Wine Recommendations

Beef Bourguignon is a French staple. From rustic peasant origins, this rich stew of beef braised in red wine has evolved to win a place among the most widely known traditional dishes of French haute cuisine. We asked our panel of experts what they’d recommend to sip alongside this hearty, robust dish:

If you take a look at the Australian white wines available at a typical liquor store, you probably won't see much diversity. You'll find chardonnay and riesling, and perhaps pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. And, most likely, you'll be missing out on the amazing range of white wines available from Australian producers.

IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts for their recommendation for the best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: New Zealand took the wine world by storm with its intensely flavored Sauvignon Blancs starting in the 1980s. Sauv Blanc is still the most widely planted grape in Kiwi Country, by a long shot, and there are numerous great examples. My favorite NZ Sauv Blanc from recent vintages is the 2012 Loveblock, the first vintage from Kim and Erica Crawford’s new label. They were the team behind the hugely successful Kim Crawford label, which they sold to Vincor International in 2003 for $8.6 million. The Loveblock is a complex, structured Sauvignon Blanc, with notes of ripe lime, smoke and sweet green chili. You can find it for an average of $18 at U.S. retailers. Another favorite producer is the justly famous Cloudy Bay, which makes both a delicious, balanced, unoaked version, as well as a Sauv Blanc that is reminiscent of a white Bordeaux from a ripe year—the Te Koko, which spends 18 months in French oak. One more great one is the intensely flavored Saint Clair Family Estate Selection. Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com.

German Rieslings are, to put it bluntly, misunderstood wines. German winemakers will tell you that Riesling is their country's flagship wine and that the Riesling grape works perfectly with the cooler climates and slaty soils of German river valleys. If, however, you ask a group of non-German wine drinkers to tell you about Riesling, several of them will probably use phrases like "too sweet" and "doesn't pair well" in their descriptions. In my opinion, they are missing out on one of the world's great wines.

IntoWine asked a panel of wine experts to recommend the best Rhone red wine (for the money): With the price of Chateauneuf-du-Pape skyrocketing , now is a good time to explore some of the other Rhone Valley AOCs that offer good wines at better values. Just north east of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the sun-drenched village of Vacqueyras. As if being overlooked by those on the prowl for Chateauneuf-du-Pape weren’t enough, like a younger sibling lost in the shadow of its glamorous older sister, Vacqueyras often plays second fiddle to its northerly neighbor Gigondas. Well the vineyards of Vacqueyras may not be as picturesque as those of Gigondas , their wines may not be as long lived, and they may not have received AOC status until nearly 20 years after Gigondas, but wines from Vacqueyras offer a rustic simplicity that make one think of enjoying a hearty cassoulet in a tiny cobblestone French village. By law the wines must be at least 50% Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre making up at least 20% of the blend. A fine example of Vacqueyras is the 2006 Clef de Murailles . This wine is made out of grapes grown from a local grower’s co-op and offers a classic expression of what the region produces at an affordable price. Deep and brooding, the wine is uninfluenced by oak so the spicy, mineral-laden terroir shines through. There is a touch of red fruit to this wine, but it’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re looking for a jammy fruit bomb, stick to California; this is not your wine. But if you’re interested in taking a chance on an honest, traditional wine from a region that is generally ignore, pop open a bottle of Clef de Murailles. - Kareasa Wilkins , Wine Consultant for Weimax Wines & Spirits in Burlingame, CA and an IntoWine Featured Writer