Elaine Schoch

There are times when it’s good to follow the rules but when it comes to wine, it’s time to rethink some of them. For generations, wine has come wrapped in more “shoulds” than almost anything else on the table — the right glass, the right pairing, the right way to store it, serve it, even talk about it. Some of those rules hold up, others don’t. So, consider this your permission slip. Ice cube in your rosé on a hot day? Fine. Screw cap on a bottle you’re opening tonight? Enjoy.

The relationship between alcohol and altitude is a fun conversation to have for people coming from sea level to higher elevations. There’s a thought that if you drink alcohol at higher elevations you will get drunk faster. That’s not exactly true. Before you start writing comments or sending emails about how wrong I am, let’s talk about the science behind why that post-hike glass of wine hits differently at altitude. It starts with a study done in the 1930s, American psychologist R. A.

I think it would be fair to say most people have a love hate relationship when it comes to insurance. It’s one of those necessary evils that, when you actually need it is supposed to help save you. Living in the Vail Valley after the driest winter on record has me rethinking everything — how to prepare my yard for the upcoming fire season, yes, but also what my homeowners insurance policy actually covers, which brings me, unexpectedly, to wine.