Wine drinkers I speak to believe that “value” and “Bordeaux” don’t belong in the same sentence. There’s no question that the prices fetched today by the 60 Cru Classé wines are not bargains, except perhaps to the one-percenters. However, bargains do exist in Bordeaux, and they are easy to find.… Read more

Sarah Hwang, whose family owns the iconic Domaine Huet in Vouvray, states emphatically, “Demi-sec is the strength of Vouvray.” Though the literal translation of demi-sec is “half dry,” wines labeled as such will have notable sweetness. What makes the demi-sec, and the even sweeter wines of Vouvray (plus other sweet wines from the Loire, like Coteaux du Layon or Quarts de Chaume) sensational is the riveting and balancing acidity that energizes the palate.… Read more

Get this. In Montefalco, producers actually use Sangiovese to soften Sagrantino, their signature grape. Remember, white grapes were used to soften the structured Sangiovese in the 19th century in the original Chianti recipe. That tells you pretty much all you need to know about Sagrantino, a grape that’s been described as the most tannic in Italy.… Read more

At 25 years of age, the 1999 Tignanello is a masterpiece.

Antinori’s Tignanello was a revolutionary, ground-breaking, and paradigm-shifting wine when it was released in the 1970s. Although the use of small French oak barrels (barriques), the incorporation of Cabernet in the blend, and the elimination of white grapes is now common in Chianti Classico, those ideas were unheard of at that time.… Read more

Conventional wisdom holds that grapes from old vines make better wine. The science behind that conventional wisdom is fuzzy, which of course, leads to a plethora of explanations. One sensible one is that older vines yield fewer grapes but that those grapes have more “oomph”—they’ve concentrated the same amount of energy into a smaller volume.… Read more

In addition to Japan’s longstanding tradition of producing sake, the country has a burgeoning wine industry. Although sake is becoming more widely available in the U.S., Japan wine (koshu) is difficult to find here. One of the joys of coming to Japan in general and Tokyo in particular is to learn about these beverages and how they pair with Japanese cuisine.… Read more

In the Mâconnais, Pouilly-Vinzelles and Pouilly-Loché finally received their deserved recognition with identification of Premier Crus vineyards, those sites that have the potential to produce superior wine. These two appellations now join Pouilly-Fuissé, the best-known Mâconnais village, where regulators identified 22 vineyards as Premier Cru starting with the 2022 vintage.… Read more

With the 2018 vintage, Chianti Rùfina introduced a new level of classification, called “Terraelectae,” to sit atop their pyramid of quality. With the 2020 vintage the Chianti Rùfina producers upped their game again by showing just how distinctive and noteworthy this new category of wine is.… Read more

Indeed, I do not.  During a week-long family vacation to Mexico City over Christmas last year, we drank a range of intriguing and excellent wines from Mexico, along with Tequila, Mezcal and beer, of course.  My takeaway message, in addition to finding some surprisingly good Sauvignon Blancs, Nebbiolos, and orange wines, was the seeming attitude of “let’s see what works.” … Read more

Let me get straight to the point.  The 2019 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino is fabulous!  I make this assessment after tasting 35-plus examples of the recently bottled and released wines in New York City in November.  There wasn’t a loser in the bunch. … Read more

No one wants to be second.  Nobody strives to come in second.  Second place is just not built-in to our DNA.  For example, my daughter, a NCAA Gold Medal winner coxswain during college, referred to a Silver Medal winner—2nd place—as “the first loser.” … Read more