I think this bottle would do a good job of convincing the skeptic that New York can make the kind of well-made, easy-drinking wines that California, Australia, and Chile churn out in vast quantities…now if only they could fix the packaging.

In my mind (and my household) there are two types of cooks: recipe followers and improvisers. I fall squarely into the former category. There are, however, a few exceptions.

My contribution to our beach weekend, aside from some very competent food styling work for this tomato tart, was a selection of Bandol. Whenever I have a vineyard vacation planned, like next month’s trip to Provence, I like to test-drive some wines beforehand.

I haven’t made anything from a New York Times recipe in ages. Blame the inexorable march away from print and to the Internet, if you must — I skim the Wednesday food section online at work, when I only have time to focus on the nitty-gritty (restaurant reviews and wine). But for some reason last week the tomato tart recipe caught my eye.

When you’re tasting wine, it’s tempting to focus on smells and flavors to the exclusion of all else. After all, noting what a wine smells or tastes like lets us compare it to things that are already familiar — “that reminds me of grapefruit!” or “does anyone else taste blackberries?” But it’s just as important to think about a wine’s structural elements, too.

When I teach tasting classes, I usually bring varietal wines — that is, wines that are made from a single grape, and labeled as such. I do this for a few reasons.

I had a professor in grad school who never failed to point out the most glaringly obvious themes in whatever play we were reading and treat them like trenchant insights — gee, Tennessee Williams’ homosexuality …

So I heard back from the fine folks at J. Emerson, and here’s what we’re going to be tasting (these are their comments, not mine):

Do Ferreiro Albarino 2006 (Rias Baixas, Spain): Hands down, one of …

Last night we (OK, my husband) grilled up some Newport steak and zucchini, and a friend brought over this Sy Substance Syrah from Washington. I always forget about Washington State wines, a big oversight on …