Sometimes I think about how crude silverware is — even the most modern, elegant Scandinavian-designed flatware.

Few three-letter abbreviations besides DIY and IMO are more USA than BYO.

After spending most of the winter curled up in a 6-foot-tall wine chiller in a Lake Forest wildlife center, scores of squirming reptiles were set free Monday and took up residence in new digs.

One of the better ways to learn about wine is to taste it, especially by comparing one wine with another or, even better still, with several other wines.

“I always cook with wine,” goes the joke. “Sometimes I even put some in the food.”

Value for the money is one of the top reasons to choose from this region’s wide array of wines.