat recently did just that: they went to Sable in Chicago and ordered up custom cocktails made with energy drinks (not the easiest ingredient to mix with.) Could Sable's fancy bartenders rock the Red Bull? More

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Which wines work well with a plate of juicy carnitas or a carne asada burrito? We asked 17 sommeliers for their advice. More

Start your morning off with a margarita-flavored beer, or a bit of philosophy related to winemaking. Try the Elephant Dung coffee stout at your own risk. More

Though shrubs are super-trendy now, they date back to colonial America; before there was refrigeration, vinegar was a handy tool for preserving fruit. It's pretty rare that we'd eagerly recommend any bottled cocktail mixer, but we recently sampled a line of shrub syrups from Shrub & Co and we're really big fans. More