The top five myths about wine

1. Labels are meaningless or confusing (or both)
   The wine world can be divided, roughly, into the “old” world—most of the well-known western European wine-producing areas, and the “new” world—the rest of the world. The old world often names the wine after the region from where it comes, like France , and the new world generally names the wine after the grape, like California.
2. Red wine goes with red meat; white wine goes with white meat. Sure, this works sometimes, but consult our pairing section for tips on pairing that take seconds to read through.
3. Wine should be drunk at room temperature. We think that white wines are served a bit too cold and red wines are served a bit too warm. Fifty-five degrees is ideal. Try a one hour chill in the fridge to get there.
4. I can’t afford wine. Sure, a first-growth Bordeaux is out of the question for most of us. But there’s also nothing like that rare $12 bottle you find at the place up the street. It’s important to know that you can find a wine that costs far less than you might think. Our reviews showthat stunning wine can be affordable.
5. Corks or screwtops? Bottle or box? In our humble opinion, screwcaps are just fine (and a screwcap New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will make your summer camping trip that much easier). Box wines can be fine. They keep for weeks and are great for a crowd.

Wine vs. Stocks

The Liv-Ex 100, a benchmark composed of collectible, mostly-Bordeaux wines, is up over 35% over the past year. The U.S. stock market (based on the S&P 500) is up 12% over the same time period.

Chinese demand for that Bordeaux has played a part, but wine is still not part of the the average person's investment universe.

Where will the wine market go? Will Americans keep drinking through the recession? Has your collection beat the market?

Martha Coakley lost the battle (against wine, that is)

If, like me, you've encountered the cynical shrug that tasting room staffers give you when you ask for wine to be shipped to Massachusetts, then the news is getting better.

You see, whatever your stance is on the drama-filled Senate race between Martha Coakley and Scott Brown, wine drinkers can celebrate the fact that Coakley just lost her battle against the right for Massachusetts residents to have wine shipped to their state.

Coakley appealed a court ruling that struck down the Massachusetts law that forbids direct wine shipment from producers who make more than 30,000 gallons a year. This means that whether you're enjoying a bottle in Tuscany, Bordeaux, or Barossa, you'd better guzzle it there, because you can't ship it home. And with ever-stricter airline security measures, it's increasingly tough to take it with you.

This does not mean that you can ship a case home from Napa during your vacation next week. Neither FedEx nor UPS will ship your wine to Massachusetts because other laws which also seem to violate the Commerce Clause still stand.

Open direct shipping will require legislative debate, further wrangling, and probably more "yeah, but.." workarounds that stand against consumer choice.

There's reason for optimism. Progress will be made, albeit slowly. Remember when you had to live near New Hampshire or wait until the holidays to buy alcohol on Sundays?

Or when Christmas was illegal in Massachusetts?