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

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

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

Despite the economic turmoil, wine consumption in the United States continues to increase.  Up only a mere one percent in 2010, according to the Wine Market Council, but that was enough to make us the world’s largest wine market, surpassing France. … Read more

In all the great wine producing areas of the world it is an article of faith that where the grapes grow determines the style and quality of the wine. However, when we think of Port, we tend to forget this fundamental notion.… Read more

“An overpowering wine,” was how Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor Fladgate, described their just released pre-phylloxera Tawny Port, which he dated to about 1855.  Labeled Scion, it was overpowering, but not so much in taste–it was rich but vibrant–as much as its origin and its price, about $3,200 a bottle.… Read more

I’ve been converted.  Sort of.

Despite the tsunami of enthusiasm that appears every summer, I’ve never been a fan of rosés, except, of course, for rosé Champagne.  The argument for rosé is that they are perfect for summertime because they are not too serious, they stand up to and go with hearty cold salads or grilled fish, and they cut through summer’s heat and humidity.… Read more

It’s not of course.  Chardonnay still holds that position.  But to listen to wine professionals, it should be.  … Read more

With bright sunshine and temperatures flirting with 80 degrees here in the Northeast, it’s time to put parkas and boots away.  Grilled fish dribbled with olive oil and other lighter fare replaces hearty long-simmered stews.  To accompany this change of culinary seasons, lively whites will appear in place of those robust reds. … Read more

My hope for the New Year is that winemakers turn down the “volume” so we wine drinkers can savor the music.

It is clear that current popular taste embraces the ultra-intense style of wine–both white and red.  Alcohol levels in these wines often soar to 15+ percent–and acid levels drop–as winemakers leave grapes on the vine to achieve ever more ripeness. … Read more

Many wine regulations make no sense.  But to me, the worst is the one that allows a portion, usually 15%, of grapes from outside of an appellation to be included in a wine and yet keep the appellation’s name of the label.… Read more