Wine

By Courtney Cochran

As every bride-to-be knows, a wedding is about much more than just the ceremony - it's also about the many special occasions (Dress shopping! Shower! Bachelorette!) leading up to "the big event." 

What's more, every oeno-inclined bride-to-be also knows that each and every one of these occasions is destined to be still more memorable when paired with the perfect glass of wine. 

In this spirit, read on for our complete list of wine suggestions for weddings - as well for all of the associated fêtes that come before happily ever after.

What do you get when you mix Brooklyn attitude with Napa style?  The answer is some great tasting wine.  Chris Pisani, Winemaker for ZD Wines, is a rare combination of east coast street smart and California cool.  Growing up in a big Italian family, Chris learned to appreciate the very things that make Napa so memorable: great food, wine and company.  This real-world education made him a perfect fit at ZD Wines where family is the cornerstone of the winery's values, and great wine and food fall close behind.

During his formative years, Chris studied chemistry in college while spending time with his now-wife, Ina, whose father happened to make wines out of their house in Newburgh, New York.  Chris watched, learned, experimented and soon he was hooked.  The seed was planted and before long, Chris and Ina were moving to California for a taste of life in the wine country.

A Sommelier Sheds Light on the Best Wines for BBQ
by Courtney Cochran

Firing, roasting, and grilling are decidedly du rigueur during the summer months, but finding wines that work well with this tricky fare can be a challenge. Just as shining a spotlight on an actor onstage brings her features into focus for an audience, these cooking methods serve to concentrate the flavors of whatever's being cooked, necessitating a wine with both strength and personality to stand up to the food.

Read on for the low-down on some of the more common characteristics of flame-cooked fare and how to track down the perfect wines to pair with these traits.

By Courtney Cochran

Used to be, all you had to do when applying for a job was submit a resume and show up for the interview. Not any more. In today's era of Web 2.0 (see Facebook , TwitterTasteLive , Wine 2.0 , et al), you've also got to prove you can create a one-(wo)man social media empire more or less out of thin air - and do so in the course of a one-minute online video that you (with your stealth online video producing prowess) produce, natch. If all this has you yearning for days when job searching only required a new suit and a few angst-inducing, in-person (read: private) interviews, you're not alone. You may, however, be missing the boat.