In My Glass

Taste

Falling for Oktoberfest beers

Oktoberfest is the most wonderful time of the year for beer drinkers. This sudsy celebration dates to the 1810 marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. In Munich, the Oktoberfest party starts Sept. 20 and runs for 16 days. In America, the revelry lingers well into October. Along the way, plenty of Oktoberfest beers - traditionally a Marzen-style lager with strong malt notes, nutty flavor and a crisp finish - are downed.

Taste

Raising a glass to rum

The world is full of rum makers. They start with molasses or sugar cane, and then make rum in a variety of styles.

Taste

Rating rieslings

Riesling is all about balance.

Taste

Fine love matches

It is a simple idea: You sell a bottle of wine by putting an illustration on the label showing the food that goes well with it. Most people, the theory goes, think food first and wine second.

Taste

Toasting Mondavi's legacy

Robert Mondavi, who died this month at age 94, put American wine on the world map. The son of an Italian immigrant, he presided over California's Napa Valley, where over the years he and members of his sometimes feuding family made a range of wines, some expensive, some affordable. But all the wines, Mondavi maintained, were consistently drinkable, ones that Americans could be proud of.

Taste

Matches made in the backyard

There are backyard times, evenings when you are wearing shorts and a T-shirt and munching on fruit salad. They are on the uptick now that the weather is warming.

Taste

Raising a glass for samplings of rye, a preferred partner in Manhattans

An American original and a traditional favorite of Marylanders, rye whiskey can be as pricey as its better-known cousin, small-batch bourbon. Bottles of aged, 20-year-old rye fetch upward of $100 a bottle.

Taste

Different shades of green for wine fans

Green wines are growing. These are "eco" green wines that their makers say are made in harmony with nature. In the United States their sales are up, as is the number of vineyards using organic farming methods.

Taste

Different shades of green for wine fans

Green wines are growing. These are "eco" green wines that their makers say are made in harmony with nature. In the United States their sales are up, as is the number of vineyards using organic farming methods.

Taste

Wines that couples could fall in love with on Valentine's

You don't want to drink alone, especially on Valentine's Day. So I set out to find some wines that couples could cozy up to, even if they have differing tastes.

Taste

Organic beers? Hey, the sipping is nice and easy

Sipping organic beers seemed like a dream come true. I got to be a beer drinker and a do-gooder at one sitting. The reality of the organic-beer scene turned out to be slightly more complicated.

It's about more than beans

I was recently "home-schooled" in the art of making coffee. My instruction occurred in my kitchen, using my Cuisinart automatic drip coffee maker and Baltimore water. I did graduate work with the French press coffeepot.

Pear ciders hit the spot before big feast begins

It is flavorful, seasonal and refreshing. Pear cider is worth a try, especially at Thanksgiving.