In the Aug. 31, 2006 Issue

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Restaurant Awards

Cover Story

Honor Roll of Grand Award Winners

2006 AWARDS - New Winners and Upgrades

Features

The Wild & Mystical Heart of Languedoc - In the beautiful realm of the Cathars, fine wine and top restaurants are key to enjoying a historic land

Lock, Stock and Bottle - Restaurant wine lockers come with valuable perks

Collecting Q & A - With Peter D. Meltzer

D.C "Hearts" Wine: Auction Raises More than $350,000 for the American Heart Association

Tasting Reports

Syrah Shines in Southern France - Two contrasting vintages provide plenty of flavors from Languedoc and Roussillon

Sauvignon Blanc's Fresh Appeal - New styles and fruit-forward flavors power the latest releases from California

Map of the Languedoc Districts

Dining

The Best Restaurants For Wine Lovers

The Dining Guide - About The Award Levels

A Global Guide to Wine-Friendly Restaurants - The 2006 Dining Guide, our largest ever, highlights 3,772 award winners

Rebuilding a Dining Destination One Bottle at a Time - New Orleans restaurants are battered but still committed to excellence

The Young Turks of Wine - A rising generation of sommeliers shapes America's best wine lists with passion and skill

Why Can't We Be Friends? - A good sommelier can be a wine lover's best buddy, but there's plenty of potential for misunderstandings and hurt feelings. We asked consumers and sommeliers for tips on how to make the relationship work.

Tipping On Wine

Grand Award: Blackberry Farm - A world-class wine destination in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee

Grand Award: Restaurant Latour - One man's passion builds a wine mecca in northern New Jersey

Grand Award: Sona - A relaxed restaurant with a serious menu now boasts a wine list to match

Events

$1 Million Lot Sets Napa Valley Auction Record - The charity fundraiser's $8.4 million tally is fueled by actress Geena Davis and Ryan Seacrest of American Idol

Napa Auction Excitement Kicks Off With Wine Spectator Parties - Napa and Sonoma vintners open their best wines and let loose in anticipation of the main event

Departments

Upfront

Wineries Sprout Across America - Farmers and entrepreneurs established 460 new wineries in the past year

Syrah's Parentage Linked to Pinot Noir

Wine Takes Center Stage at New Le Cirque

Taittinger Heirs and French Bank Buy Champagne Firm

GrapeVine

Charge Filed Against Hundred Acre Owner

Bronco Stops Making "Napa" Brands

ABCs of Kosher Wine

2006 Southern Harvest Snapshots - Vintners from Australia to South Africa evaluate the vintage

In-Depth

Wait and See on 2005 California Cabernet - A preview of the vintage finds elegant and balanced wines, but a large crop could make the year less than stellar