I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but at some point in the last 17 years, Valentine’s Day became more of a holiday about which red, tinsel-covered chocolate I’d buy for my kids, and less of a Cupid-filled one for my husband and me (I like to believe we don’t need a Hallmark holiday for that, anyway).

Although romance has a time and a place in our everyday lives, I do recall a particular time when my husband and I went away for a weekend in search of something a little more special, surrounded by the vines and wines of California’s Napa Valley. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite like we’d expected.

After a lazy morning and breakfast at the inn where we were staying, we ambled into town to rent bicycles to fulfill our romantic mission of visiting wineries on two wheels. It turned out that the only bicycle available was a tandem bike, for two. We took it. Sounds romantic–perhaps for the couple where one partner does ALL the driving–but it quickly turned into a rather memorable nightmare.

“You’re going too fast. Can’t you hit the brakes once in a while?” I yelled from the rear.

“Stop braking!” my husband retorted with frustration. “We’ll never make it up the next hill if we don’t get any speed.”

With each winery, and each tasting, the fighting got more intense (I’ll admit, I was probably the more vocal complainer). By the afternoon, we were hardly speaking to one another. But then, we arrived at a winery where wine was not the only thing on the tasting menu.

Chocolate. They offered each visitor a bowl filled with rich, dark chunks of mouth-watering chocolate to taste with their mouth-watering Zinfandel. Everything in me got a little lighter, smoother, mellower (no more yelling on the bike; now I let him do the pedaling, the breaking, all the work). It’s been more than ten years since that Napa trip, and I still remember the chocolate melting on my tongue, washed down with the spice of the full-bodied wine.

I was hooked. Not on the wine, but on the pairing of the two, and it seems I’m not alone.

While doing some research, I came across numerous articles and websites featuring the dangerously sexy combo of wine and chocolate. The different types of Green & Black Chocolates (70% dark is a personal favorite) are featured on About.com. And you can get some good tips on pairing wine and chocolate on The Daily Sip.

The chart below, from The Nibble.com, was taken from a survey in which they asked readers, “What Do You Drink With Chocolate?”

Valentine’s Day or not, romance or not, there’s always chocolate AND/OR wine…

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I don’t know about you, but my Sundays (and some Saturdays) since September have been filled with football. I have a husband and a son who are fairly smitten with watching overgrown boys run around a field in any type of weather throwing and chasing a ball, and then falling upon one another to retrieve what seems to be as valuable as the Hope diamond, ignoring that they are potentially crushing someone else’s–or their own–skull.

It is commonplace on these long weekend afternoons for my two boys to sit on our family room couch, snacking on thick, extra dark pretzels (paying no attention to the crumbs and salt bits that fall in between the couch cushions), tossing a football and tackling one another or our dog during commercials–and drinking. If my twelve-year-old is feeling really hyped up for the event, he’ll ask if he can have a soda–usually saved only for special occasions in our house–while my husband opts for a cold Saranac Black & Tan, his beer of choice on these special game days.

When game time begins and all players–and viewers–prepare for the coin toss (or on some days the pre-game show needs to be screened first), that’s my clue to take to the living room. I’ll usually curl up on the couch, with either a cup of tea or a glass of wine close by–book, newspaper, and laptop at the ready for at least four hours of quiet time (save for the occasional shrieks coming from the next room).

Once in a while, my husband will gently request (“quick! come fast! hurry up!”) that I come and join them to watch a replay of some player running 40 or 50 yards down the field and then doing some kind of tribal dance in the end zone (that’s actually my favorite part). I oblige for the sake of my son–wouldn’t want him to think that his mom isn’t a woman with varied interests.

And then, I retreat to my corner in the next room. Happy. My husband chugs his beer and my son his soda, and both scream at the TV. I sip my wine (or tea), cozily engaging in my reading and/or writing. So, in truth, it turns out that football days are not so bad. This coming Sunday is the almighty Super Bowl. There will probably be a lot of noise coming from our house as of 6:30 pm EST when the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers take to the field (full disclosure: I had to ask a friend who was playing). I may hide out at a neighbor’s house. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll put down my book, opt for a beer, and relocate to sit with the boys, pretending that I actually care.

Some friends recently told me to go see “SOMM,” a feature documentary that follows four sommeliers as they get ready to take the Master Sommelier exam—a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world. According to The New York Times, the exam is so difficult that fewer than 200 people have passed since 1969.

On our blog, we’ve interviewed Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, the fourth woman and among only 30 people in the U.S. to ever attain the international title of Master of Wine (MW), one of the highest standards of knowledge in the wine industry.

So it seems that lately, winemaking and wine smarts are trending, and even the celebs are getting into the wine game. It’s been a long time that Frances Ford Coppola has been making wine in Napa, but here’s a list of some actors, musicians, and athletes that are not just drinking it, but are also involved in making and selling it.

• Drew Barrymore at Barrymore Wines in Italy
• Adrian Grenier in Paso Robles, California
• Ramona Singer in Italy
• Antonio Banderas at Anta Banderas in Spain
• Nancy Pelosi at Zinfandel Lane Vineyard in St. Helena, California
• Olivia Newton-John at Koala Blue Wines in South Australia
• Dave Matthews at Blenheim Vineyards in Virginia
• Madonna at Ciccone Vineyard in Michigan
• Wayne Gretzky at No. 99 Estates Winery in Canada
• Fergie at Ferguson Crest at Santa Ynez Valley, California
• Joe Montana at Montagia Wines in Napa, California
• Andrea Bocelli in Italy
• Kurt Russell in California
• Sting in Italy

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For those of you who like coming up with names, here’s your chance to give one to a wine grape. Or two. And today, August 6, is the last day to submit your proposal.

Scientists at Cornell University have asked the public for names for two new grape varieties that will be released from their breeding program in 2013, according to an article on Cornell’s Chronicle Online. Grape breeder Bruce Reisch, who is accepting name submissions at bruce.reisch@cornell.edu, came up with the two new varieties—”a cold-hardy white wine grape and an innovative organic dark red.”

The scientists are looking for names that are unique (a potential challenge with some 7,000 other grape varieties), marketable, reasonably easy to pronounce and conjure positive connotations, said Reisch. Currently, the new varieties’ names are NY76.0844.24 and NY95.0301.01. Shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with something a bit more inspiring.

Cornell, with a host of new grape varieties in development, has been breeding grapes since 1888. It’s not a quick process, though, and can take 30 to 40 years for a new variety to be released, and several more before the grapes appear in commercially available wine.

Asking the public to participate and creating a social media campaign are Reisch’s effort to create some buzz about the new varieties, according to the Chronicle Online piece. “There are so many different flavors. Why shouldn’t people get excited about new varieties?,” said Reisch. “They keep things interesting for the consumer and are often better for growers.”

The winning names will be announced at the Viticulture 2013 conference in February in Rochester, NY.

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Some places seem to lend themselves to wine. In recent years, there’s been a growing number of wine bars cropping up in New York, and there are plenty to be found in Northern California and most major U.S. cities. But it came as a surprise to me while strolling through Lenox, Massachusetts on a hunt for coffee and pastries, that wine is proliferating in this small town of 5,000, and perhaps others like it.

As I made my way past the Patisserie Lenox toward the food market, I couldn’t help but notice a window with a sign announcing art and wine. The Wit Gallery of Art and Wine features decorative and fine art in all media from over 30 artists. Opened by Lynda Strauch in the 1998, the art at the Wit covers all types of fine art, from photography and painting to sculpture and mixed media. To add to its eclectic mix of work, the gallery recently added an array of artisanal wines from small, family owned, small production vineyards.

I peeked in the window, looking past the paintings and sculptures—a common sight along Church Street with its numerous galleries–and there it was, the wine counter. Bottles of wine were strewn on top, and I thought how lovely it must be to peruse the art while sipping a glass of pinot noir. (Note to self: come back when it’s open.)

As I rounded the corner, I noticed The Bookstore, Lenox’s local bookshop located on Housatonic Street. It, too, was closed as it was Sunday, but I pressed my nose against the glass and spotted a long wooden bar along a sidewall. The Bookstore now houses the Get Lit wine bar, and I could see the bottles of red and white on the wooden bar, facing the rows and shelves stocked with books. Another great combination, I thought, and a place where I’d love to spend hours sipping and reading.

Matthew Tannenbaum has been selling books (new and used) here for the past 34 years, and decided to sell wines by the glass to add some income and a different spin on a precious, dwindling commodity–the independent bookstore. The notion, he explained to the Rural Intelligence newsletter, came after taking a trip to Europe. “I only got the idea when I went to visit an old friend in Prague. Every night, we would go to the symphony or a jazz club, and afterwards we would go to the same cafe. I loved going to this cafe, and I thought this is what I should have at home. It’s not separate from the bookstore—it’s an extension of the bookstore.”

Lenox, and many parts of the Berkshires, are devoted to sharing culture with locals and visitors alike. Art, music, theater and literature—and sometimes, a glass of wine too.

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When I was pregnant with each of my three children, I did not drink any alcohol during my first trimester. The first twelve weeks of the baby’s development were the most crucial I learned, and I wasn’t going to jeopardize that. But my doctor told me it was okay to drink a small amount of wine thereafter, so I gingerly sipped an occasional glass of wine without worry. I know that many people refuse to take even a sip of alcohol during those nine long months. But that wasn’t me. And it wasn’t one of the essayists in our forthcoming anthology, Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight Up (Seal Press, Sept 2012), who wrote how her British obstetrician recognized the all-or-nothing American attitude and was quite comfortable with her patients drinking every once in a while.

Now, the pregnant women of the world who’d like to have a guilt-free, occasional glass of wine can perhaps do so (emphasis on perhaps). The results of a series of research studies from Denmark, published in the BJOG Journal, suggest that “low to moderate weekly drinking in early pregnancy  had no significant effect on neurodevelopment of children up to five years, nor did binge drinking.”

The study focused on children’s intelligence and found no differences in test performance between the children whose mothers consumed up to 8 drinks a week during pregnancy, compared to children whose mothers did not drink any alcohol. There was, however, one result that surfaced associating a lower attention span in five year old children whose mother drank more than 9 drinks per week. These children were also found to be at a risk nearly five times higher of having a low IQ compared to children of nondrinkers.

The research was drawn from 1,628 Danish women and their children–almost a third of all Danish women who were pregnant during the span of years from 1997 to 2003. The average age of the women was 31; fifty percent were first-time mothers; 12 percent were single; and 31 percent said they smoked during their pregnancy. In all of the studies, the researchers controlled for a variety of factors that may potentially affect a child’s brain development, such as maternal intelligence and smoking.

An important point to note–and highlighted in the journal article–is that a drink in these studies is defined by the the Danish National Board of Health and is equal to 12 grams of pure alcohol. The amount of alcohol in a drink can vary greatly from country to country, however, and in the United States there are 14 grams of pure alcohol in a standard drink. This is the equivalent of a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5 ounce shot of hard liquor, according to Rethinking Drinking, a website covering alcohol and health.

In a statement, the study’s authors said, “Our findings show that low to moderate drinking is not associated with adverse effects on the children aged 5. However, despite these findings, additional large scale studies should be undertaken to further investigate the possible effects.”

Though some women may feel relieved to learn about the latest study results, it is unlikely the new information will quell the controversy surrounding drinking during pregnancy, as many doctors continue to warn against potential disorders that the study may not have considered. “I would still caution women about drinking during their pregnancies,” Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told HealthDay. “There may be subtle neurobehavioral changes that were not picked up in the study.”

“Although it’s still best for pregnant women to avoid alcohol, these results suggest that small amounts may not be a serious concern,” said HealthDay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still urge women not to drink at any time while pregnant, says Dr. Jacquelyn Betrand, who represents the CDC and served as co-author of three of the studies: “This study doesn’t change our recommendation.”

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I know it’s not politically correct to be a cocktail mom anymore, but lately, I’ve been lamenting the fact that I don’t have enough time to drink. I keep fantasizing about a glass of wine (or three), but then by the time I get to it, I’m too tired.

I know many people who enjoy a nightly glass of wine when they cook, but to me, a glass of wine is best while sitting down or lounging around.

I miss my drinking days. The days when I’d meet my best friend after work and we’d split a bottle of cheap Chilean red, talking until my husband came home, at which time we’d all split another.

I miss the Fridays I’d go out for beers after work at dive bars, and then to dinner, and then out some more.

I miss parties where I drank too much and danced too much and said too much. Now, my tolerance is so low that even when I set out to let loose and drink like I used to, I end up quitting after two glasses.

But I think what I really miss sometimes is the freedom from responsibility, especially after a tough couple of days where I am constantly making choices for everyone. And then my mind turns to the easy escapes–like wine. But the truth is, I’m lucky–lucky that I have other options, other ways of taking the edge off. My mom wasn’t so lucky. The friend sitting across from me wasn’t so lucky.

Sometimes, we just miss the old days.

Maybe it’s not the drinking I miss, after all, because I can drink any time I want.

No. It’s not so much the drink I’m missing as the ritual of drinking–the camaraderie and the way drinking stops time and stretches it out. As if the wine is like a magic cleaning liquid, draining away all the gunk inside.

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A couple of weeks ago, Starbucks—with 10,700 U.S. stores—announced that it will be serving wine and beer (and savory snacks) in a handful of locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of the year. These locations join plans for several coffee-cum-bar Starbucks in Chicago, and the already five existing coffee/bars in the company’s hometown, Seattle, and one in Portland.

Apparently, the change in the coffee-only focus is a response to customer feedback for additional options to relax in Starbucks’ coffee houses. “As our customers transition from work to home, many are looking for a warm and inviting place to unwind and connect with the people they care about,” said Clarice Turner, Starbucks’ senior vice president, U.S. Operations in a release. “At select stores where it is relevant for the neighborhood, we are focused on creating an atmosphere where our customers can relax with a friend, a small bite to eat and a cup of coffee or glass of wine.”

After the decision to roll out the booze to other cities, Poll Position conducted a phone survey of 1,113 registered voters and asked the following: Starbucks is beginning to serve beer and wine in some of its stores.  Do you think that it is appropriate for Starbucks to serve beer and wine?

Respondents were divided with 39 percent saying yes, 39 percent saying no and 22 percent describing themselves as undecided. The poll’s administrators said men and women were divided on whether selling beer and wine is a good move for Starbucks.

Not surprisingly, men favored Starbucks selling beer and wine 49%-34%, while women opposed it 45%-30%.

After reading these results, I decided to take a poll of my own. I asked about 50 people, both men and women, ranging in age from 15 to 75, what they thought about Starbucks’ transformation.

Some were opposed to the idea because of how alcohol will change the coffee-house atmosphere:

“I don’t like it.  Starbucks has a certain vibe that doesn’t include people getting buzzed on alcohol.”

“I like the café experience, sitting there and reading. I don’t want my café to be my local pub also.”

“I think it goes against the environment that Starbucks tries to give off which is a warm, friendly coffee shop. If you start selling alcohol it will lose its peaceful sense.”

“For me, the two don’t mix well–Starbucks is a spot to go for coffee during the day and, at least for now, I still adhere to the 5:00 cocktail rule!”

Some liked the idea of moving towards the European model:

“It recasts Starbucks more in the mold of a European café.  Cappuccino in the morning, Prosecco by night.”

“In Europe, you see coffee bars also selling wine. Starbucks provides a sense of community, a gathering place, and wine always goes with that. The only thing is, I think they’d need to adapt the decor/atmosphere–less utilitarian, more luxe, sexier lighting perhaps. And music.”

“Kids in america are underexposed to alcohol in a ‘part of life’ way.  It can be a good thing to have it around in a place which is not a bar where people act more responsibly…My theory is the more it is not a big deal, the less the kids will make a big deal.

Some expressed concern about teens:

“I think it is horrible. Starbucks is, for some kids, a safe haven, and I’m not sure why they need to introduce alcohol into the mix.”

“As long as they are checking IDs, I’m fine with it.”

“I’m concerned because so many young people are already abusing the amount of caffeine they consume in a day. Then add the temptation of alcohol (and how easy it is to get a fake ID to purchase it).”

“So long as they carefully monitor minors, I see no problem in expanding the line. Having said that, there was something cozy and wholesome about having a non-mood altering zone there.”

There are those who try to stay away from alcohol:

“Total turnoff.  You go there for the calm, for the sip on coffee, open your laptop feel. Not to get drunk.”

“I think selling beer and wine essentially makes Starbucks into a bar—so many people in recovery try so hard to stay out of bars (and we spend a lot of time in coffee houses!)”

“The other night, around 5 pm, I had some time to kill in NYC before meeting friends for dinner, and I didn’t want to go into a bar alone but I thought a glass of wine might be nice. I chose Starbucks instead, and got coffee but fantasized about wine. Still–I think there should be some alcohol-free zones, so I’m on the fence, leaning toward compassion for those who need not to be around it!”

Some just feel strongly:

“I think it is a big mistake. It would probably make me boycott the company whose stores I am currently in about two times a day.”

“I think wine fits more with an upscale coffee store; perhaps select beers, but Bud at Starbucks makes no sense—might as well buy eggs and milk too.”

“I’m fine with it. It broadens their business opportunity and should help strengthen sales,  something all enterprises could use these days.”

“I wholeheartedly support their decision, feels a bit more like the European relationship to wine and beer — normalizes the place of these drinks in our culture.”

There are those who cover all the bases:

“My initial reaction was, “Oh no!”  I suppose I feel that way because I view Starbucks as a calm and peaceful place to read the paper and meet friends while enjoying a nice cup of coffee or tea.  I suppose in some sense that a nice glass of wine or beer would not detract from that experience.  In fact, many people would enjoy a good read or conversation with a glass of wine or beer.  I suppose it is the other problems associated with alcohol that concern me — over-consumption, under-age drinking, and the trouble that accompanies those things that puts doubt in my mind as to why this is necessary.  I like Starbucks just the way it is.  I would prefer to go elsewhere for my glass of wine. I am sure this decision by Starbucks is economically motivated to increase sales by capturing a new group of consumers.  I guess I keep thinking that I like Starbucks just the way it is and if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

And those that think, why not?

“When people get hung over, they can switch to coffee. With wars and the economy, it is such a minor thing.”

“We do not have prohibition any longer and live in a free market society, so they should be allowed to sell beer and wine.”

Needless to say, the subject of coffee houses morphing into bars is a loaded one. It seems a risky move for Starbucks, but only time will tell how the new metropolitan “coffee/bars” will be received. As far as I’m concerned, a few hours of work while sipping a latte is nice, but so is capping the afternoon with a glass of cabernet. It’s important that teens have a place to congregate, so maybe they can head to the diner, or one of the frozen yogurt places now cropping up on every corner.

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by Kate Rockland

I am the mother to a very boisterous 11-month old. Before giving birth to my son, I was pregnant one other time which ended in miscarriage. With that pregnancy, I followed all the rules: I didn’t drink a drop of alcohol, stopped getting the light brown highlights I favor, didn’t even use nail polish on my toes lest the chemicals seep into my skin. I used all-natural shampoo and conditioner, stopped jogging, and took up prenatal yoga. I took my prenatal vitamins religiously, and avoided all the reccomended foods such as tuna fish, unpasteurized cheeses, and sliced deli meat. I miscarried at thirteen weeks, and felt devastated. I’d followed every rule my midwife recommended, and still, tragedy struck.

When I got pregnant for the second time with my son, I started out by again following all the rules. But everything changed when I booked a trip with my husband to California. The area surrounding Sonoma is wine country, and I found myself staying in a very quirky b&b by the ocean in the small town of Carmel. I was seven months pregnant, and enchanted by all the local vineyards and small, independent labels I read on the bar menu in our lobby. The name of the bed and breakfast was the Cypress Inn, run by the actress Doris Day. One is allowed to bring one’s dog, and the lobby bar, which has an open patio section with pretty white lights strung in the trees, showcases several of the inn’s dogs, as well as big Great Danes resting on beds by the roaring outdoor fireplace. A surreal, eartheal and beautiful scene, set by the ocean.

I guiltily fingered the bar menu, as my husband smiled at me. There was a quote by Humphrey Bogart on the cover, which read: “The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.” My gaze lingered over a local 2009 Chardonnay from the Heller Estate, a vineyard which we would later visit down the road from the hotel. “Why don’t you order a glass?” my husband asked. “One glass of wine would be fine for the baby, I know women who drink one a day while pregnant!”

“I guess I’ll play a game of hide the belly under the table,” I answered sardonically when the waiter approached our table. I glanced furtively around, sure any moment someone from the Mom Police, aka our society in general would haul me away in handcuffs. My nervousness was unwarranted however, when I spotted a very famous and very pregnant actress three tables over. I gasped. She appeared to be drinking a glass of Pinot Noir, and looked relaxed and happy, laughing with friends. I’d just seen a movie she was in the week before we left on our trip. “Did you see?” I asked my husband. “I did!” he replied. Well. If a woman nominated for an Oscar could enjoy a glass of grape, so could I.

I just had the one glass of Chardonnay, but because it was one glass I enjoyed it more than I’d ever enjoyed wine before. Before the pregnancies, I was known to drink an entire bottle alone. This time, I learned to sip, and my one glass lasted the hour spent in that courtyard, trying not to ogle the actress. I tried a different glass from a different local vineyard each night of our vacation, and it turned out to be one of my favorite trips ever taken in my lifetime. After dealing with the heartache of miscarriage, I realized that I had to stop beating myself up. I’d followed all the rules doctors ask of pregnant women, and ended up without a baby. Part of me feels asking pregnant women not to drink a sip of wine throughout their entire nine months is another way of controlling women, which is what our society likes to do. There is definitely a very scary term called fetal alcohol syndrome, but I don’t believe one glass of wine enjoyed from time to time with dinner results in that sad diagnosis. I think my own miscarriage happened because not every pregnancy is meant to be, and I have to accept that we are human and therefore part of nature.

My son was born on a whip-cold night last winter, and he came out perfectly healthy at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. I’d never seen such a beautiful baby in my life. I hope our society eases up a little on the restraints for pregnant women, and that my fellow sisters no longer feel they have to play “hide the bump under the table” while out enjoying themselves at a restaurant or neighborhood bar. There’s always people who overdo it and I don’t condone that. But a nice, full-bodied glass of Chardonnay after a day filled with backaches, sore breasts, and bloated feet? That surely, we deserve.

Kate Rockland is the author of  150 Pounds, and Falling Is Like This. Kate lives in Hoboken, NJ with her husband, son, and cat, Elizabeth Taylor. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times. She weighs 150 pounds.

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There is an answer to this question, but you’ll have to read on to find the answer (don’t cheat)…

Needless to say, the glass wine bottle reigns supreme. There has, however, been an increase in the types of containers storing wine in recent years. And it keeps on evolving.

For a long time, boxed wine has been looked down upon. But the quality of the wine has recently risen. Eric Asimov of the NYT explains the reasons in his piece, ”Reconsidering Boxed Wine.” Greater acceptance of the boxed wine notion is also good news if you’re counting carbon footprints–according to the Journal of Wine Research, shipping boxed wine produces half as many gas emissions as transporting heavier glass bottles.

Along with boxes, came the can. In a recent article on nytimes.com, “Cans of Wine Join the Boxed Set,” Bonnie Tsui provides great information on some of the newer, and finer, wines–drinkable not from a Bordeaux or Burgundy-shaped bottle, but rather from a specially-lined aluminum can.

Wine in a can isn’t entirely new, Tsui points out, and was “first sold by Barokes Wines, an Australian winemaker that invented a patented process called Vinsafe, which lines the aluminum to prevent any reaction that would impart flavors to the wine or degrade the container. The techniques are similar to what some craft brewers have been using, but wine’s high acidity and alcohol levels require a thicker lining.”

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Francis Ford Coppola was the first American winemaker to sell wine in a can–small, pink ones housing Sofia Blanc de Blancs, named for his daughter.

Wines on tap at Colicchio & Sons

I was surprised, however, when I ate recently at the latest of chef Tom Colicchio’s New York restaurants, Colicchio & Sons. The bar had an extensive selection of craft beers, as well as five “eco-friendly” wines…on tap. That’s right. On tap.

I’ve since learned that there are several advantages for serving wine on tap:

-Better for the environment. While bottles are recycled, wine served on tap is stored in environmentally friendly, air tight mini tanks that are reused.

-Cost-effective. Producers aren’t adding on the cost of the bottle, the cork, the carton and the transportation it comes in, so the restaurant owner pays less and so does the consumer.

-Freshness. Wine left over in a bottle used to pour wines by the glass is often discarded as it doesn’t last for more than a couple of days at most. Wine served on tap always tastes fresh, lasting for up to 60 days.

So I guess that’s what’s next…

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I don’t know about you, but I’m not the most creative when it comes to making crafts. So I was pretty impressed when I came across a post from Bottlenotes titled “Eat, Drink And Make Decorations.”

With Hanukkah and Christmas only weeks ago, it’s time to start saving the corks and the bottles. Break out the glue gun and then follow their instructions. Before you know it, you’ll “be able to turn these wine recyclables into menorahs, wreaths, and place holders for your holiday dinner tables.”

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Not sure about you, but I’ve been frisked going into concerts and football stadiums and it’s not fun. Why would anyone sneak booze in when you can buy it inside, right?

Well, it seems that enough people would to demand a new sort of product on the market–an alternative route for women–and it’s called the WineRack.

This is no joke–the website selling the WineRack ($30) boasts that that “the advantages are obvious.” It is actually a black sports bra (fits sizes 34C-D, 36A-D and 38A-C) that lets you carryup to 750ml (equal to the contents of one bottle of wine, or 25 oz.) of any beverage. The bra sports a polyurethane  bladder and a drinking tube long enough to route as you wish, along with an easy-to-use on/off valve to control the flow.

The big question: If the frisker feels the tube, what will she ask you to do–spill out its contents or remove your bra?

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On November 1, the Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA) released a new study, “Alcohol Consumption Over a Woman’s Lifetime Associated with Risk of Breast Cancer.” The study looked at the cumulative effect of low to moderate alcohol consumption among more than 100,000 women, ages 30 to 55, who were followed for 28 years.

In its aftermath, the study results were all over the press with headlines causing a frenzy among women who consume only a couple of glasses of a wine a week. They read:

“Women who drink three to six glasses of alcohol per week have a 15 percent higher risk of getting breast cancer than women who do not drink”

“A Few Drinks a Week Raises Breast Cancer Risk”

“Women: Even a Little Alcohol Ups Breast Cancer Risk, Research Finds”

“Even Small Amount of Alcohol Increases Risk of Breast Cancer”

Although the headlines are not inaccurate, they may be provoking unnecessary alarm. Ten days after the study results were released, the AARP posted an article titled: “Alcohol and Breast Cancer Link: Is Wine Really Bad for Women?” With a subtitle that reads, “The Risk May Not Be As Bad As You Think–or Fear,” the article calls on readers to take a closer look at the study’s statistics before adopting a lifestyle akin to the days of Prohibition.

Taking a different angle than prior research, this new AMA study looked at the cumulative effect of consuming low to moderate amounts of alcohol. Previous studies linking alcohol and breast cancer risk focused mainly on binge or heavy drinking.

The researchers found that those who drank as few as three to six alcoholic drinks a week during those years had a 15 percent increased risk of breast cancer, compared with those who didn’t drink. And women who regularly drank two or more drinks a day had a 51 percent higher risk than women who never drank.

As the AARP piece explains, “Those numbers — 15 percent increase and 51 percent increase — sound high until you do the math. The average woman’s risk of getting breast cancer in her lifetime is one in eight, or 12 percent. A 15 percent increase over that means her lifetime risk rises to 13.8 percent. For a woman age 50 to 59, whose risk of getting breast cancer while in her 50s is one in 42 or 2.4 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute, her risk rises to 2.76 percent,” the article continues.

So in other words, as Steven A. Narod, M.D., director of familial breast cancer research at the Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto, further clarified in an editorial accompanying the study, for women who had one drink per day, “their 10-year risk increased by 0.7 percent (from 2.8 percent to 3.5 percent).”

Although the risk is real and women need to weigh the risks and benefits of drinking, the ensuing panic may be premature. As reported by the AARP, the study’s authors pointed out in their conclusion: “We did find increased risk at low levels of [alcohol consumption], but the risk was quite small.”

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There’s no doubt that grapes have the monopoly on the moniker, “fruit of the vine.” Once they are picked, crushed, fermented and aged, they are bottled and enjoyed in a myriad of flavors and colors–pink and red, white and orange.

Well, speaking of orange–today, on Halloween, when pumpkins represent all things autumn and we enjoy them in foods like soup and pie, why not try some pumpkin wine?

In fact, you can take this giant orange squash, roll up your sleeves and make some wine yourself. Needing only eight ingredients, pumpkin wine can turn out dry or sweet depending on your preference and some added ingredients like ginger, clove and cinnamon sticks. Here’s a recipe from the blog, Washington Winemaker.

If your focus today, however, is costumes and candy and you’d rather not be the winemaker, you can go to Wisconsin’s Three Lakes Winery website, where a bottle of pumpkin wine will only set you back $10.

Who knows–you may really like it, and then perhaps it’ll be an add-on to your Thanksgiving menu.

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A few times a month, we invite friends to our house for dinner. The hours pass as we linger over the meal, sometimes followed by a game of Scrabble or a moonlit walk. By the end of the night, clean up often involves picking up the collection of empty bottles. At least two, sometimes more.

Although we recycle the bottles, I’d feel a whole lot better if I knew that my drinking their contents was somehow contributing to a greater purpose–other than as an accompaniment to the food or a lovely buzz. Well, now I’ve discovered a way to do that.

Launched three years ago by a group of eight friends, ONEHOPE began initially as a personal mission for the group to help a friend who was waging a fight against cancer. Working from their living rooms and selling wine out of the back of their trunks, the friends turned their efforts into a thriving business which is founded on a basic, but compelling principle: giving back is good business. Since its inception in June 2007, the company has grown from 0 to well over 20,000 cases sold. To

date, ONEHOPE  Wine has raised over $400,000 for a wide range of charity organizations, and donates 50% of its profits to partner charities benefiting a variety of causes, including autism, cancer, the environment and AIDS (causes are listed here).

Another organization, Greater Purpose, sells a selection of wines from which  55% of profits give back to a greater cause. The current mission of Greater Purpose is to build and sustain villages for orphaned and abandoned children–providing food, water, shelter, clothing, and education. Check out their award-winning wines here.

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