Wine

In his new book, author and oenophile Paul Lucks traces the 8,000*year history of our original alcoholic b average -- from ancient times, when wine was believed to be of divine origin, to the sauvignon blanc you find in your supermarket today.

Fermentation guru Sandor Katz returns to Fresh Air for a lively discussion about cured meats, cheeses — and some fermented beverages (notably wine and beer).

Wine critics Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher advise you to seize the day — and that bottle of wine you've been saving. The Wall Street Journal's husband-and-wife wine team host the 10th annual Open That Bottle of Wine Night on Feb. 28.

Critic-at-large John Powers has some thoughts on wine, and globalization after watching the documentary Mondovino by Jonathan Nossiter.

Novelist Jay McInerney (“MAC-in-UR-knee”). He broke onto the literary scene with his bestselling novel “Bright Lights, Big City,” about the excesses of the a Manhattan yuppie in the 1980s. His new book is a collection of essays about the pleasure of wine. It’s called “Bacchus & Me: Adventures in The Wine Cellar” (The Lyons Press).

Food writer Edward Behr (pronounced "bear"). Behr writes, illustrates, and publishes the quarterly newsletter, "The Art of Eating." In each issue, Behr writes in-depth, personal essays about food and cuisine. The newsletter's subscription is small, but it's read by a large number of the top names in the food business. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Josh Wesson, publisher and executive-editor of the Wine and Food Companion, tells us what wines are best for the Seder table, and what makes those wines Kosher.

Winemaker Robert Gerald Mondavi. He's credited with being, "one of the world's two or three most influential wine makers." ("New West" magazine). In the 1960's he severed ties with the family's Winery in Napa Valley where his father had been producing bulk wine since the 1930's. He went on to form his own winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, and to put California on the map as a world-class wine producer.