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Toast to Summer with our New Wines

Together with The Chopping Block's staff, I’ve recently sniffed, slurped and spit wares from Chicagoland’s finest wine purveyors to bring you our new wine list! As always, we focus on small ...

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What Makes Italian Wine So Good?

Italy is still our favorite wine import, outpacing second place France in both dollars and volume, according to Wine Business Monthly, April 2021. So, what makes Italian wine so good?

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Wine Words

It’s not that easy to describe wine anymore. In the previous century, when I was a newbie sommelier, all you needed was one word: typique.

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Explore Your Primal Culinary Urge with Wine and Cheese

In all the years I’ve taught wine and food seminars, a guest may have told me “I don’t like halibut,” or maybe “I’m not fond of Thai food.” But I’ve never heard anyone say “I don’t like cheese.”

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Where to Go for Affordable Bubbles and Rosé

In my last blog, I suggested some white and red wines to seek out when you want to lower your wine cost and still drink well. But what about sparkling and rosé? Can you find these wines in an ...

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Wines to Discover in Confinement

As I write this, I am sipping one my favorite discoveries of this confinement. On day 14 (aka yesterday, whatever day of the week that was), I opened a bottle that is light and carefree and wants to ...

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Drinking Beer From the Oldest Brewery in the World (Maybe)

I've noticed several trends in how chefs pair wine for our classes, but the one that makes me laugh the most is when they choose beer. I find this funny because there's always a small amount of ...

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Your Top Sparkling Wine Questions Answered

Wine with bubbles, what’s not to love? It plays well with other beverages as the base for famous (and infamous cocktails), can turn any event (Tuesday laundry, for instance) into a special occasion ...

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A Classic Rye Whiskey

Presidents' Day, the day set aside to celebrate our first president, George Washington, is just around the corner. What do I know about George Washington? Let's see what my poor brain can recall from ...

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Old Country Goodness makes a Great Holiday Cocktail

'Tis the season for holiday food and drinks to warm us up during this cold weather. My favorite time of the year is Fall because it prompts families and friends to spend quality time together as ...

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TCB Chef Wins America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation

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