If your impression of Chianti is associated with inexpensive fat-bottomed straw-wrapped “fiasco” bottles, often used as candle-holders once empty, you are in for a treat. This tasting zooms in on Chianti Classico, a region distinct from Chianti, and even better, on its recently approved additional geographic units within the region, the UGAs (Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive).

In some ways, it’s a pretty geeky tasting theme, one that dives into terroir, grape varieties and winemaking methods, requiring a bit of work to find the right wines and allowing you to taste some of the many shades of Chianti Classico and form your own impressions of the region’s wines.

In other ways, it’s one of the simplest tastings of all, since Chianti Classico is the OG Chianti, defining wines from the hilly region between Florence and Siena, iconically represented by the black rooster on every bottle. It’s arguably the most famous Italian wine, the one you were probably introduced to long before you knew anything about wine, especially if you were lucky enough to grow up eating out on special occasions in old-school Italian-American joints with red-checked tablecloths and “sauce” (or even better, “gravy”) on everything like I did.

It’s a truism in Burgundy that the small, walled town of Beaune is the capital of the Burgundy wine world, though Dijon, further north, is the capital of Burgundy, the region. To make things even more fun, the Côte d’Or is the heart of Burgundy’s great vineyards, with its swath of appellations that comprises the northerly Côte de Nuits and the southerly Côte de Beaune…but when it comes to Pinot Noir, often considered Burgundy’s greatest triumph, the Côte de Nuits (much of which is closer to Dijon) reigns supreme.

Somehow, the Red Burgundies of the Côte de Beaune, even with the beating heart of the wine world beckoning visitors inside its town walls, tends to be discussed only after the great Red Burgundies of the Côte de Nuits. If we tally up the Grand Crus dedicated to Red Burgundies, the Côte de Nuits has almost all of them, with just one, Corton, looking down from its hilltop at the northernmost edge of the Côte de Beaune.

Knowing this, you could decide that the Côte de Beaune’s Red Burgundies are somehow second class…or you could decide to taste for yourself, forming your own opinions (while thanking your lucky stars that such world class wines tend to command slightly lower prices than those in the Côte de Nuits).

This tasting guide is for those who might have heard of Red Burgundy, but aren’t entirely sure what the grape variety is, much less why the wines are such a big deal. It’s for anyone who’s read a wine list littered with French words, then slid their eyes toward something less intimidating instead. It’s for anyone who finds a wall of similar-looking bottles, all with ivory labels and French words in thin, loopy cursive text overwhelming. This tasting is your opportunity to clear up the confusion in a relaxed way, amidst people with whom you know you can react however and say whatever you want, regardless of what you did or didn’t know before.

If you’re already well into the world of Burgundy, you can use this tasting as a refresher or an experience guide, a way to compare the best-known villages in the Pinot Noir-dominant Côte de Nuits side-by-side. Just know that it’s written for those who are new here, and that 6 wines will never cover the beast that is Burgundy in its entirety. Even one of my beloved (and heavy) 800-page Burgundian tomes can’t cover every single thing.

I won’t pretend that anyone could cover all of Red Burgundy, or even just the ones from the Côte de Nuits, in just 6 wines. But. It’s still possible to explore some of the region’s best-known Red Burgundy appellations with friends, and without even breaking the bank.

This tasting guide is for those who might have heard of Red Burgundy, but aren’t entirely sure what the grape variety is, much less why the wines are such a big deal. It’s for anyone who’s read a wine list littered with French words, then slid their eyes toward something less intimidating instead. It’s for anyone who finds a wall of similar-looking bottles, all with ivory labels and French words in thin, loopy cursive text overwhelming. This tasting is your opportunity to clear up the confusion in a relaxed way, amidst people with whom you know you can react however and say whatever you want, regardless of what you did or didn’t know before.

If you’re already well into the world of Burgundy, you can use this tasting as a refresher or an experience guide, a way to compare the best-known villages in the Pinot Noir-dominant Côte de Nuits side-by-side. Just know that it’s written for those who are new here, and that 6 wines will never cover the beast that is Burgundy in its entirety. Even one of my beloved (and heavy) 800-page Burgundian tomes can’t cover every single thing.

How can you taste all of White Burgundy in just 6 wines? The answer: you can’t. But. You can still use this tasting guide to explore some of the region’s best-known White Burgundy appellations with friends without breaking the bank.

This is a tasting guide for those who hear the words “White Burgundy” and think, so what is that, exactly? Why are White Burgundies considered the Chardonnay wines? Is it Burgundy or Bourgogne? Why are there so many French words on the bottles, and why doesn’t it just say on the label that it’s a White Burgundy?

These questions and others will be answered within, promise.

If you’re already well into the world of Burgundy, you can still use this tasting as a refresher or an experience guide, a way to compare the best-known villages side-by-side. Just know that it’s written for those who are new here, and that 6 wines will never cover the beast that is Burgundy in its entirety. Even one of my beloved (and heavy) 800-page Burgundian tomes can’t cover every single thing.

The Jura is just a tiny little region, but it’s gained international notoriety in recent years as wine aficionados have discovered just how special these wines are. There aren’t many places in the world with so many different and entirely individual wines packed into such a small area.

When I visited Jura for the Percée du Vin Jaune in 2019, the streets of Lons-le-Saunier were bustling and my friends and I ducked down into cellars to taste the newest vintage of Vin Jaune, the Jura’s famous aged white wine. Banners streamed across the streets, music and laughter abounded, and informal parades, costumes and Comté cheeses of all ages were everywhere. There were sandwiches of Morbier and Morteau to fortify you between tastings, and when we left the city to visit producers, we were immediately transported to bucolic settings, complete with adorably chunky and floppy-eared pet bunnies welcoming us before tastings.

The sparkling Crémants punched well above their weight class, the whites were powerful and the reds were delicate. I savored every second and would go back in a heartbeat. Consider this tasting your chance to experience the best of the Jura from wherever you are.

This time of year six years ago, I had just finished all of the MBA final exams, projects and papers and was finally feeling the giddy exhaustion of accomplishment. Our class toasted and danced at our local cocktail bar in Dijon, and then my classmates began to move away to their respective corners of the world. I hung on for a few weeks, just as long as my money would stretch. And I set off with a friend and classmate to spend a weekend in Alsace.

Alsace is one of those regions where the borders have shifted time and again while the residents and their traditions resolutely endured. Not quite French, not quite German, Alsace is a place all its own. The villages here served as inspiration for Beauty and the Beast, a fairytale apropos to the region’s over-the-top charm. And that’s all before you’ve even begun to taste the wines. Wines whose breadth is tremendous, with character to spare.

The seasonal fake-out that is Spring in Denmark these days has me hankering for places where Spring is lush, romantic and picturesque. Ideally bursting with colorful blooms. Preferably with scenic vistas and calming waters. Even better if there are romantic castles galore. So yes, I’m envisioning flowy floral dresses and frolicking in the Loire Valley.

As always, one of our best options for travel-in-a-bottle is wine. This tasting takes us to the garden of France, the valley of the kings. Let’s sip our way into an idyllic Spring with the whites of the Loire Valley, shall we?

As an American Millennial, *Under the Tuscan Sun,* Diane Lane’s post-divorce rediscovery of life and love cemented my idea of Tuscany as a region that’s essentially one big romantic idyll, so this theme feels apropos for Valentine’s Day today. For the Danes, you might feel this way about *Toscana* or *Madklubben,* both of which I watched while trying to improve my Danish language skills. Made in Italy is on my to-watch list, too, and even the Hallmark movie-esque *La Dolce Villa,* since I fully expect romance, heartstring tugs, abundant sunshine, picturesquely historic properties and food and wine galore.

This is the romantic idea of Tuscany that far-flung Italophiles have cultivated, and without having been there myself (yet), I’m unwilling to listen to anything that might change it. Sure, I’ve lived in Europe for years now and have visited other parts of Italy, so I know that the reality won’t exactly match the film ideal, but my experiences with Tuscany’s food, wine and people have only cemented the region’s draw.

If Tuscany tugs at your heartstrings (and tastebuds), too, I hope you’ll treat this tasting as an opportunity to share some of the region’s best-known red wines and foods with people you love - or could grow to love - too.

Whenever I picture Piedmont, it’s autumn. Even though I’ve been on calls with producers, watched videos and seen plenty of photos from other seasons, it’s somehow always autumn in Piedmont in my mind. Clearly, I need to plan a visit to Piedmont in the autumn and make this picture a reality. Until then though, let’s talk about tasting the wines from this beautiful Italian region.

All the way up in northern Italy, amongst the foothills of the Alps, Piemonte, which roughly translates to “at the foot of the mountains” is a continental region where long, slow growing seasons and late autumn harvests result in ethereal wines with haunting, kaleidoscopic aromas and flavors. Oh, and this is also the region of egg-based pastas with butter and white truffles galore. Autumn or no, tasting the best of Piedmont is always a good idea.

In the spirit of heading somewhere warm, sunny and beautiful in our glasses, even if not in real life, this tasting focuses on red wines from the Italian islands. There are nearly 450 islands in Italy, but not all of them make wines that are widely distributed internationally, so more specifically, we’re going to take a look at the wines from the big islands: Sicily and Sardinia.

In the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily and Sardinia are each very much their own place. While both islands are technically part of Italy, they’re also considered autonomous regions. In addition to Italian, each has their own language - languages, really. If you were to ask someone from Sicily or Sardinia whether they were Italian, the answer would likely be that they’re Sicilian or Sardinian first and foremost. And of course, each island has its own food and wine culture, developed over centuries, with both indigenous and foreign influences. Each has developed a flavor that’s entirely their own…and always worth tasting.

Some of the wildest tasting notes I’ve ever taken are from Rioja’s Reds. It’s a region that’s as famous and historic as any in the world, yet somehow frequently under-valued…which means you can find insane prices on some stunners. One of the misperceptions that affects Rioja’s popularity is that its aging classification system, with the Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva categories, is the primary - and sometimes only - way to understand its wines.

I’ve taken an alternative approach in this tasting, focusing instead on the two factors that have the most impact what you’re tasting in the glass:

1. Location, location, location

2. How the wine is made

November has indelibly become the month of Beaujolais. Thanks to Georges Duboeuf’s marketing promotion in the 1970s, Beaujolais Nouveau, a particular style of Beaujolais, is celebrated every third Thursday in November with cries of “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” and a lot of wine. Not all of it good. In fact, most of it not.

But there’s so much more to Beaujolais than Nouveau. I won’t say that Beaujolais Nouveau is horrible, since there are some that are decent, but in this tasting, we’re going to focus on Beaujolais that’s not Nouveau. The good stuff. Specifically, the crus.

I love Champagne. Love the wine, love the place, love the people, love the stories. I am completely biased when it comes to Champagne, but I still hope this tasting helps you sort through what is marketing fluff and what is actually true about these wines. And as always, I hope it helps you discover your own preferences and favorite styles of Champagne.

The Rhône might as well be two separate regions. The defining feature that connects them both is the namesake river, cutting through France from the Swiss Alps all the way south to the Mediterranean. But the Northern and Southern Rhône are very different places viticulturally. This tasting covers the top red wine appellations: 3 from the north and 3 from the south, so that you can form your own opinions about Rhône Reds.

Chardonnay is the most-grown white grape variety globally, so pretty much everyone has heard of it. That ubiquity hasn’t always helped Chardonnay though, especially California Chardonnay. After a huge wave of popularity in the 90s, the “ABC” movement (Anything But Chardonnay) gained traction in an effort to shift away from buttery, overripe, oaky wines that were starting to all taste the same. Trends always change though, and so do winemaking styles. Recent endorsements from celebs like Lizzo have certainly given Chardonnay a boost in perception.

California Chardonnay is often discussed like it’s a single style of wine, rather than a wide range of styles depending on where the grapes are grown and how the winemaker decided to treat the wine. This tasting is intended to give a sense of the range of styles produced in that massive and sunny state, so that you can figure out what you prefer.