Adam Leemon - Adam the Wine Guy http://www.adamthewineguy.com/

Aidan Demarest - The Edison. Los Angeles, CA http://www.edisondowntown.com/

Lyons Brown - Tequila Ocho http://tequilaocho.com/

Dan Dunn - The Imbiber (Author: Nobody Likes a Quitter and other reasons to avoid rehab: The Loaded Life of an Outlaw Booze Writer) http://www.theimbiber.net/

Kylee Van Dillen - Happy Hour Columnist http://theliquidmuse.com/

(tasted: Flor de Caña punch http://www.flordecana.com/)

Market research group Mintel predicts wine sales will have risen by 2.1 percent to $27.6 billion dollars in 2009, up from $27 billion last year.

In 2008, sales declined 3.2 percent, after years of constant growth.

"In 2008, the recession was at its peak," said Garima Goel Lal, an analyst at Mintel, adding that people drank less wine in restaurants and in bars.

Consumers ditched luxury and imported wines priced at over $16 dollars a bottle in favor of bargains such as boxed and domestic value-priced wine, according to the report. 

Read more...

After holding their breath for six years, Napa Valley winemakers can now put the name "Calistoga" on wines made from grapes grown in that historic town, federal regulators have ruled.

The decision ends a long slog through regulatory red tape, and completes a crucial piece of the valley's intricate system for labeling its wines - one that stands to make bottles from the area even more valuable.

"We're all fired up," said James "Bo" Barrett, proprietor of the Chateau Montelena winery, who began petitioning the Treasury Department in 2003.  Read more...

Adam Leemon - Adam the Wine Guy http://www.adamthewineguy.com/

Aidan Demarest - The Edison. Los Angeles, CA http://www.edisondowntown.com/

Alexander Stuempfig - Domain Select http://www.domaineselect.com/

Natalie Bovis-Nelsen - The Liquid Muse (Author: Preggatinis) http://www.theliquidmuse.com/

Derek Buono - Beer Magazine http://www.thebeermag.com/

Brian Lenzo - The Blue Palms Brew House, Los Angeles, CA http://www.bluepalmsbrewhouse.com/

Dan Dunn - The Imbiber (Author: Nobody Likes a Quitter and other reasons to avoid rehab: The Loaded Life of an Outlaw Booze Writer) http://www.theimbiber.net/

(tasted: Brugal Rum http://www.brugal-ron.com/ & Michael Collins Irish Whiskey http://www.michaelcollinswhiskey.com/)

Dear Thanksgiving Wine Worrier:

That fateful time is upon us again. We're sorting through seas of vague and contradictory advice about what wine to put on the table with your feast.

I know you want answers. So for once I'm going to make it easy.

Let's face it: Unless you're selling DIY foreclosure kits, it's been a tough year. My advice, then? Don't worry. Drink what you like. No one's going to put you in wine jail. It's going to be OK. 

Read more...

Koleen Hamblin - Yountville, CA http://www.yountville.com/

Barrie Lynn - The Cheese Impresario http://www.thecheeseimpresario.com/

Kei Inoue - Banzai Beverage http://www.banzaibeverage.com/

Adam Leemon - Adam the Wine Guy http://www.adamthewineguy.com/

H. Ehrmann - Elixir, San Francisco, CA http://www.elixirsf.com/

David Breitstein - The Duke of Bourbon, Canoga Park, CA http://dukeofbourbon.com/

Steve Grossman - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA http://www.sierranevada.com/

This year, the nominations from our 33-member panel of top sommeliers and retailers read like a Who’s Who of American wineries and winemaking talent. By the end of our final blind tasting, Food & Wine’s 12th annual American Wine Awards included winners in 20 categories (new this year: Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio and Rhône-Style White). The value wines were particularly strong and diverse—and the average price of our above-$20 winners was substantially lower than last year’s, too. Sheer chance? Sea change? You decide.

Read more...

Adam Leemon - Adam the Wine Guy http://www.adamthewineguy.com/

David Forbes - The Accidental Wine Company, Los Angeles, CA http://www.accidentalwine.com/

Natalie Bovis-Nelsen - The Liquid Muse (Author: Preggatinis) http://www.theliquidmuse.com/

Ernesto E. Aguirre - Angels Tequila http://www.angelstequila.com/

After wrestling for a spot on the gourmet drink list, beer is trying to push deeper into wine territory: right by the cheese platter.

"Some cheeses are considered to be jewels. And for now wine is a more prestigious partner," says Leonardo Di Vincenzo, owner of Birra del Borgo, a young Italian artisanal brewery that has recently begun exporting to the U.S. But once they try beer with cheese, he says, "People are struck by how easily the two go together."

 Read more...