In the March 31, 1996 Issue

Dining in America

Features

Serious Steak: U.S. prime beef, outstanding wine lists and decidedly untrendy attitudes combine for the quintessential American meal

Rating Steak Houses: Bern's Steakhouse

Steak Stampede: Three upscale steak house chains are cloning their success with prime beef and serious wine lists

Behind the Sizzle: What It Takes to Make the Perfect Steak

Great Steaks, No Cellar: Wine-impaired steak houses like Peter Luger in Brooklyn favor nostalgia over good wine lists

What's Hot in The Food World: What today's diners want is the total experience: a warm welcome, an engaging menu and wine list, and atmosphere.

Oregon's Best: A roundup of more than 200 current releases, mostly from the soft 1993 vintage, shows steady improvement in quality

Yield Signs: Yes, the value of some wines keeps going up, but investing in wine remains a risky business

Best of Both Worlds

News

Champagne Bar to Entice New Yorkers With 200 Bubblies

Vines in Washington State Hit by Deep Freeze

Grapevine

Napa Valley Vintner Donald Hess Buys Half of South Africa's Glen Carlou Winery in Worldwide Expansion

Eugene Trefethen, Founder of Napa Valley Winery, Dies

Grape Prices Rise in California as Demand Surges: California Grape Price Increases: 1994-95

Matanzas Creek to Release $125 California Merlot

Michele Chiarlo Buys Prime Vineyards in Barbera

Peter Mondavi Lets Sons Take Charge at Charles Krug

Richard Sanford Starts Again in Santa Barbara With New Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Vineyards

Columns

The Power of The Vineyard

High-Flying Napa Cabernet

Checking Out First Growths With the Haberdashers

Fighting the Puritans

Auctions

The Sky's the Limit: The party rolls on for U.S. charity wine auctions in 1995

Zachys-Christie's Sets American Auction Record: Plenty of rarities fuel $2.1 million sale in New York

The Buying Guide

The Buying Guide for this issue is available here.