Okay, so this is really cool. TastingRoom.com is an online service where you can purchase wine by the glass. Imagine that. How often do you open a bottle, have one or two glasses and then dump the rest of the bottle? I know I’ve done it, and then before you know it you have red wine vinegar. This way, you get a single serving and then can even try a different glass of something else, or open up a second single serving bottle of the same wine.

However, what they sent us to sample was something even cooler–the Wine for Dudes Sampler. It’s a flight of six different wines, all from California vineyards, but in 1.7 oz. bottles that are perfect for tasting. If you’re looking to get hammered, look elsewhere, but if you are expanding your horizons and learning more about wine as you get older (yeah, I’m looking at you….as well as in the mirror), this is a great way to try some new wines. The flight was put together by blogger and wine expert Gary Vaynerchuk, and includes a message on the packaging that it’s “dude season–baseball, boating and good times,” and that the sampler is meant to expand our palates and exposes us to wines that we guys may not normally try.

Oh, and the wine itself? The wines are a Bugay Rose Syrah, a pink wine that most guys wouldn’t be caught dead drinking, but it’s really not bad; a Francis Coppola Winery Chardonnay that was smooth and refreshing yesterday when it was 80 degrees and sticky outside; Twisted Oak red blend, which was a light red like a chianti; Easton ’06 Zinfandel, which had a touch of that oak-y flavor associated with dark reds but was still smooth; a Jake Ryan Cellars ’07 Zinfandel which was bold and tasty; and a Feather ’07 Cabernet, which said, aptly, that it has hints of “blackberries and slight oak.” This sampler accomplished for me what it intended–trying wines I would not normally try. But they were all good and I’d drink them again. Well, maybe not the pink one.

TastingRoom.com has many other samplers and wines by the glass and is worth checking out, especially with Father’s Day around the corner. Cheers!

The weather outside in most of the country is chilly, and in Wisconsin it’s downright cold. I think I might make a giant pot of chili this weekend. We fired up the slow cooker this past week to make one of my favorite meals, beef burgundy. The one we made is from an old cookbook and includes beef, mushrooms, onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup and red wine. That’s about it. But to help you out, check out this Google search for beef burgundy, which basically is a beef stew made with some sort of red wine.

So what about you? What do you like to make when the weather gets cold, football season is in full swing, fires are raging in your living room, and you’re out shoveling snow, cross country skiing or out Christmas shopping, and want something hot to eat. Man, I’m getting hungry.

When sampling wine from italy, you wouldn’t exactly expect it to not be awesome. But VOGA wine has exceeded expectations. They sent us two bottles to try–the merlot and the moscato.

The Merlot is not too dry and not bitter like some merlots are, but had a pleasant, smooth taste, sort of like a Chianti but with more of a kick. And just like most bold reds like this, it goes great with Wisconsin cheddar cheese, something I’ve become a bit of a snob about.

The Moscato was not something I typically drink. It is white, but has some fizz. It’s not an obnoxious fizz like champagne, but more of a subtle carbonation, more akin to what might happen if you added seltzer to wine, like my parents used to do. Anyway, it also has a real mild flavor, almost like they just squeezed grapes right into the bottle. On ice, I could probably down the whole bottle on a hot day, it was that good.

One of the best parts about VOGA wine, though, is the bottle. There is a cork, yes, but on top of that is a screw top. So after you remove the screw top and cork, you then replace the screw top to keep it fresh. Freaking brilliant.

Anyway, I’m anxious to try the other flavors. Other VOGA varieties are Pinot Grigio and Quattro, as well as two other sparkling ones. Give it a try if you see it, even if you’re a wine snob.

For more information, visit www.vogawine.com

No, really. I venture to say that when you’re drinking a wine that is called Sledgehammer, no one can call you a girly man. I reviewed this wine on the Bullz-Eye blog a few months back, and they are still in the same vintage–2007. But these folks were kind enough to send me more of this bold and awesome red wine when I told them about Mikey’s Kitchen. So here we are. I mean, I’m not drunk from having slammed two bottles of wine just now. I enjoyed them 1-2 glasses at a time. Okay, maybe three glasses.

But here is the best part–living in Wisconsin, I’ve become somewhat of a cheese snob. I can’t with a clear conscience munch on store brand or even Cracker Barrel’s most sharp sharpy cheddar. I have to buy my cheese at Brennan’s, a Madison institution and a place that has some of the most kickass cheese around, even for Wisconsin.

And yeah, I’ve become a snob, but by no means am I an expert on wine and cheese pairing. I do know what I like, however, and what I chose recently at Brennan’s went perfectly with the Zinfandel and Cabernet the folks at Sledgehammer sent me. I paired them with a 5-year cheddar and a butterkase. The cheddar is bold, super-sharp (like Cracker Barrel on steroids), and that means it’s got a natural zing and tang to it — which of course goes perfectly with a bold red wine.

Butterkase is something I stumbled upon by accident, and I would imagine it would go well with white wine too, since it’s a light colored cheese that could be from either the Swiss or provolone families. But trust me, it’s not wimpy like those cheeses can be in the store–butterkase is soft, but it has this big, giant flavor that hits you after about 15 seconds, and it’s just delicious. Even better, the fact that it’s bold despite being soft and white, is that it too pairs nicely with a bold red wine like Sledgehammer.

Okay, then. Your wine pairing class for the day is adjourned. But let me say again, it’s not because they sent me free wine. Sledgehammer is one of the best reds I’ve tasted. Heck, even Adam Carolla endorses it! And if you don’t live in Wisconsin, fear not–Brennan’s ships out of state.