The wine writers at papers this week were in a big-wine mode, which is fitting for the season. And some of them were more in the mood for a beer, and didn't even bother writing about wine. Here is the scoop on this week's red, white and beer.

Red

From a California transplant with a "mad lust for zinfandel" comes Freakshow Loco, a massive-sounding blend written up in The Dallas Morning News that, at $40, might be too special to open just because it's Friday. However, Hot Plates has a friend or two that would definitely splurge for a wine like the Loco: "big in the nose, big in the mouth, like a black-cherry, dark-chocolate bar with layers of marionberries, leather and blueberries rolling over fat, lip-smacking tannins."

Ooh, aah. Cleavage Creek, also written up in the Dallas paper, sounds like a pretty naughty wine. But perhaps disappointingly for the excitable among us, this is an honorable wine, one with the most pure of intentions. On the labels you'll see breast cancer survivors, and the winery owner Budge Brown will donate 10 percent of sales to breast cancer research (the wines run from $18 to $50).

Again, some terrific writing from the L.A. Times, with its piece this week about the Mencia reds of Spain's Bierzo region (in the North). Made from old vines that are "the bridge from ancient to modern Spain," the "racy, red Mencía wines from Bierzo are the new darlings of America's wine intelligentsia." See? Hot Plates is always delighted at what we learn from our line of work. However, we are not sure how easy this will be to find. It's been compared to Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, and here is what people like about it: "soft tannins, snappy acidity, pleasing texture, fresh fruit."

White

The most educational piece this week is from The Washington Post, and it's about two things: how wines are treated from the time they're bottled to when you drink them, and then the second half of the story is about wine with food versus by itself. It talks about how very different a Sauvignon Blanc can taste if you're just sipping it on your front porch, or if you're eating it with rich food that complements the wine (or doesn't complement it at all).

Apparently, more wineries are looking "to educate the public on the flavor dynamics of wine with food" as these concepts become more widely understood. The article also contains a list of Sauvignon Blancs that might be fun to try, many at reasonable prices.

Lastly on the white front, something from The Wall Street Journal's "Tastings" column from our beloved Dottie and John: Muscat Canelli. This is a sweet American wine, and D&J say you can bring these out on nights with good friends when you just don't want the party to end. "Tastings" is such a great column because they usually get really specific -- the column just does one thing well rather than trying to do an overview of any one category. By the column's end, you really understand -- and usually want to drink -- whatever they've written about.

Muscat is grown all over the world, and they all are slightly different, but the American Muscat Canellis are, they say, "filled with honeysuckle and orange blossoms; with all sorts of fruits, from apples to pineapples." Hot Plates is aware you might not be a sweet wine person; many people are not. But part of being a great party host is knowing what to bring out when, and Muscat is good to know about as winter party season is upon us.

Beer

Once again, The Washington Post is not too cool to get its holiday on, as the kids today say. Greg Kitsock writes about Elvira (the gal, not the beer -- though she did go on to create a beer with her own name), Dead Guy Ale and Night of the Living Dead from Magic Hat in his semi-monthly beer column.

In other grape-free beverage news, there is a brainy beer piece by N.Y. Times wine writer Eric Asimov. It's about cask-conditioned ales, which "were standard  in British pubs 100 years ago. They nearly disappeared after World War II,  replaced with bland, corporate beers."

After cask-conditioning made a "huge comeback" in England, the trend came here, and it continues to take off. How it works: "Bartenders work a pump, not a standard tap, to pour cask-conditioned ale, since its kegs aren’t charged with carbon dioxide." Flex that bicep and take a swig, sissy!