One of Italian wine’s signature events—OperaWine: Finest Italian Wines—returned with a roar on April 1 in Verona, attracting close to 2,500 global wine professionals for a tasting of some of Italy’s great and historic wines. Developed by Wine Spectator in partnership with Vinitaly and Veronafiere, OperaWine comes on the eve of Verona’s massive four-day annual
A night to discover the art of matching wine & cheese! … Wine and cheese are an irresistible combination…. yet… not all wine will go well with cheese. This session is all about discovering which cheeses go with different wines and why. But of course, your favourite match might well surprise you.! This is a
On the 13th of March every year we say Happy Birthday to Riesling and celebrate International Riesling Day! The brainchild behind this delicious day on the wine days calendar was the Wines of Germany trade group who in 2019 declared that the 13th of March 1435 was the official birthday of Riesling. Which by my
Dick Erath, a pioneering winemaker and grower who helped lay the foundation for today’s thriving Willamette Valley wine industry, died March 29. He was 87. Erath had been in ill health in recent months and passed away in Vancouver, Wash., where he lived for many years. Erath was among a small group of like-minded wine
Sleek and pure, this is a superb Riesling from Orange, NSW. This was my first introduction to Colmar Estate and I hope it isn’t the last. What a stunning beacon of deliciousness! The word ‘delicate’ kept reverberating as I tasted this. Its class shone all the way through to the fine-boned acidity. With a delicate
Within the first eight minutes out on the streets of Canberra, I saw a dude on an e-scooter almost cleanup a pedestrian on the footpath. Welcome back to Australia’s capital city! These drunken Canberran’s chosen vehicles of pleasure are both loved and loathed, but to me, they just feel like a welcome mat. And it’s
Silicon Valley Bank’s assets and liabilities have been bought by First Citizens Bank & Trust, a North Carolina–based bank that has been quietly growing over the last decade, now one of the 20 largest banks in the United States. First Citizens is taking on $110 billion in assets, $56 billion in deposits and $72 billion
Champagne Henriot has new owners … again. Six months after Artémis Domaines bought majority control of Maisons & Domaines Henriot, which included the Champagne house as well as Bouchard Père & Fils in Burgundy, William Fèvre in Chablis and Beaux Frères in Oregon, the Pinault family-owned firm has announced it will sell Champagne Henriot to
Frankland River Syrah harvested by moonlight and fermented for ten days with some Viognier skins tossed in to lift aromatics. This is a great drink. Loaded with dense plums and blackberries, the sweetness of cedary oak slides in later. A fury texture similar to peach skin is feathered through the mouth. Bottled without fining or
Tim Smith’s wines are typically well-received at Graham HQ, with his generously textured reds a particular highlight. I’m here to report that his new Tim Smith Wines Mataro 2022 & Tim Smith Wines Grenache 2022 are again delightful wines. What makes them great? Clearly, quality fruit, and Tim’s winemaking tends to accentuate that quality by
World Central Kitchen (WCK), the charitable organization founded by chef José Andrés that has served nearly 300 million meals to communities in need in more than 45 countries, has announced that Erin Gore will be taking the reins as chief executive officer. For almost four years, Gore has led WCK’s philanthropic relationships and development team,
After more than 17 years producing some of Tuscany’s most renowned wines in Bolgheri, Ornellaia winemaker Axel Heniz is going back to Bordeaux. Wine Spectator has learned that Lawrence Wine Estates has hired Heinz to serve as CEO of Château Lascombes. Partners Gaylon Lawrence and Carlton McCoy purchased the Margaux second growth six months ago.
Along with opening a new restaurant in White Plains, N.Y., and another in Manhattan, acclaimed chef-restaurateur David Burke has brought his flair to Rhode Island, his first location in the state. Earlier this month, Burke and David Burke Hospitality Management (DBHM) took over food and beverage operations at the Preserve Sporting Club & Residences in
Smith & Sheth’s Omahu vineyard in Hawkes Bay. Wineries highlighted include Rockburn, Te Mata Estate, Summerhouse and Rapaura Springs, Babich Wines, Palliser Estate, Peregrine & Saddleback, Pyramid Valley, Smith & Sheth and Tohu, Te Whare Ra, Spy Valley and Forrest Wines. Wines from four of these producers are sampled here. They are readily available on
I was kindly invited to test out the Halliday Wine Club for 6-months as part of a review for this blog. All opinions are my own and as always, I encourage you to drink what you enjoy. The Halliday Wine Club is one of the newest wine subscription services to enter the Australian market. It
The Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) reached new heights in early February, as 675 wine lovers gathered in a tent outside the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón to bid on lots combining luxurious travel and culinary experiences with rare wines. The auction, which benefits the Naples Children and Education Foundation (NCEF), has firmly established itself as the
From an excellent Barossa vintage comes this delicious blend. GSMs are made for burgers and barbecues, well I think so anyway. The detail and slurp factor presented here demand large pours. Loaded with plums and red fruits, there is some density with a cheeky flash of raspberry fruit sweetness. It’s earthy with fine baking and
How do some of the world’s most successful chefs, somms and winemakers balance wine and health? Red Rooster chef-owner Marcus Samuelsson and Frasca somm-owner Bobby Stuckey join the latest episode of Straight Talk to share how they keep perspective—and keep fit. Host James Molesworth and Wine Spectator senior editor Kristen Bieler take a closer look at our Wine
On Thursday, March 9, a customer brought a single bottle of wine to the sales counter at Sherry-Lehmann, the legendary Manhattan wine and spirits shop. The sale was rung up by a rookie salesperson. Then the customer flashed a badge. He was an enforcement agent for the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA). Acting general
Bordeaux grapegrowers are planning to tear out almost 23,500 acres of vines—and they’re thrilled. After nine months of negotiations with local, regional and national government representatives, on March 1 the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) reached an agreement with Marc Fesneau, France’s minister of agriculture and food sovereignty, for financing the vine pull. These uprooting efforts
I sat down with Tom Massey from The Cellar Door Podcast for a chat. Usually, I’m asking the questions of winemakers and producers but this time it’s me under the microscope. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you enjoy it too. You can access the link here. Subscribe to Qwine here Follow me: Twitter and Instagram If you
Maybe it was the idyllic, lily-topped pond glimmering to the left. Maybe it was the proudly untidy grass sprawling out underneath the grapevines. Or maybe it was just how green and lively the whole estate looked. Whatever, when our busload of wine scribes rumbled through the gates of Handpicked Wines’ Capella Vineyard a few weeks
What more could a four-day festival packed with incredible dinners and tastings spotlighting some of the world’s most renowned chefs offer? How about a partnership with the world’s leading wine magazine? The Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival (PBFWF) has announced a joint venture with Wine Spectator, part of a plan to expand the growing
Who makes it? Duca Diseo is one of Italy’s Champagne inspired sparkling wines from the Lombardia region of Franciacorta. It has one of a very extensive range of sparkling wines made by Cantina Chiara Ziliani. The Cantina is a family owned estate founded in 2001. The estate shares its name with the founder’s daughter, Chiara.
On Feb. 17, the Quality Branded restaurant group opened Bad Roman at the Deutsch Bank Center (formerly the Time Warner Center) in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle. With picturesque views over Central Park, the restaurant occupies the space formerly used by chef Marc Murphy’s Landmarc, which closed in 2019. It joins a celebrated portfolio, including sibling restaurants
Cabernet bliss 101. You can’t go wrong here, be it now or stashed away for a few years. Highlighted by licorice bullets, handfuls of dried herbs and even a cheeky waft of bitumen, it’s earthy with powdery tannins. Softly spiced, black fruits are ribbed throughout playing a secondary role. A wine that floods the mouth
Burgundy’s second most famous charity auction is grabbing a lot more attention these days. On March 12, the 62nd edition of the Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges auction will take place both online and at its usual location, Château du Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy. This is the fourth year in a row that the Hospices has
Close followers of this site will know how popular Riesling is on this site, even to the point where I’ve been accused of having a ‘Riesling bias’. I’ll wear that with pride. So, to continue the Riesling love-fest, let me present no fewer than 13 current release 2022 vintage Riesling that I’ve enjoyed recently, plus
Scientists collaborating across the globe have unlocked a new, astounding origin story for wine grapes, pushing back the domestication of Vitis vinifera, the grape species used for most winemaking, to more than 11,000 years ago. The findings suggest humans domesticated grapevines around the same time period they domesticated the first cereal plants. “The grapevine was
Who makes it? Clarry’s is just one of the succulent red wines from Kalleske. Australian winelover’s will already know that Kalleske is a family wine estate based in the renowned Barossa Valley in South Australia. A wine region that is perhaps internationally best known for its bold red wines. The family has been growing grapes since