I had a chance to sit down with Stephen this week to find out exactly what he has been up to since the show ended and what he is planning for the future. Currently, he has two projects approaching completion, one on each coast. The first is called Tastevin and it is a concept wine boutique aimed at 20-somethings who are increasingly developing a taste for wines, but are put off from seeking out high-quality ones by the old fashioned, pretentious way wine is usually presented. Corks, dusty bottles and wooden crates are not selling points to the under-30 crowd. Stephen is doing away with all the stuffy formality of wine buying and keeping his venture sexy and ultra-modern, with Philippe Starck furniture and beautiful displays of the bottles, appealing to his age group by improving the presentation and accessibility of one of his favorite things: wine.

The study was conducted by the International Wine and Spirit Record (IWSR) for VINEXPO, the world's leading wine exhibition held annually in France. It looked at wine trends from 2001-2005, calculating trends from that period and making projections based on them, in addition to considering economic and political factors that might play a roll in the next three years. Worldwide, wine consumption will be up everywhere, with consumer spending expected to be up almost $2 billion more than a decade ago. China and Russia will enter the top ten list of wine-consuming markets and per-capita wine consumption will be up, as well.

The theory is that the pleasurable effects of drinking, or the perceived pleasure that triggers the orexin system, are what drive the cravings and taking that away eliminates the reason for the craving to exist. Presumably, the drinker would still feel the effects of the alcohol, but there would no longer be any type of "high." Scientists also think that a similar treatment could be developed to treat other addictions, such as binge eating.

Obviously, it still has a long way to go before something like this will be available to the public, but it certainly sounds like it could help some people eliminate a step or two if they have a drinking problem.

Champagne is a term that applies to sparkling wines that are from the Champagne region of France. This name is protected, in Europe, by Protected Designation of Origin status and in France by Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, both of which state that to use the name "champagne," the wine must be produced in France, in the Champagne region and in a traditional manner to produce a specific product. Everything else is just a sparkling wine, not champagne.

This standard is followed throughout Europe and many other countries, although the US, for example, does not follow it and any sparkling wine can use the word champagne, which is considered to be a generic term. In France, the word carries a premium image and a premium price, so there is an incentive for sellers to use it instead of other descriptors. Just last week, the police arrested a number of people for passing off "tens of thousands of bottles of low-priced bubbly wine" as champagne, selling it for 5 to 10 times the original price after replacing the bottles' labels with false champagne labels. Most of these wines were sold "via associations or in door-to-door sales," which goes to show that if you want a premium product, you are better off going to a reputable source.

The holidays can get pretty expensive, with gifts, food and entertaining expenses piling on until after the New Year (especially if you want to hit one or two after-Christmas sales), so it is always great to find a way to save some money without loosing out on quality. Food is one area where it is difficult to cut back, since price and quality are often closely linked. Paying more will usually get you better meats, cheeses and chocolates, for example. When it comes to wine, however, price are quality are not necessarily as closely inked - not unless you're talking about $100+ bottles of wine, anyway. Since AOL Food has a much larger staff than we do, they went through many bottles of wine to find five great ones that are $5.99 a bottle or less, perfect for serving with holiday dinners or bringing along as a hostess gift to a party because they are guaranteed to taste good without breaking the bank.

1. Trader Joe's Coastal Cabernet ($4.99)
2. Amaicha Torrontes ($4.99)
3. Banrock Station Shiraz ($5.99)
4. Barefoot California Merlot ($5.99)
5. Barefoot California Chardonnay ($5.99)

Admit it: every time you read another study about how one food or another has been shown to have a direct link to cancer, heart disease, good health, long life or intelligence, you roll your eyes a little. It's interesting to read the studies to find out what scientists are working on, and, even if you take the study with a grain of salt, it's not a bad idea to stay on top of what foods have been shown to have health benefits. The sheer number of studies may cause you to wonder whether or not anyone really takes them all seriously. We can't follow up every single study to see whether people are buying into them, but we do know that the at least one industry is enjoying some benefits of the well-promoted health benefits of their product: the wine industry. Red wine is enjoying a huge boost in sales, a boost the benefits producers and retailers. From October to November of this year, sales were up more than 8% over the same period last year, and the holidays are expected to boost sales even further.

Consumers say that the health benefits are just another plus for drinking something they already enjoy, but they also admit that it gives them an excuse. A Harvard Medical School researcher behind the study that said a chemical in red wine could increase life expectancy said that "wine drinkers were going overboard."

I must confess that I don't think too much about aerating wines before I drink them other than giving a red a couple of swirls around an oversized glass and letting it set for a few minutes before drinking. Of course, I'm not generally drinking wines that really need to be decanted either. If I was given one of these neat Pewter Octopus Wine Aerators for the holidays, possibly along with a nice bottle of red, I would rethink my position since the cool looking gadget makes aeration a snap. The octopus is set into the mouth of a decanter and the wine is poured over it, aerating as it flows. The way the stream of wine is interrupted by the twisting of the octopus is far more efficient than simply pouring the wine into a glass or straight into the decanter. If an octopus doesn't float your boat, the aerators are available in sea horse and puffer fish designs as well and all are visually intriguing, although there is some irony to the fact that only ocean-dwelling creatures were chosen to help wines breathe. Each is about $30.

• 2000 Baltieri "Sortilegio" Amarone della Valpolicella
• 2004 J.P. Dirler Sylvaner
• 2004 Dönnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett Riesling
• 2004 Martínez Fuente "Pucho" Bierzo
• 2005 Pasil Verdejo

Turkey is a very versatile meat that can go well with many different types of wine, but zinfandels may just be the perfect compliment to the bird for Thanksgiving. First, zinfandel is a very American wine, so it fits in well with the traditions of the holiday. They also offer a round and balanced flavor that anyone can enjoy, especially because zins often have a lot of berry flavor, which covers some of the acidity that occasional wine drinkers find slightly off-putting sometimes. This means that zin will be very drinkable for all your guests, no matter how experienced with wines they are. Business Week picked out some of the best zins to serve with any turkey-based holiday dinner, all fruity and most with interesting touches of oak or licorice that really make them unique: Ridge Vineyards Buchignani Ranch (91 pts, $24); Elyse Winery Korte Ranch Vineyard (94 pts, $30); Hartford Court Russian River (93 pts, $30); Robert Biale Black Chicken (93 pts, $34); Carlisle Tom Feeney Ranch (92 pts, $38); and Linne Calodo Problem Child (92 pts, $42).

The more you spend on a bottle of wine, the higher your expectations are for it. After all, if you are going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a bottle, the wine should really give you an experience that is worth the cost. If it doesn't, you may as well stick with the $10 and under bottles. The biggest risk with an old bottle of wine is not just with the flavor, however, it is with storage. A wine that has been improperly stored can be ruined - and there is no way of knowing until you open up the bottle.

Dr. Vino recent got together with a vintner who personally uncorks every wine, testing it before it leaves the cellar, to make sure that it is good. He also tops them up with the current vintage if they pass inspection, and adds a shot of SO2 before recorking them. A buyer is guaranteed to get good wine, but as Dr. Vino asked, do the additions somehow take away from the original wine? The answer depends on whether your goal is to get an "authentic", but risky wine, or one that is guaranteed to be drinkable and delicious.

Here's a brand of wine that sounds perfect for adding a little extra spirit to your Halloween celebrations. Vampire Wines, produced by Vampire Vineyards, have the ideal look for a spooky gathering with not only an appropriate name, but a classy looking label, as well. The grapes are produced at the Recas Vineyard in Transvylvania (what did you expect - Napa?), which is rumored to be a legendary grape-producing region. The merlot rose is the "lead vampire winemaker's " and the most versatile of the offerings. The reds seem to tend towards fruity flavors that go well with meats, particularly red meats, while both the pinot grigio and chardonnay have citrus overtones and complement lighter dishes.

Even though they sell both red and white, but if you're going to buy a vampire wine, it seems natural to go with a red. After all, would any self-respecting vampire really be caught (un)dead with a glass of chardonnay when he could have a glass of dark red merlot?

You can order it online at the Vampire store.

While some producers might balk at this legislative change, it is one that will add a little more clarity to the California wine industry. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill last weekend that prohibits wineries from using "Sonoma" as part of their name unless at least 75% of the grapes used to produce it were grown in Sonoma County. "Sonoma transcends a county name and has become nearly a brand name synonymous with quality wine produced by some of the greatest vintners in the world," Schwarzenegger said. A similar decision was reached last year regarding Napa wines and regulations may eventually be put in place to regulate other wine-growing areas, such as Mendocino County, and restrict the use of those names.

Not too many wines should be affected by the change, but any brands that are out of compliance will have until December 31st, 2008 to change their labels to reflect a non-Sonoma origin. A California appellation will probably be used in place of county references for these wines.