Food & Wine — Monica Yu

  Given the fact that we're all drinking more wine these days, its nice to have some new tips and tricks up your sleeves.  Here are some of our top wine hacks that are here to save the day. We've tested these out and they work in a pinch. Chill It Ever need to chill a bottle fast? You can wrap a cold towel around the bottle and put it directly in the freezer. Don't forget to take it out so it doesn't actually freeze. However, experts say the best way to chill a bottle within 20 minutes or less is to put it in a...

  Ban des Vendages or Jurade de Saint-Emilion is a celebration of wine harvest and heritage of the medieval town of Saint-Emilion. Usually held in late fall or at the start of harvest season, the Jurade (Ambassadors of the wines of Saint-Emilion) organizes the festival and lead a parade through town in their traditional crimson robes. Ban de Vendage literally translates to "lifting the ban of the harvest", in other words, putting an end to the period during which grapes-picking was forbidden.  Historically, the Jurade was originally set up as a quest for quality and the experts were sent into the...