Bill Daley

Waking up to the 'sleeping giant' region of Languedoc

March 18, 2009

Languedoc may be France's largest wine region but being big has won it little respect. Usually overshadowed by Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire and Alsace, Languedoc (pronounced lahng-DAWK) is best known—if known at all—for the vast lake of inexpensive wine it produces.

    Recent columns

  • Waking up to the 'sleeping giant' region of Languedoc

    March 18, 2009

    Languedoc may be France's largest wine region but being big has won it little respect. Usually overshadowed by Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire and Alsace, Languedoc (pronounced lahng-DAWK) is best known—if known at all—for the vast lake of inexpensive wine it produces.

  • From wine glass to canvas, painter explores the visual meaning of terroir

    March 11, 2009

    Artists over the centuries have chosen all sorts of seemingly unusual things with which to create their art, from ground-up roots, soils and foods to blood and even urine, as Andy Warhol so infamously proved.

  • Women's Board of the Lyric Opera auction takes in $1.2 million

    March 9, 2009

    Despite an economy falling faster than Tosca from the parapet of Castel Sant'Angelo, the Women's Board of the Lyric Opera set a record Friday for their uber-glam wine auction: $1.2 million.

  • Finding the right wine for Ethiopian spice

    March 4, 2009

    Ethiopians have for centuries made a honey wine known as tej. You can sometimes find this meadlike beverage for sale at some Ethiopian restaurants. Or, you could try a mead made domestically.

  • Don't wait to open that special bottle of wine

    February 25, 2009

    Drinking the wine of your choice is the theme of this week's column, including wines you currently own and wines currently unobtainable, thanks to Illinois law.

  • Report from The Stew

    February 18, 2009

    Here are some recent items from the Stew, our food and dining blog.

  • A Shrove Tuesday tradition

    February 18, 2009

    With Shrove Tuesday occurring next week, now is a good time to practice your pancake-making skills.

  • Malbec's star turn

    January 28, 2009

    Mad about malbec yet? If you're not now, you'll likely be a fan soon. This Argentine red has become a red-hot pour.

  • If you have to pick just one...

    January 21, 2009

    So, your Chinese New Year's dinner is being served family-style or you're just too hurried, hassled or un-heeding to bother matching wine to your specific Year of the Ox dishes. OK then. What's the one be-all, end-all wine that will get you from spring roll to fortune cookie?

  • What to drink at your inauguration party

    January 14, 2009

    Glasses will be hoisted high on Tuesday as the country toasts the inauguration of Barack Obama as president. What should you serve at your Obama party? Try the following.

  • Wine suggestions for soon-to-be President Obama

    January 14, 2009

    Barack Obama faces some sobering issues once inaugurated. but it's interesting to think how the president-elect and his wife, Michelle, might lead the nation when it comes to serving and enjoying wine.

  • Not your parent's sauvignon blanc

    July 16, 2008

    Sauvignon blanc is popular in the U.S. today largely because the late Robert Mondavi had the smarts 40 years ago to market the white wine under another name: fumé blanc.

  • Label confusion

    May 14, 2008

    Italian wines are the biggest-selling imported wines in the United States, but just how well does the average wine consumer know them? Probably not much beyond Chianti or pinot grigio.

  • Jug-heads

    November 7, 2007

    Jug wine has long been scorned for its simple flavors, cheap prices and ample gallonage. In the last few years, though, jug wine has gathered some retro charm as a few winemakers tweak its down-market persona into something hipper and more contemporary.

  • Bullish for tinto de Toro

    October 10, 2007

    Wine drinkers are growing increasingly bullish for Spanish wines of all types, including the distinctive tinto de Toro reds. These wines made from the tempranillo grape are named for a town on the Duero River in the province of Zamora, northwest of Madrid. The appellation is small in size, but the area is standing increasingly tall in the international market.

  • Consider the cork

    October 3, 2007

    What's inside the wine bottle is what counts, of course, but debate continues to rage within the industry over the question of how that bottle should be stoppered. Now, into the fray comes a voice of reason outlining the problems and the challenges that preserving wine poses.

  • In Saugatuck, an inn with 11 views

    July 16, 2006

    Wickwood Inn, Saugatuck, Mich.

Bill Daley

Bill Daley

Chicago Tribune on Digg

Digg