Gorgonzola (italian Blue Cheese)

White · Medium · Dry

Same grape as Pinot Grigio, different attitude — the Alsatian style is richer, fuller, faintly honeyed, with the structure to handle pork, smoked fish, and Asian aromatics.

Red · Full · Dry

Nebbiolo from a single corner of Piedmont, slow-aged into something legendary. Tar and roses, dried cherry, leather; tannins that take a decade to soften. Decant; pair with truffle, braise, or aged hard cheese.

Red · Full · Dry

The classical red blend — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and friends — from southwest France. Black currant, cedar, tobacco; serious structure; rewards patience and decanting.

Red · Medium · Dry

Sangiovese from Tuscany's historic heartland — denser fruit, longer finish, and a structure that rewards aging. The pizza wine, elevated.

Southern Rhône's other great red — Grenache-led, more structured than Côtes du Rhône, less expensive than Châteauneuf. Dark fruit, herbs, garrigue; built for slow-cooked lamb.

Switzerland's name for Pinot Gris — usually slightly sweet, full-bodied, alpine. The dessert wine of the Valais.

Red · Medium · Dry

The grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco — pale ruby in the glass but ferocious on the palate. Rose, tar, dried cherry, and tannins that need time. Old-school greatness.

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

White · Medium · Off-dry

Same grape as Pinot Grigio, different attitude — the Alsatian style is richer, fuller, faintly honeyed, with the structure to handle pork, smoked fish, and Asian aromatics.

White · Medium · Dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

White · Medium · Dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Another Sauternes neighbor — affordable botrytized Bordeaux dessert wine with honey, citrus peel, and a long sweet finish. The connoisseur's value.