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pouring from it, it tops off and there is no oxygen entering that bladder again. You end up with a completely sterile system without the oxygen spoiling the wine. With a bottle of wine, once you open it you have a few days to drink it or it will change pretty radically. Whereas with a box of wine, you can go a week or longer – much longer than a conventional bottle of wine would." O N N AV I G AT I N G A N A B S U R D LY L A R G E W I N E M E N U : "My number one piece of advice would be to ask for help right away. I think the stigma is gone these days where asking for help means you don't know your stuff. Oentimes, we are not trying to make you spend more money, we are trying to get you the right bottle of wine and hopefully, you have a second bottle. If you really don't like talking to sommeliers or salespeople, then the wine list or menu is helpful. Look at the average entrée price and double that number. at is where the wine list is going to be strongest in. Look for something familiar at that price because I would guarantee those wines are going to be the best value and quality." W H Y R E D C O M P L E M E N T S S T E A K : "It boils down to chemistry. You might have heard of tannins, they are made in part by chemicals that are called anthocyanin that coagulate proteins. If you taste a wine and your mouth feels dry, that is what tannins are doing – they are pulling the saliva out of your mouth and binding to it. In animal proteins, it actually starts to break that down so that your steak tastes more tender and pulls the fat away, removing the greasiness. Conversely, that's why you don't want to go high tannin with fish because you don't want rotting fish in your mouth. With fish, you should pair it with light tannin or white (things that have a thin skin)." FAV O R I T E C H E E S E PA I R I N G : "You don't want tannins binding with cheese proteins, but you do want to cleanse your palate because cheese can get really intense – you want something refreshing. I recommend going with something that is high in acid and low tannin and you'll always be fine. Whether it is domestic, French, or Italian, I love a ripened goat cheese which has a chalky center with a nice high-acid Chenin blanc like a Savennières."

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