The New Tasting Rooms These unconventional wine bars appeal to connoisseurs of all kinds, from beer geeks to artisanal-cheese fanatics to book lovers. Bouley Bakery. Photo © Nicole Bartelme. Chicago: Rootstock This hip new bar puts equal emphasis on small-production beers and wines. Iowa City: Prairie Lights A favorite of David Sedaris's, this cult bookstore added a wine bar to pay homage to a literary society that drank there in the 1930s. New York: By the Ounce at Bouley Bakery …

I don't have a whole lot of patience for people who take themselves very, very seriously. Particularly if those people are wine experts. Wine should be fun. Yes, I think you should swirl and sniff and play the guess-the-flavor game , but at the end of the day, I like to drink wine because it tastes good and I have a great time. This issue provides lots of opportunities for that kind of satisfying wine experience . In this quest, I have a few role models. Two are star chef Daniel Boulud …

Glassware Photo © Antonis Achilleos Unbreakable Stemware We dropped, bashed and stepped on these new BPA-free plastic glasses from Sur La Table (left) , but they would not crack. The delicately lipped, crystal-clear glasses come in several styles, from highballs to flutes, and are perfect for outdoor entertaining. $40 for a set of six; surlatable.com . Curvy Glasses Holmegaard's "Cocoon" glasses have undulating stems (right) . $37 for two; scantrendsusa.com . Heart Decanter …

Water and Wages for Africa Photo © Indego Africa Job Training Indego Africa returns all profits from the sale of fair-trade handicrafts, like wine-bottle bags and Dutch wax cloth coasters (left) , to its Rwandan artisans. Plus, it provides training in entrepreneurship, literacy and computer skills. indegoafrica.org . Clean Water Wine to Water began as a series of wine-tasting fund-raisers. Now, founder Doc Hendley works directly with people in places like Darfur and Uganda to build …