The 2007 Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir is a solid representative of a classic, well-crafted Carneros Pinot Noir. This is a ruby red wine with a fruit-driven profile that serves up cherry, strawberry and rich mocha aromas on the nose. The palate is brimming with the bright fruit flavors of raspberry, cherry, light cranberry and a mix of vanilla and espresso on the finish. This Pinot Noir would be a very versatile pairing partner, playing well with the likes of roasted duck or pheasant, lamb, pork tenderloin or pan roasted salmon.

From needing a few spur of the moment wine recs while scouting at your local wine shop, to pairing wine with music via WineDJ (a freebie no less), there are plenty of wine-themed applications to partner with your iPhone. Many of these apps offer similar user experiences, with some geared deliberately for the novice and others for buyers that lean more heavily on cellar management tools. Wine Snob's latest edition allows you to find wine recs and reviews, taste, tag and snag a label image for your personal tasting records, in addition to finding wine pairing assistance in a pinch, or sifting through wine recs based on price points, grapes, and regions.

Wine Enthusiast also puts out an iPhone app for just under $5, that offers up the standard recs based on vintage, price, region, varietal and the like, but then includes wine appreciation "short courses" that delve a little deeper into wine vocab and understanding wine basics.

Drync Wine is another iPhone wine app worth looking into. Along with what have become the "standard" wine finding features, this app boasts a solid cellar tracking component and has a twitter feature that is both handy and fun.
For under $5 or free in some cases, these wine apps are worth looking into, especially if you find yourself stumped when it comes to picking that perfect wine whether at the shop or the restaurant. These apps are designed to be your on call sommelier, ready and willing to suggest a wine (and more) at the touch of a button.

Though the words "wine" and "cheese" are often used in tandem, pairing the two can prove a bit more challenging than the familiar phrase would have you believe. Pairing the right wine with the right cheese is key, learn which combinations you can count on here.

Or if you are looking to stretch your cheese knowledge and venture out to some delicious, but unusual cheese options, then check out About.com's Cheese site, guided by Jennifer Meier. Whether you have your taste set on domestic or international cheese selections, there are plenty of cheese options to peruse.

The holiday season provides plenty of opportunities to gather with friends and family with good food and good wine. It also offers a chance to turn those gatherings up a notch and host an educational wine tasting to give guests a glimpse inside the world of wine, with a festive holiday flare. Never hosted a wine tasting, but want to learn how to get a friendly, tasting up and running in no time? Find the goods to get your tasting going here.