Somms–and oh, how I hate that word–are the newest darlings of the wine world.  Sommeliers have been anointed the opinion leaders, directing trends in wine consumption, replacing, in many instances, the voices of established wine critics such as Robert Parker, Jr.… Read more

Bob Harkey, a friend who has an excellent palate and uses it stocking his retail shop (Harkey’s Fine Wines, in suburban Boston), gives the spot-on advice around Thanksgiving, “Match the wine to the company–not the food.”  I now expand that advice after a meal during the recent East Coast heat wave to, “Match the wine to the setting, not the food.”… Read more

Vouvray is home to a fabulous array of under-valued white wines.  A major impediment to more widespread popularity is the confusion that surrounds their level of sweetness.  (This confusion is surely a major reason the wines remain undervalued, so perhaps–for those of us who love the wines–I should stop here.) … Read more

You’ve heard it before, usually from Bordeaux, “It’s the vintage of the century!” Although perhaps not “the vintage of the century” (it is a little early to round out this century), the 2010 vintage will certainly rank among the greatest ever for Brunello di Montalcino. … Read more

Consumers can be excused if they have no familiarity with Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  A well-respected California-based wine writer (who shall remain nameless) recently admitted to me that (s)he didn’t even know that Vernaccia was a grape, let along that Vernaccia di San Gimignano was considered one of Italy’s great white wines. … Read more

Americans love Chianti. Even those who rarely drink recognize the wine. It has the kind of name recognition that other wines can only dream about. Annually, we Americans actually drink almost twice as much Chianti Classico–wine from Chianti’s most important sub-region–as the Italians do.… Read more

Those of us in New England are now in the heart of winter. The short cold days and long nights fairly scream for hearty fare, such as lamb shanks or other slow cooked “stick to your ribs” fare–as my mother used to call it.… Read more

Maison Louis Latour, one of Burgundy’s best négociants, is my choice for winery of 2014 because it excels with wines at all levels, especially the less prestigious ones, and even their “simple” Bourgogne Rouge.  … Read more

Trends in wine can be hard to understand.  Current fashion, for example, catapults high-scoring “cult” wines, often more suitable for tasting than for drinking, to frenzied popularity and stratospheric prices.  By contrast, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, a well priced and versatile wine that is equally at home before dinner as it is at the end of the meal, risks extinction. … Read more

What does it really mean when a label touts a wine as being made from “old vines?” (This would be rendered as Vieilles Vignes, Vecchie Viti or Viñas Viejas, depending on whether you’ve got a French, Italian or Spanish import.)… Read more

Along with the burgeoning interest in wine among American consumers has come an explosion of opportunities to learn about wine. It’s a far different state of affairs now than in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when I was learning about wine.… Read more

Forgive me for beating this drum again, but Chablis remains one of the best–and perhaps the single best–white wine value in today’s world.  As for recent developments, the 2012 vintage now on retailers’ shelves is not to be missed.  … Read more

Prosecco’s popularity around the world has soared–and for good reason.  It’s a delightfully fresh and lively bubbly, perfect as an aperitif, especially in the summertime.  “It’s a party in a bottle,” as Paul Wagner, head of Balzac Communications, a leading California marketing and public relations firm, described it.… Read more

Sacha Lichine’s upbringing in Bordeaux explains to me why his rosés from Provence are so stunning.  Of course, it helps that Lichine’s consulting enologist, Patrick Léon, was, for almost 20 years, the Managing Director in charge of the vineyards and winemaking for all of Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s properties, including Château Mouton Rothschild.… Read more

Move over Brunello, Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.  There’s a new kid on the Tuscan block, Montecucco, which is positioned to join this elite trio of regal red wines.  With only 2,000-planted acres and about 70 small producers, Montecucco is tiny. … Read more

With the 2010 vintage of Chianti Classico, consumers will see a new class of wine identified by the words “Gran Selezione” on the label. Whether this new category represents progress depends on whom you ask.… Read more

I’m no economist, but the idea of supply and demand is a fundamental economic principle that even we non-economists can understand. As far as fine wine is concerned, the demand is rising rapidly and the supply is not. My recent trip to Hong Kong and Vietnam demonstrated just how much demand is rising.… Read more

Every spring, as predictably as the blooming of daffodils, journalists and merchants attend the en primeur tastings in Bordeaux and bombard us with reams of tasting notes.  These tastings, organized by the Bordeaux producers, show the new vintage, while it is still aging in barrel. … Read more

Mastroberardino is my Winery of the Year for 2013 because it excels, not only by consistently making a fine range of wine, but also by preserving history.  … Read more

The 2011 vintage in Burgundy runs the risk of being forgotten despite producing very fine wines.  The first strike against it is that it was sandwiched between two stellar vintages, 2010 and 2012.  … Read more

Just the idea of taking Lambrusco seriously causes snickers.  We all know that it’s nothing more than a sweet slightly bubbly red wine, right?  Well, no–it isn’t just a cheap sweet bubbly after all.  Or at least not all Lambrusco fits that description. … Read more

Most wine geeks are not familiar with Franciacorta, so it’s understandable that this terrific Italian bubbly is not on the radar screens of most casual consumers. … Read more

Affordable Bordeaux is not an oxymoron. The truth is that, aside from the 60 or so top chateaux, wines from Bordeaux offer tremendous value. … Read more

Hollywood could not have orchestrated the prelude to the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup any better.  On a breezy summer evening under a brilliantly blue sky, the judges, guests and contestants assembled on the beautifully manicured lawns outside the cellars of Château Lafite Rothschild, snapping pictures and chatting nervously.  … Read more

Everyone buying and selling wine–wineries, wholesalers, retailers and consumers–does it.  We wine writers also fall into the trap.  We carefully note the blend of grapes in a particular wine and what oak treatment the winemaker has chosen, as though that gives us valuable information about the wine. … Read more

Many years ago, Carmine Martignetti, a friend of mine and head of Carolina Wines, one of New England’s best distributors, remarked to me after a chilly night that marked the beginning of Fall, that the “Port season had arrived.” He of course was referring to the cold months when Port, the uniquely sweet and warming wine made exclusively in Portugal’s Douro Valley, was consumed.… Read more

Chianti Classico producers have been hitting home runs with recent vintages. But they are on the verge of striking out with their new category, Gran Selezione, debuting with the 2010 vintage.… Read more

Bruno Eynard, the man in charge at Château Lagrange, the St. Julien estate in Bordeaux classified as a 3rd growth in the Médoc Classification of 1855, was in New York recently to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Suntory’s ownership. To demonstrate the dramatic turnaround at the estate since Suntory, the Japanese drinks company, acquired it, Eynard led a tasting of 19 vintages of Château Lagrange extending from 1959 to 2010 (plus 5 vintages of Les Fiefs de Lagrange, their second wine, dating from 1990 to 2009).… Read more

Treading the grapes by foot “is fundamental for making Vintage Port,” insists Natasha Bridge, the chief blender at The Fladgate Partnership, the family run company that owns Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca and Croft, three of Port’s best houses. “It may only account for a 3 to 4% difference in quality, but it’s one of the differences between making good and great Port.”… Read more

The Languedoc is undergoing a tremendous transformation. Formerly known as France’s ”wine lake,” this vast area in Southern France that extends in an arc from the Rhône River towards the Spanish border is evolving into one of France’s most exciting wine regions. … Read more