Finally, an alternative to crowded downtown destinations like Prune and Clinton Street Baking Company. (By Mark Hokoda)

Real places versus dreamed-up marketing ploys. (By Jordan Mackay)

Tasting rooms and dining rooms in our favorite slice of Northern California wine country. (By Lessley Anderson)

Alberta Straub, once described as “the Alice Waters of booze,” has been mixing up sublime adult beverages made with herbs, spices, and fresh fruits and vegetables for the past six years at San Francisco’s Orbit... (By Lessley Anderson)

It’s a special treat to taste these Thanksgiving-friendly wines in their true habitat. (By Jordan Mackay)

It depends on heat and light. (By Tara Shioya)

This week’s mission: a green tea cure-all and gum with a one-two flavor punch. (By James Norton)

This week’s mission: marinade you squirt into meat with a syringe, and tinier snack cakes. (By James Norton)

Some people store them on the counter. (By Roxanne Webber)

What’s worth doing in the Napa Valley: a travel guide to the wine country. (By Ella Lawrence)

When compared with, say, a typical 86-proof cognac, your typical wine would seem about as threatening as a bottle of Evian —right? But the alcohol level in wine varies. (By Anthony Giglio)

One man blends his way to the perfect bottle of wine. (By Daniel Duane)

With flavors that vary widely from bright and citrusy to aged and smoky, tequila is fun to taste-test, to discover which you like best. But there are a few things you should know before you get started. (By Amy Keyishian)

Winemakers charge less for their second-label wines, but the wines are often just as good. (By Jordan Mackay)

They both taste great. (By Jordan Mackay)