Red Wine

Farmhaus Hosting Shane Wine Cellars Dinner on May 8

Seats remain for the first wine dinner at Kevin Willmann's acclaimed Farmhaus (3257 Ivanhoe Avenue; 314-647-3800) next Wednesday, May 8. The dinner will pair four courses with wines from Shane Wine Cellars. Shane owner and winemaker Shane Finley will attend the event. In an e-mail to Gut Check, Far ... More >>

The Wine Merchant: A 12-Year-Old Bordeaux You Can Afford?

Gut Check loves good Bordeaux and cheap wine, which meant we were plenty juiced when we opened our e-newsletter from the Wine Merchant, Ltd. (20 S. Hanley Road, Clayton; 314-863-6282) and learned the store was expecting a shipment of 2000 Château du Moulin Rose Côtes de Castillon this week. It's ... More >>

Schnucks Offers 15 Percent Off 6 Bottles of Wine on Wednesdays

Last week Gut Check shared a list of a half-dozen wine values you could find at your neighborhood Schnucks. Why six? Because Schnucks will knock 10 percent off the price if you buy six bottles -- any six bottles -- of wine. See also: - Six Solid Wine Values from the Shelves at Schnucks Well, the g ... More >>

Six Solid Wine Values from the Shelves at Schnucks

A lot of people feel intimidated about shopping for wine at a wine store. Gut Check understands this -- for the uninitiated, darkening the doorway of a retailer that specializes in wine can be as daunting as walking onto a used-car lot: What are they going to try to sell me? How will I know if they' ... More >>

Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Party

Great Values in St. Louis Wines: The Wine & Cheese Place

Given Gut Check's never-ending quest for obsession with great wine values, we figured it'd be a good idea to check in from time to time with local merchants. They pick a wine they consider to be an excellent values, and we get our drank on and talk about it. The goal is to identify wines that 1) off ... More >>

Missouri's Mount Pleasant Winery Featured in November Issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Mount Pleasant Winery (5634 High Street, Augusta, Missouri; 800-467-9463) based in Augusta, Missouri, recently received some national praise. Wine Enthusiast, the de facto national magazine for wine lovers, has rated ten selections from the winery, which is located less than 50 miles outside St. Lou ... More >>

9 Great Wines for Butt-Chugging

Gut Check's ears rarely prick up during the TV news. Some stuff, though, gets our attention. Like this ongoing saga out of Knoxville, and, more specifically, the University of Tennessee, whose Dreamsicle-like school colors strike a Proustian chord whenever they catch our eye. We are hearing more to ... More >>

Whole Foods Market's Spanish Wine Special and Taste and Tweet Event

Now through May 15 Whole Foods Market (1601 South Brentwood Boulevard; 314-968-7744) is offering a sale on Spanish wines, featuring twelve wines from eleven different regions of Spain. To further hype promote the sale, the Whole Foods location in Brentwood will be hosting a Taste and Tweet Spanish ... More >>

Dear Jessica Simpson: Name Your Baby After These Grape Varieties, Not Zinfandel

Gut Check isn't above browsing the celebrity gossip, but we saw this juicy tidbit via Grub Street rather than our usual supermarket tabloids: Jessica Simpson -- did she sing? we honestly can't remember why she's famous in the first place -- and her fiance considered naming their soon-to-arrive child ... More >>

Dinner Deals: $30 Wine & Dine at Barrister's

​Barrister's (15 North Meramec Avenue, Clayton; 314-726-5007) The Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m.-close The Deal: Barrister's Wine & Dine: Two salads (house or Caesar), two entrées and a bottle of red or white wine for $30 The Scene: Clayton plus sports bar plus the UK equals Barrister's, a much ... More >>

Wine of the Week: The Velvet Devil Merlot at Copia Urban Winery & Market

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Villa des Anges Cabernet Sauvignon from the Wine and Cheese Place

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Writer's Block Petite Sirah 2008, Anthonino's Taverna

Alicia Lohmar​We are hungry. We don't feel like cooking (and there isn't much in the fridge anyway). We don't want to get dressed up, don't want to go far and don't want to spend a fortune. The question before us is not a fanciful one, not, "Where should we go for dinner?" but, "How can we sol ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Parker Station Pinot Noir from Starrs

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

9/11 Anniversary Brings Questionable Food Tributes

Wikimedia CommonsWe will never forget. Unless we overdo it on the 9/11 commemorative wine.​In the decade since the 9/11 terror attacks, there's been no shortage of commemoration. Some touching and beautiful. Others ham-fisted but heartfelt. And some that were blatantly out to make a buck on a ... More >>

Campos de Luz Garnacha 2007 from Grapevine Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Domaine Lafond Lirac Rouge from the Wine Merchant

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Peltier Station Hybrid Petite Sirah 2007 at Robust

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Monteviejo Festivo Malbec 2009 at the Scottish Arms

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Alias California Cabernet Sauvignon at Kaya's Import Wine & Spirits

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Shooting Star Blue Franc at Gustine Market

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Domaine Les Aphillanthes Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé at Vino Gallery

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Coastal Vines 2009 California Pinot Noir at Garland Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Vega Sindoa El Chaparral Grenache at the Wine Merchant

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Domaine Santa Duc "Les Vieilles Vignes" Côtes du Rhône at Starrs

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Paolo Scavino Rosso Vino da Tavola from West End Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Villa des Anges Cabernet Sauvignon at the Wine & Cheese Place, Rock Hill

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Valentine's Dinner Deal at Robust Wine Bar

​The best Valentine's Day dinner deal we've found so far has to be the prix fixe tasting menu offered at Robust Wine Bar & Cafe. Three courses, each with its own three-ounce wine pairing, for $55 per person. Better still, the Webster Groves wine bar will feature this deal all through Valentin ... More >>

Grape Scott! Mizzou Scientists Engineering Fungus-Free Wine Grapes

​Missouri has long been one of the world's leading exporters of beer. But now, researchers at the University of Missouri say that vino could be the state's next big alcoholic gift to mankind.The state grape of Missouri -- the Norton variety -- is known for its resistance to powdery mildew, a funga ... More >>

Cheap Pinot Noir -- Not an Oxymoron?

Dave Nelson​Finding good pinot noir for under $30 is a tough task, but there's hope, in the form of a positive trend arising from our nation's recent, ahem, financial difficulties: Top wineries have been releasing value-priced bottlings. When we spot a pinot noir that fits this profile, Gut Ch ... More >>

The Noble Writ: The Truth About Wine and Thanksgiving

​Thanksgiving increases interest in food and wine pairings. Since I have fun experimenting with combinations of wine and food, I generally enjoy the conversations I have with friends and family looking to step out and try something different.However, a significant number of conversations I have a ... More >>

FoodWire: Italian Wine Dinner at Five Bistro on the Hill Thursday, 11.12

Five (5100 Daggett Avenue; website) hosts another in its ongoing series of wine dinners this Thursday, November 12. The dinner will pair a five-course meal from chef and owner Anthony Devoti with wines from Pinnacle Imports. The cost is $55 per person (tax and tip not included), and reservations are ... More >>

Drink of the Week: 2006 Green & Red Chiles Mill Vineyard Estate Zinfandel

Juniper Grill
1928 S. 12th Street
314-621-9195

Glen Ellen Merlot

The Muny (in Forest Park); 314-361-1900.

2005 The Four Graces Pinot Noir

Pomme Restaurant, 40 North Central Avenue, Clayton; 314-727-4141.

Castle Rock Carneros Pinot Noir 2004

Vincent's Market, 2400 South 12th Street; 314-772-4710.

Clos Mimi 2003 Petite Rousse Syrah; Tulocay 2001 Pinot Noir

Wine Merchant, 20 South Hanley Road, Clayton; 314-863-6282

$12 Wine Flight

The Crossing, 7823 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton, 314-721-7375

Fuse Company

609 comes close to the ideal balance of substance and style

Turn, Turn and Eat

The weather outside is frightful, but Jay Brandt's cooked up something to make you feel better

Hot and Bothered

Provisions Bistro turns up the heat after morphing out of its Grenache beginnings

Port and Sweet

Dessert wines are a great way to end a meal

Head of the Glass

The Wine Merchant offers courses to budding oenophiles

Side Dish

The latest offering from wine purveyors: the white merlot

Heard It Through the Grapevine

Once Upon a Vine sends tendrils down the South Grand strip

Little Things Mean a Lot

Celebrating the spring Harvest

Wiping the Plate Clean

Our intrepid reviewer calls for the last check and leaves some generous tips

Milky Way