• A foodie tour of the Mediterranean with Jacques Pepin.
• Eight travelers pick their favorite foods from around the world (and their favorite bags to put that food in).
• Airstream Cuisine.
• What are chefs in Spain interested in now?
• Who's the next Jamie Oliver?
• A quick guide to Pinot Noir.
• How to make a better cupcake.
• New stuff for your kitchen, here, here, and here.
• This month's recipes include: Chilled Russian Borscht, Tangy Twice-Cooked Eggplants with Red Peppers, Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad, Spiced Pinto Beans with Chorizo, Cubano Sandwiches, Korean Grilled Beef, Baja Fried Shrimp Tacos, Poached Eggs with Baked Feta and Olives, Chocolate Buttermilk Cake, and Lemonade Slushies with Mint and Lemon Verbena.

• What is Country Captain?
• A new store in Somerville sells only cupcakes! (And here's more about cupcakes from the Globe's Dishing blog.)
• An interview with cookbook editor Judith Jones.
• A look at Adam Roberts' (The Amateur Gourmet) virtual book tour.
• The secrets to a great bundt cake.
• Mapping the genome of the pinot noir grape.
• This week's recipes: Evan's Lama Curry, Martha's Paprikash, Greek Salad, Tomato Soup, and Spiced and Glazed Apple Cake.

Three old-school wineries in the Russian River Valley, Rochioli Vineyards & Winery, Williams Selyem Winery and Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery, show the rest how Pinot Noir is done.

In keeping with the theme, the Wine Selection of the Week is Pinot Noir, these 38 bottles from the Santa Lucia Highlands. The highest rated bottles of the group were 2005 Hayman & Hill Reserve Selection No. 41 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($14) and 2004 Miner Rosella's Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($50), both which received three out of four stars (***).

A recipe for Spiced Lamb Kebabs pairs well with Pinot Noir, and the Cheese of the Week is Chevrot, a traditional goat cheese from France.

A whole series of events is about to commence in clebration of the humble Pinot.

Pinot Days in Fort Mason, San Francisco aims to celebrate Pinot Noir over all its different styles as they say "from modern to earthy to elegant". Pinot Days is bringing together pinot producers from every Californian appellation as well as a few from Oregon and Burgundy. All price points and styles should be available.

"It is our sincere hope that Pinot Days will enable you to explore new producers, find wines you love and can afford, and become a pinot devotee if you are not one already."

Full details of the various tasting sessions are listed on the website and includes listings of the wines to be sampled. Tickets cost from $45 to $85 with the sessions running over June 23rd to the 25th.