Winemaker Stu Smith is a Northern California original — direct, approachable, down-to-earth, and, yes, a real straight-shooter.

So in my last post I alluded to some exciting news at STBNY. Well, here it is: I’m now a contributor at Food52, a great project brought to you by the very talented team of Amanda Hesser, Merrill Stubbs, and a host of incredible home cooks.

I try to avoid the “here’s what I drank last night” approach to wine blogging, just because I don’t think it’s that useful or that interesting. However, I do make exceptions if I think the wine is particularly notable. Last night was one of those exceptions.

Made primarily from the rare Pineau d’Aunis grape, this wine is packed with peppery, herbal, olive and earthy notes that were incredibly refreshing after a few days of Thanksgiving-induced indulgence.

With the holidays officially upon us, we are in prime entertaining/dining out/party hopping mode. That means we’re also at the height of wine giving and receiving, a time of no small anxiety for many of us. One thing that legitimately stresses me out though is the fear of giving someone a bottle of corked wine.

Alcohol is the most obvious component of wine — but the hardest to talk about. We’re all familiar with its effects on us, both good and bad, but we’re much less conscious of how alcohol influences the way a wine tastes and feels in our mouth.

Well hello there! So glad you could stop by. Welcome to Spin the Bottle, my little corner of the Internet. Before you start wandering around, here’s a quick tour to help you get your bearings.

Sugar is by far the most misunderstood component of wine. There’s a common belief that sweet wine is bad wine, but the truth is, sweetness in wine isn’t always a bad thing, and sometimes can be a very, very nice thing indeed.

This picture pretty much sums it up: grapes, sunlight, and the Mediterranean.

I’m just back from my trip to Bandol, which was really spectacular. Many more posts to come, including my first attempts at video, but first I had to share some thoughts about French wine tasting.