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Broadway theater is a hot attraction in New York City, and visitors have a wide variety of shows from which to choose. Everything from Shakespeare to new plays is available. Long-running plays and new stars are discussed.

Those in Greenwich Village and Chelsea will find a wide variety of restaurants to enjoy. Several are briefly reviewed. These include Circa, Il Buco, Gotham Bar and Grill, Chelsea Bistro and Bar and Zucca.

Wine is depicted in a prominent way in 'The Seven Year Itch,' 'Gigi,' 'Notorious,' 'Diamonds Are Forever,' 'Ninotchka,' 'The Secret of Santa Vittoria' and 'This Earth Is Mine.' Scenes from each film are described.

Chicago is home to the great ballerina Maria Tallchief, restaurateur Rich Melman, Sen Carol Moseley-Braun, hotelier Ed Rabin and jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis. Each of these talented and fascinating personalities is profiled.

Chicago is a great town to visit, with a number of great restaurants that have excellent wine lists. The city is attracting more visitors than ever, and the crime rate is down. A map showing Chicago's top hotels and restaurants is presented.

New additions to the Wine Spectator's Awards of Excellence list of fine restaurants that offer excellent wine lists are discussed. A guide to restaurants both in the US and throughout the world is also presented.

The Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts are an affluent area with a rich cultural heritage and many notable restaurants. Cultural attractions in the Berkshires include The Mount, a house where Edith Wharton once lived.

Fine restaurants with excellent wine lists are reviewed. They are: Canlis in Seattle; Friends Lake Inn in Chestertown, NY; Galileo in Washington DC; Il Poeta Contadino in Alberobello, Italy; and The Restaurant at the Little Nell in Aspen, CO.

Braman, 64, has a Miami Beach, FL, showcase for his art collection, which includes works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and many other renowned artists. Braman is also an avid wine collector, and has an impressive collection of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Visitors to London will find numerous antiques shops. Wine antiques can be purchased at such places as Mary Cook Antiques in Kensington, and Camden Passage and Portobello are major outdoor markets. Addresses and telephone numbers for several outlets are given.

Over 3,000 attendees of the 1996 California Wine Experience met at the San Francisco Marriott in Oct to taste wines and socialize. Highlights of the event included speeches by Wine Spectator writers, discussions of food and wine pairings and seminars.

Merchant, 59, is half of the famed Merchant-Ivory team. Merchant loves to cook and often prepares meals for the stars of his films. He has authored four cookbooks. He discusses entertaining, and his recipe for lemon lentils is presented.

Twelve homes that boast extensive wine cellars are profiled. Each cellar hs its own special characteristics, such as multimillionaire Bill Koch's cellar in his main house, which is kept at 55 degrees F and 70% humidity to house his 20,000-bottle collection.

Visitors to Long Island's North Fork can enjoy visiting 14 wineries and tasting the excellent local wines. A list of wineries in the North Fork and surrounding areas is given, along with recommendations on lodging and local points of interest.

Eighteen wine experts reflect on the changes and improvements in the wine-making industry since 1976, the year the 'Wine Spectator' was founded. Contributions are included from Chateau Margaux managing partner Corinne Mentzelopoulos and Seagram Chateau & Estate WInes Chmn Abdullah H. Simon.

Wine-related holiday gifts for gourmets includes a $800 wine cooler, set in a wrought-iron stand, and 19th century-style corkscrews, which range in price from $70 to $235. Gourmet cheeses, olive oil and other gift ideas are described.

Wagner, 91, wrote the first English-language book on winemaking in 1933. He is the father of East Coast winemaking and his books are still in print. Wagner discusses winemaking after prohibition ended, his early interest in wine and other topics.

Information is provided on nine wine auction houses: Christie's, Sotheby's, Acker Merrall & Condit with Tepper Galleries, Butterfield & Butterfield, The Chicago Wine Co, Davis & Co, Morrell & Co, Sherry-Lehmann with Sotheby's, and Zachys-Christie's.

Jonathan Nossiter is a filmmaker and enologist who has enormous influence over the two industries. He has won the respect of both fellow filmmakers and wine proponents and is currently pursuing his two careers actively with no indication of stopping.

Oscar-winning actor Caine is also a restaurateur, the co-owner of Langan's Brasserie in London, England. He is also looking into buying a radio station. He discusses his acting career, the story behind the name of his restaurant and other topics.

Benedictine monk Dom Perignon selected the grapes that would make his Champagne by tasting them himself. He is responsible for making the region Champagne what it is today. His winemaking methods and the methode champenoise used today are discussed.

Decanter or wine labels have been enthusiastically collected by wine lovers. They are usually made of silver, although they may also be made of copper, tin, ivory or cloth. The Wine Label Circle, founded in 1952 and composed of 150 members, is a leading society dedicated to this enterprise.

New York City offers residents and visitors a wide variety of shops in each of its neighborhoods. The shopping experience is not for the fainthearted, however, as shops tend to be spread out widely.

New York City has several very distinctive neighborhoods. Those interested in dining will find a wide variety of atmospheres and restaurants in the little villages. SoHo, the Upper East Side and others are discussed.

The Grape Gustation Group meets each Monday from Sep to May to taste wines. The members take turns hosting events and they have a buffet each month. Several members of the group are discussed, along with some of the wines they have enjoyed.

Revenues of the top ten wine auctions in the US grew by 61% in 1995 from 1992, totaling $5,013,775. The most profitable auction was the Napa Valley Wine Auction, which garnered total bids of $1.8 mil. Possible reasons for this growth are related charity events and the popularity of travel lots.

Talese, 65, has had a long career in journalism and has written a number of successful books. He discusses his love of New York City and its restaurants. His new book is on the topic of an unsuccessful restaurant space in New York.

Len Riggio is a wine lover and collector and gives bottles of good wine to his staff at Christmas. He also presides over a $3 billion-a-year bookstore empire. His career is profiled and he discusses his bookselling strategy.

PBS talk show host Charlie Rose interviews a wide variety of interesting guests on his show, which is based in New York City. Rose discusses the vitality of the city, why the show belongs in New York and dining out in the city.

Sandy Weill, 64, has had a tremendously successful career in business. The multimillionaire discusses his ambition, his boyhood home in Brooklyn and his hobby, which is collecting Bordeaux. His favorite restaurant is The Four Seasons.

Gossip columnist Liz Smith loves Chateau Petrus. The youthful 75-year-old still writes her syndicated column and appears regularly on television. She discusses her interests, activities and New York.

A journalist had an opportunity to enjoy a six-course meal prepared by chef Christian Delouvrier at the fine Manhattan restaurant Les Celebrites. He describes the good company, the food and the wines served, which included several Bordeaux.

Much is known about Charles Dickens' wine collection that was auction in 1870 after his death. The Dickens House Museum in London is discussed, along with specific wines owned by Dickens and a book called 'Drinking with Dickens' by Cedric Dickens, the author's great-grandson.

A wine writer contracted Hepatitis A and was told by his physician that he could taste wine only if he did not swallow until he was cured. The man felt like the figure Tantalus from Greek mythology. The story of Tantalus is recounted.

Restaurateur Ken Aretsky is opening two elegant restaurants, Butterfield 81 and Patroon, and Glenn Vogt will be general manageer and wine director for both. Aretsky is offering a wide variety of top wines to patrons, and Patroon will offer a smoking room.

Chambers, a popular wine manager at Wellspring Grocery in Raleigh, NC, needed the benefit auction for a bone marrow transplant in her fight against ovarian cancer. Chambers herself donated 14 cases of the 140 cases auctioned.

Vintner Dick Pfeifle of Long Island, NY, has an annual party each October in which he invites his friends to hand harvest the five acres of his vineyard, which in 1995 produced 25.4 tons of grapes. He prefers to hand harvest and loves to throw the party, which had 200 attendees in 1995.

A pair of silver wine coasters made by silversmith Myer Myers in the 1760's are expected to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000 at a Jan 27, 1996, auction at Christie's in New York, NY. They are two of only four known coasters from 18th century America still left.

The 1995 Auction of Northwest Wines, held in Woodinville, WA, raised $432, 560 for the Seattle hospital. Among lots were a dinner for six with Bill Cosby in Manhattan, Broadway show tickets and accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton. Wines sold are also discussed.

The Mansion on Turtle Creek is one of four restaurants given the 1995 Grand Awards by the Wine Spectator magazine for excellence in their cuisine and wine lists. It is located in Dallas, TX and has an inventory of 9,000 bottles of wine.