October 2009
Catching up with familiar restaurants on a pre-Wine Experience visit
Posted: Oct 29, 2009 11:25am ET
Catching up with familiar restaurants on a pre-Wine Experience visit turns up satisfying meals.
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How serendipity can trump the most careful planning
Posted: Oct 24, 2009 1:18pm ET
Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck prepared some great food for one of the most popular sessions at the Wine Experience, pairing their food with wines they chose. This year, one of the other chef's picked a wine to go with one of the other's dishes, to compare against one chosen by Thomas Matthews, Wine Spectator executive editor. On my scorecard, serendipity beat them all.
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Random thoughts from the Grand Tastings
Posted: Oct 23, 2009 7:49am ET
Standout wines to learn from at the New York Wine Experience.
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A new vineyard joins a parade of oId-vine gnarliness
Posted: Oct 20, 2009 11:46am ET
Roman Bratasiuk aims for European styles for his Clarendon Hills Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet. For years he used grapes purchased from old-vine growers. Now he's developing his own vineyards for estate wines, beginning with a granite rockpile that reminds him of Hermitage.
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Discoveries Beyond Shiraz and Chardonnay
Posted: Oct 13, 2009 10:17am ET
I recently sat down with several Australian vintners who aren’t content to rely on Shiraz and Chardonnay. Among the highlights were a distinctly minerally and fetching Pinot Gris and a pitch-perfect Nebbiolo, from two different producers in Adelaide Hills.
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Winemaker demonstrates innovation in his wines, and others’
Posted: Oct 9, 2009 11:57am ET
A tasting of wines from young vintners in Australia that are changing the landscape to racier, more minerally wines and new grape varieties to Oz.
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Washington winemaker pioneered single-vineyard wines, Syrah
Posted: Oct 8, 2009 8:43am ET
The first time I met David Lake he showed me a freshly made Syrah, the first Syrah made in Washington. An innovator, he had a clear idea of who he was and what was possible, and he stuck to it.
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Some manage to achieve excellent values in Oregon
Posted: Oct 6, 2009 9:36am ET
One reason Oregon makes such good Pinot Noir is that it's difficult to get big yields. That's also why there are so few that are both good and inexpensive. A few producers can do it, though. Here's how.
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It’s about winemaking secrets. Sound familiar?
Posted: Oct 1, 2009 1:31pm ET
Domaine Serene in suing its former winemaker, Tony Rynders, alleging that he stole the trade secret for making Coeur Blanc, a white wine made from red Pinot Noir grapes. This is reminiscent of a famous case from 1992 when Kendall-Jackson won a court decision over winemaker Jed Steele in a case involving the "secret formula" for a popular Chardonnay. The new case has troubling implications for winemakers anywhere.
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