Likely for most of us, it is a rare opportunity to taste expensive bottles of wine on any given night. But if one is a regular attendee at Tyson Fine Wines and Things’ Thursday evening wine tastings in Anniston, such an opportunity might occur more frequently than expected.

Is there really a difference between cheap and expensive wine, and can most wine consumers tell the difference? Yes and no.

With Christmas less than a week away, likely many are in panic mode struggling to complete last-minute shopping. A special bottle of wine is always a good idea. I would place a bottle of Port in that special category.

Despite the cornucopia of Christmas programming this time of year, including those poorly acted, mushy Hallmark Channel offerings and the ad infinitum showings of “Miracle on 34th Street,” no one spins a Christmas story better than Charles Dickens. He wrote many Christmas stories, but most n…

If you're enjoying that hard apple cider, thank Johnny Appleseed.

UPDATE: Regrettably, master sommelier Jacob Gragg’s plans have changed and he will be unable to honor his longstanding commitment to host the wine tasting mentioned below. However, Jimmy Collins, district manager for Banfi in Tennessee and Alabama, has graciously agreed to step up to the pla…

The co-founders of Ava Winery say their wine is made in a laboratory by chemists.

While at the University of Alabama, Jean Arnold hosted wine and cheese parties in his dorm room.

We are not exactly situated in the heart of winedom here in north Alabama, so it’s a good wine day when word comes that “a wine rep will be in town dragging a bag with a ride along.” This means a wine salesperson is coming to pour samples accompanied by a winery owner, vintner or someone clo…

Ironically, America’s two most maligned wine varietals — chardonnay and merlot — remain among America’s most popular. Despite overwhelming negativity in some wine circles to chardonnay especially, it remains America’s No. 1 bestselling varietal wine.

In the early days of this column, Randall Grahm, eclectic owner of Bonny Doon Winery, made wine news for his departure from planting traditional California grape varietals, opting instead for Rhone varietals such as carignan, grenache and syrah.

Ask the man on the street to name an Italian wine and, if able to do so, “Chianti” will likely be the answer. There are reasons for this, though not necessarily good ones.

A few weeks back, Janet Tyson Prosser, proprietor of the area’s only specialty wine store, Tyson Fine Wines and Things in Anniston, called me to make an immediate command performance at her shop on what was otherwise a boring morning spent with crippling writer’s block.

The Prosecco DOC Consortium has announced the first-ever National Prosecco Week will be celebrated next week, June 11-16. The Prosecco Consortium oversees the production of this wildly popular Italian sparkling wine.

A few weeks back, I was wishing for spring and the accompanying warm weather that ushers in the season. Actually our spring, if indeed there was one, brought only cold, wet weather and a generous coating of pollen.

When this column first appeared in the Star 17 years ago, I was a neophyte to varietal specific glassware. I, like a lot of my contemporaries, bought wholeheartedly into the Riedel Glassworks Company’s philosophy that cabernet should be poured only into glasses specifically designed for cabe…

Tannins in wine get a bad rap. They are blamed for headaches and a world of other sins, but they play a vital role in the development and longevity of red wines.

One of the most ubiquitous condiments, if indeed it can be classified as a condiment, is Angostura aromatic bitters. For those who may have noticed this small, unassuming bottle in the cocktail mixers section of your grocery, perhaps we should first tackle its pronunciation: ang-go-store-ah.

In my childhood household, the Easter meal was a second runner-up to the Christmas meal, differing only in the Easter feast being followed with an egg hunt for real boiled eggs colored with food coloring.

As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, I face an identity crisis. My ancestor surnames include Morris and Campbell. I have always felt the very Irish “Morris” certified my right to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day (not to mention imbibing a bit of Irish whiskey in a cup of coffee), while the “Campb…

Few things are more comforting on a cold winter evening than a deliciously braised piece of beef and a good bottle of red wine.

If asked to name the king of California wine, I would likely name the late Robert Mondavi — not Kanaye Nagasawa, who was known as the King of California Wine until his death in 1934.

In the premiere appearance of this column in March 2001, I was tasked with recommending locally available wines for stocking a wine cellar. Most of the wines I recommended then would not receive my nod of approval today — with the rare exception of Bogle merlot.

With all the wine on the American market today, chardonnay remains the best-selling varietal by volume. That it remains Americans’ favorite can be explained by four words: Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve.