AWM

AWM 2026 Quick Guide to picking your New Year’s Bubbly There’s a reason Champagne and sparkling wine are the default bubbly for New Year’s. It’s crisp, festive, food-friendly, and perfectly suited to leading us into the New Year, whether it’s a room full of people talking over each other, or a quiet night at home…

We’ve all gotten that invite: “Come on over at seven, and bring wine, we’ll figure out food when you get here.” It sounds relaxed and fun—right up until you’re trying to pick a bottle that might have to work with cheese, ethnic takeout, roast chicken, and whatever someone else decides to bring. The good news is you don’t need a crystal ball to choose well to pair with the mystery menu. You just need the right kind of all-purpose wine.

When it comes to wine, there’s no getting around the fact that we live in a pop-the-cork-now world. While that’s super convenient, and quite often fits the time and place, it also means we’re missing out on the glorious effect that time can have on wine. A small stash of well-chosen bottles becomes its own…

Hard to believe it’s been a year since Hurricane Helene swept through our beautiful Western North Carolina Mountains. The days that followed were tough—but what came after was extraordinary. Our community showed up with grit, heart, and generosity. Mountain folks are strong, and we stick together. Rebuilding over the last year was powered by love,…