Wine Recommendations

Summertime is the season of backyard barbecues and grilled steak. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend a red wine to pair with that summertime staple, grilled steak: When I have a grilled steak , it’s a special occasion. The meat itself is a treat, so the wine doesn’t need to be anything complicated or expensive—just solid, red and balanced, with good body and acidity to stand up to the entree. A Bordeaux or one of the more balanced California Cabernets or Bordeaux blends always works well, as does a solid Merlot. The advantage of a Merlot is that it doesn’t need all the bottle age that most Cabs do to be food friendly. California Merlots also tend to be a good value, and some of my favorites, which are ideal with steak, come from A. Rafanelli, Castello di Amorosa, Darioush, Peju Province and Robert Keenan.

What's a good christmas gift for someone who loves wine? Wine is a common gift during the Christmas holiday season. However nobody wants to give a random bottle, particularly if the recipient is a wine connoisseur. To offer some guidance for holiday shoppers looking for an appropriate and unique wine gift, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts to share their best suggestion for a unique wine gift idea: " Chateau Musar vintage red . Chateau Musar is one of the most unusual gift items for Christmas. It is always a surprise to those that don't know that Lebanon makes wine. For those who do know, they know that it is highly regarded and it was a wine chosen with a bit more thought and attention than just a big brand name. It is a wine that ages for as long as you like, so it is for collectors, yet can be drunk immediately. It is also a wine which goes perfectly with almost any sort of food, so whether having turkey, ham, goose or salmon." - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco. New Years Eve Champagne Recommendations

Valentine's Day conjures up images of wine, roses, and chocolates. Yet every year young and old lovers alike are disappointed when they try to pair a Valentine's Day wine with chocolate. Either the chocolate overcomes the wine or the wine overcomes the chocolate. In the spirit of the holiday, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts their thoughts on what romantic wine pairs well with Valentine's Day chocolate: The perfect bottle for such a sweet occasion is Louis Guntrum's Scheurebe . Not only is it a very good white wine but it comes in the quintessentially perfect Valentine presentation of a bright red bottle! The Scheurebe grape is similar in character to Riesling but perhaps more food friendly. It is the right price at $16.99 to gift along with a lovely box of chocolates [my favorite valentine's chocolate purveyor being www.cocoabella.com ]. Buy Louis Guntrum Wines So, not only does this wine go well with a lovely dinner but it has enough richness but a dry enough finish to pair well with chocolate! This bottle should be on every table of every restaurant on Valentine's day. It brightens up the room and puts a warm smile on every face that sees it. - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco.

Easter dinner is an annual feast rivaled -in many households- only by Thanksgiving and Christmas. With ham being the traditional Easter dinner main course, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts their thoughts on what wine to pair with an Easter ham. Before I offer my suggestion on a wine pairing for ham, I must confess, my Easter is usually dominated with the pigglish consumption of chocolate. Morning to night, chocolate beckons and, of course, Port washes it down nicely. I suggest a nice tawny with dark or bitter chocolate, such as the Ferreira Quinta do Por to 10 year old . With milk chocolate, I prefer a richer, fruitier Port such as, recently reviewed on IntoWineTV , Ferreira Ruby. If your budget is more flexible, you could trade up to an unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage, such as Quinta do Crasto LBV . But I digress from the assigned topic: wine paired with ham.

New Year's Eve conjures images of champagne corks popping and bubbly flowing as party goers sing Auld Lang Syne while the clock strikes midnight to ring new hope for all. Rather than buying the typical boring grocery store Champagne for New Year's Eve, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts their thoughts on what a good sparkling wine alternative would be to toast the clock striking midnight: "At the turn of midnight , New Year's Eve, you don't want to be singing Ol'Langsynen with an expensive Champagne being carelessly flung around. However, you do want to think that you are drinking true Champagne. Well, there is one Cava that hits the jackpot. It is Montsarra at approx $16 a bottle, you cannot go wrong with this wine. It has a beautiful label and also a true Champagne taste. The three traditional grapes, Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada are enhanced by 5% Chardonnay, one of the three principal Champagne gr apes [the other two being Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier]. This 5% Chardonnay lends it to being more true to Champagne, whereas those that add grapes which are neither true to Cava or Champagne may be fun but more of a fruit cocktail. Montsarra has been consistently the highest ranked Cava by the Wine Enthusiast and it is certainly the only sparkling wine that I like to drink as much as true Champagne." - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco Watch " Sparkling Wine Recommendations " - Latest Wine Tasting Videos on IntoWineTV