Sorry for the lofty title, but it’s been a culturally edifying few days here at STBNY. On Sunday I went to the Metropolitan Museum and on Monday, we saw our friend perform in an opera. Delightful experiences both, they got me thinking about — what else? — wine. Specifically, about the importance of paying attention.

I’m back from vacation with my latest installment for www.food52.com — a (very) quick primer on how to taste wine.

It’s a big day here at STBNY HQ: I’m delighted to announce our first-ever giveaway contest!

Here’s my latest video tasting for the lovely ladies over at Food52. Look closely for the extra special (canine) guest.

Wine, like people, wants to live within a narrow temperature range. I often get questions about the right temperature for wine storage, but the more pressing question for most of us is the ideal temperature for serving wine.

Happy 2010! Here are my wine resolutions for the year — and my hopes for the world of wine over the next 12 months.

Meet my favorite accompaniment to champagne — an easy, elegant, delightfully fishy salmon spread.

My latest entry: Zweigelt. A crisp, easy-drinking red from Austria, it’s a great match for the kind of rib-sticking cuisine that makes winter bearable.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from STBNY. (That’s our dog/unofficial Spin the Bottle mascot Nutleigh taking a well-deserved break after making that snowman all by herself. She’s quite gifted.) I hope your holidays have been …

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.