The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

We Fell in Love with Pinot Noir, but Will the Sideways Affair Last?

It’s almost impossible to pinpoint the start of a major cultural shift. What work of art begins the Italian Renaissance, for instance, or on what day did the Jazz Age start? But there’s no doubt that ...

Vegan Wines and How to Spot Them

With current health trends, a lot of people are looking for any and every way to cut their caloric intake. Many have joined the lifestyle of veganism and if not completely, some have opted for ...

You Can Do that to Wine?

People ask me all the time: What can I do with a wine that’s going bad? And I say, Freeze it. Or: The wine my family prefers is too dry, and I say, Add fruit juice to yours. When warm wine is served ...

Roasted Veggies with Wine

Like geese are drawn southwards for the winter, when the temperature plummets my instinct pulls me into the kitchen to roast a passel of vegetables. And since I’ve given up trying to enjoy any dish ...

Get Touchy-Feely with Wine Texture

Slipping into a silky robe on a hot summer day is a feeling we can all dream of during Chicago’s icy blast. Now we’re bundling up in wool scarves and coats. But how would we feel about a wool scarf ...

The Good and Bad News about Wine

After college graduation, I moved to New York City, where a classmate offered a patch of her studio apartment to me until I found my own crib. At her door, she greeted me, “I have good news and bad ...

Holiday Wine Gifts at The Chopping Block

Wine is fun and easy for holiday gift-giving. There’s a price for every pocketbook, it’s appropriate for friends, family and business colleagues and – despite disruptions in many supply chains – ...

Mary's Aha! Moment in Wine

Sometimes in life, one moment changes everything. For me, it was the moment I "got" wine. It was 40 years ago, but I remember it like yesterday. I was lucky enough to be included in a wine tasting ...

Wine for BBQ

For international entertainment without needing a passport, try a world cuisine barbeque with wine.

Explore the World of Wine in our New Tasting Series

Back when I shifted my career from sommelier to educator and marketer, my first project was to create a database of every wine product sold in Chicagoland. When I reached 10,000 entries, the client ...