Blogs
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Harvey Steiman At Large
Posted: May 23, 2006 By Harvey Steiman
For years, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was the gold standard for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It's still good, but, for the past couple of vintages, a different wine has jumped out at me from my blind tastings as the most dramatic, most complete and harmonious of them all.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Posted: May 23, 2006 By James Molesworth
This past Saturday night in Myrtle Beach, my buddies and I were in the middle of a crazy golf trip. We’d just played four rounds of golf in two days (we'd go on to play a fifth the next day) under a bright sun, interrupted by a half day of cold rain and wind (which we played through).
Blogs
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James Suckling Uncorked
Posted: May 22, 2006 By James Suckling
You asked for it, you got it! When our editor and publisher, Marvin R. Shanken, solicited member feedback on the blogs, the most frequent request was for interaction with us, the editors. We do encourage comments and questions every day on our blog posts, and we try to respond to them as often as we can during the workweek.
Blogs
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Marvin R. Shanken's Blog
Posted: May 22, 2006 By Marvin R. Shanken
I'm addicted to Jack Bauer. That doesn't mean I'm not crazy about Tony Soprano. But I'm addicted to Bauer and 24 to the point that I want David Palmer back as President. Anyway, last week I went to a dinner party.
Blogs
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James Laube's Wine Flights
Posted: May 22, 2006 By James Laube
This week, the Paris Tasting (aka the Judgment of Paris), returns for a yet another curtain call. But that seminal event 30 years ago is not just being re-created, but turned into a three-ring circus with venues in Napa (at Copia), London and Sacramento.
Blogs
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James Suckling Uncorked
Posted: May 22, 2006 By James Suckling
I was sitting in my office this morning tasting 2003 Tuscan reds, and my West Highland Terrier, Archie, started barking outside the door into the backyard. He looked terrified. In fact, he jumped through his dog door like he had seen a ghost.
Blogs
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Harvey Steiman At Large
Posted: May 19, 2006 By Harvey Steiman
Ambrogio Folonari and his son Giovanni are the newest figures from outside the state to make wine in Washington as part of a group of joint ventures with Allen Shoup's new Long Shadows operation. Their first wine, a Sangiovese-based red, was made in 2005 and could be released next year.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Posted: May 19, 2006 By James Molesworth
I met with Thierry Germain this week, who is on his first-ever trip to the U.S. Germain, 38, has turned his Domaine des Roches Neuves , located in Saumur-Champigny, into a benchmark estate for Loire Valley reds.
Blogs
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James Laube's Wine Flights
Posted: May 18, 2006 By James Laube
I played a round of mystery decanter on Saturday night with a group of friends. It’s a game any wine lovers who want to test their name-that-wine skills will enjoy, whether they’re novices or geeks.
Blogs
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James Suckling Uncorked
Posted: May 18, 2006 By James Suckling
KUFSTEIN, AUSTRIA: The Riedel family celebrated its 250th anniversary of glassmaking last night at its factory here , joined by close to 700 other people from 30 different countries. It was a night of celebration and speeches, not to mention good food and wine.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Posted: May 17, 2006 By James Molesworth
Wine geeks and insiders know the Vouvrays of S.A. Huët well. Alas, limited distribution, combined with the under-the-radar profile of Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, means they are often overlooked by the general wine loving public.
Blogs
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James Laube's Wine Flights
Posted: May 16, 2006 By James Laube
Snowden Vineyards has a lot riding on the 2005 vintage. After a run of excellent vintages from 1993 to 2001, including solid efforts in the challenging years of 1998 and 2000, this Napa Valley Cabernet specialist hit a huge pothole – two in fact.
Blogs
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Marvin R. Shanken's Blog
Posted: May 16, 2006 By Marvin R. Shanken
Wine Spectator Online is nearly 10 years old now, but we are constantly launching new features on the site. One of the most recent--and most successful--is our editors' blogs. This section is off to a grand start.
Blogs
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Harvey Steiman At Large
Posted: May 15, 2006 By Harvey Steiman
If you read the Australian press, an enormous sword hangs over its wine industry. From this side of the Pacific Ocean, it looks as if the country delivers wines at all points on the price spectrum that over-deliver on quality.
Blogs
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James Suckling Uncorked
Posted: May 15, 2006 By James Suckling
PORTOFINO: Spent the weekend here watching the Zegna Regatta, a sailboat race for mostly Swan, Wally and Transpac boats. The race, sponsored by the fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna, is now in its 25th year and has become one of the cool spring events in Europe, with plenty of weekend parties in this small northern Italian village on the Ligurian coast.
Blogs
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James Laube's Wine Flights
Posted: May 14, 2006 By James Laube
This week is my first comprehensive look at the 2005 vintage of California Cabernet Sauvignon, which according to winemakers, should be a dandy. This year, I'll be doing a blind tasting of barrel samples from more than 60 producers, mostly from Napa Valley.
Blogs
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James Suckling Uncorked
Posted: May 13, 2006 By James Suckling
FLORENCE -- Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, the Tuscan wine giant, announced yesterday that it has spun off some of its top wine estates into a new company, Tenute di Toscana, and then sold a small part of it to foreign investors, including Russian vodka producer SPI Group (whose brands include Stolichnaya) and former Napa Valley vintner Michael Mondavi, who now runs an import company.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Posted: May 12, 2006 By James Molesworth
I recently read a story by Stephen Yafa on The San Francisco Chronicle website. The story was an interesting interview with four San Francisco-based sommeliers and their opinions on how to order wine in a restaurant.
Blogs
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James Laube's Wine Flights
Posted: May 12, 2006 By James Laube
Tasting wine for a living -- or at least part of it -- sounds like a ton of fun. But it’s also a lot of work. For all those glorious days when the wines sing and dance, there are often long stretches of dull, dreary, soulless wines.
Blogs
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James Suckling Uncorked
Posted: May 11, 2006 By James Suckling
ROME – Arrived in Fumicino Airport this morning at about 8:30 a.m., following an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles via New York. After trying to start my car (I left the lights on over a week ago when I left!), I finally worked it out and left down the highway for home.
