Nathan Berrong works at CNN's satellite desk and writes Eatocracy's beer column, "Berrong on Beer." He Tweets at @nathanberrong and logs beers at Untappd.

American Craft Beer Week is coming to a close but it’s not the only beer holiday currently taking place. May has been deemed Session Beer Month, a month-long beer celebration of...restraint.

American brewers have trended toward the extremes in recent memory. Session Beer Month seeks to change that and remind imbibers that beer can be low in alcohol and still maintain the desired complex flavors and aroma of craft beer.
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Previously - How I kicked my Coke habit

Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Everyone knows Pinot Grigio, the northern Italian white wine beloved for its...hmmmm... That’s hard to pin down. Sometimes it seems as though Pinot Grigio is mostly beloved for its lack of presence; a sort of pleasant blandness, like iceberg lettuce or Kenny G's music.
 
So, given that, what happened to Pinot Bianco? Somewhere along the road to grape-variety fame, Grigio’s paler-skinned cousin wandered off into the bushes and got lost. That doesn’t mean there aren’t people making Pinot Bianco; in fact there are many of them, and the wines are often very good. And more to the point, on average they are unquestionably better than most Pinot Grigios.
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Nathan Berrong works at CNN's satellite desk and writes Eatocracy's beer column, "Berrong on Beer." He Tweets at @nathanberrong and logs beers at Untappd.

Forget the tuba and accordion. Put away the lederhosen, and keep the beer steins on the shelf. The vast majority of today's beer festivals have little in common with the traditional Oktoberfest celebration.
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Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

When it comes to pink wine, there’s one basic thing to know: White Zinfandel is not the same thing as dry rosé. White Zin - and its various blush-wine brethren - is somewhat sweet; when you think of a White Zin, think of the pink hue of cotton candy, and you won’t be far off, tastewise. Dry rosé, on the other hand, is crisp, zesty and not sweet at all.

Unfortunately, the massive popularity of White Zin over the years did a number on people’s perception of rosés in general, sort of the way Jar Jar Binks corrupted the aesthetic legitimacy of the entire Star Wars universe. Thankfully, just as the doofus horror of J.J.B. has ebbed over time, so has the permeating sense that all rosés are sweet.

In fact, dry rosés are an ideal springtime wine. As far as I’m concerned, they’re meant to be drunk outdoors - whether at a picnic, al fresco at a restaurant, or simply on a porch or in a backyard. The longer, sunnier days ask for something in the glass that you can see through; and the light, berry-to-watermelon fruit notes of most rosés taste like springtime too. So, with that in mind, here are a few great bottles to look for.
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Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

For those with a big commitment to Cinco de Mayo, the question is this: Do you wait for Sunday, the actual holiday, to start the celebration, or should you begin Saturday, the cuatro de Mayo?

Tough question that you’ll have to answer yourself. What I’ve got are seven places around the country where you can find a phenomenal margarita and plenty of tequila to toast the holiday, whenever you start the party.
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The cash-strapped French government is getting ready to auction some of its fine wines in order to raise money and invest in more modest vintages.

The move comes as governments across Europe look to tighten their belts and tone down displays of lavish spending. Austerity budgets have squeezed living standards for many and left millions out of work.
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Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

What do you do if your Amtrak train stalls for hours en route to Washington, D.C.? Most people probably raise a fist to the skies and curse the god of wayward train mechanisms or what have you, but not Paul Goldschmidt. The winemaker for Bordeaux’s Château Siaura recently found himself in this situation, en route to a tasting he was now certain to miss. So what he did speaks well of mankind, or at least of Bordeaux winemakers: He opened all the bottles and did the tasting for his fellow passengers instead. Who apparently were quite pleased with this outcome - I mean, if you can’t have an on-time arrival, at least you can have good wine.
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Editor's Note: It's Friday, and it's been a long week - we could all probably use a drink. Here to help us is Greg Best, the mixologist and partner in Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House and H&F Bottle Shop in Atlanta. Visual aids provided by Mark Hill, the Director of Photography for Turner Broadcasting.

This drink was conceived in an effort to be contrarian to the contrarians. It’s no secret that there are many affiliated to bar culture who can’t help but cringe when the word "vodka" is mentioned in their presence. I’ve never understood this, because it’s the first thing most drinking folks ask for. Sure, I understand that it’s not the most expressive or exciting spirit to play with, but let’s face it, it’s not going anywhere.

Enter the Punch Wagon. Delightfully refreshing, bright and snappy, this is a perfect example of what I’d call a "gateway cocktail," or "trust-building drink." Using well-known ingredients in a playful recipe allows for the feel of a user-friendly cocktail experience without some of the more eccentric trappings that we drink geeks are prone to.
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