California has unveiled its sustainable pest management roadmap, a long-range plan towards an environmentally sustainable culture. The plan focuses on the elimination of pesticides by the year 2050. In Decanter, Marisa Finetti considers how the ban will change California vineyard practices. It’s official: North Carolina–based First Citizens Bank has bought the troubled Silicon Valley Bank, including nearly $1.2 billion in …
Read More »Once More Around the Burning Horn (Dispatch From Etna)
Maybe we shouldn’t be going this way…? With this article, I’ll be wrapping up feature coverage of last year’s media jaunt to Sicily’s Etna (you can expect quite a few more mini-reviews, however, from producers not given the feature treatment here). Those features (including write-ups of Torre Mora and Passopisciaro) have been meant as a deeper dive into the current …
Read More »Last tickets remaining: Decanter’s Harlan Estate masterclass in New York
We are delighted to be returning to New York for the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter on Saturday 10 June 2023, to bring visitors an array of outstanding wines to discover and taste with the unrivalled Grand Tasting and a series of exceptional Masterclasses. One of the most hotly anticipated masterclasses features Napa’s highly regarded Harlan Estate, one with true cult …
Read More »Vera de Estenas – a story of memory and emotion
The greatest lesson Félix Martínez Roda learnt from his father, Francisco Martínez Bermell, was that ‘there are no secrets, there’s simply the need to love wine.’ This remains the main principle guiding him at the helm of the family’s estate, as the guardian of a unique legacy: an unfailing commitment to the region of Utiel-Requena and to Bobal. Vera de …
Read More »Navigating Big Restaurant Wine Lists + Sommelier’s Key Role with Tonya Pitts
Introduction Are you curious about what it takes to manage a list of 500 different wine labels at one of America’s best restaurants? Why is wine so powerful in creating memories? What is the most important role of the sommelier? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Sommelier of the Year, Tonya Pitts. You can …
Read More »Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: ‘Rioja is not a type of wine. It is a whole wine country’
Rioja was distinctive because of its sweet vanilla scents, medium body and smooth finish. Today, most wine drinkers will order a glass of Rioja expecting something similar, albeit at much higher quality levels. However, many wine lovers aren’t yet aware of the new wave of wines in Rioja. These are the wines driving change in the region – and creating …
Read More »Single-owner sales: Wine auction wisdom
The top lot in the upcoming Zachys Hong Kong auction is a 12-bottle case of 1988 Romanée-Conti. Collectors contemplating the dizzying spiral of prices often decide that the time is ripe for profit-taking. Some may decide that they will never drink their way through their cellar, while others feel they could not in good conscience enjoy wines that, in many …
Read More »Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma County 2020 $32 (93 points)
Opens with a juicy burst of cherry fruit, then turns brooding midway, with dark berry flavors accented by savory white pepper and bay leaf. Ends with broad-shouldered tannins. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet. Drink now through 2031. 21,000 cases made. Source : 8ffa99d2af9d50cf0bc7c86e350657f0
Read More »The Four Graces Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021 $30 (92 points)
A generous and zesty red, with expressive cherry and pomegranate flavors that are accented by orange peel and spiced cinnamon, finishing with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031. 48,000 cases made. Source : 7ff30f5adee65ba4b473c37009aa749a
Read More »Pioneering world class Cabernet Franc in Argentina
Founded in 1885, Rutini is one of Argentina’s historic wineries – but also one of the most visionary. In recent years, Rutini has cemented its reputation as a fine wine leader, most especially with the emerging quality and expressiveness of Cabernet Franc. A modern pioneer of Gualtallary Under the hand of long-standing winemaker Mariano Di Paola, Rutini has transformed in …
Read More »Silicon Valley Bank and Its Wine Division Have a New Home
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 in loans from SVB, which …
Read More »Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC and the flavours of Japan
Sommelier’s often say that serving Japanese food with wine is both one of the most difficult and interesting pairing exercises. The fine flavours and textures of nipponic cuisine, alongside the vibrant intensity of some of the condiments and sauces, proves a challenge when it comes to finding beverage companions. And yet, the answer can be awfully simple. Seek wines that …
Read More »Henschke 2018: Single-vineyard releases
On 3 May, the Henschke family will release its 2018 single-vineyard Eden Valley wines: Hill of Grace, Hill of Roses, Mount Edelstone and The Wheelwright – all 100% Shiraz – as well as the Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon. Henschke is releasing the new vintage of its five single-site Eden Valley wines together for the first time on 3 May, in …
Read More »Boela Gerber to take over at Virginia’s Southwest Mountains Vineyards
Boela Gerber. Boela Gerber is heading to the United States for a new adventure in the heart of the Monticello AVA in Charlottesville, Virginia. He will be taking over as the winemaker at Southwest Mountains Vineyards, a new winery located in the Keswick area of Albemarle County. Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Viognier, Petit Manseng, Grüner Veltliner, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are …
Read More »Daily Wine News: Reviving Heritage
One of the revived grape varieties. (Source: Torres) “Querol, Forcada and Pirene are grapes most people have never heard of. Their names are new, chosen by Spain’s Torres family after they found them growing wild in Catalonia. Yet the family is convinced that these varieties were commonly used in the region’s blended red wines for hundreds or thousands of years.” …
Read More »Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine d’Abrigeon, Buisson
Julien and Nadia d’Abrigeon. Julien and Nadia d’Abrigeon stood before me like new parents: proud, exhausted, thrilled. Tasting with them in their rented cellar space, I shared their excitement for their new arrivals. It’s not often you get to taste the first vintage of a new domaine, especially not one so promising. We’d just returned from visiting their vineyards in …
Read More »California’s ban on pesticides by 2050 sees the state’s wineries embracing ‘slow wine’
Vineyards at Shannon Ridge Corriedale sheep snack on weeds among rows of vines; along the way, they fertilise the soil, adding nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium. Owls and bats swoop from vineyard boxes from dusk ’til dawn, eliminating vine-root-eating gophers and grapevine moths. Native flowering plants create sanctuaries for beneficial insects. Such a menagerie of wildlife would have been unlikely decades …
Read More »A perfect pairing: Loaf-baked whole cheese with girolles
One of my very favourite times to be at Borough Market, on the south side of London Bridge, is first thing on a Saturday morning. That’s when the locals come to do their food shopping, armed with empty shopping bags that will be full to bursting when they finally leave the Market gates. It’s a scene replicated at food markets …
Read More »Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 3/26/23
Hello, and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren’t Flipboard-inclined, here’s everything I’ve strained out of the wine-related muck for the week. Funk & SoulBring on the funk. Just not too much. Out in the weeds, …
Read More »Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Taihoa Vineyard 2020 $40 (93 points)
Distinctive and fragrant, leaning into savory details of lanolin, beeswax and litsea oil, which mingle with mineral accents and floral notes. Reveals a juicy mix of tangerine, mango and citrus flavors at the core, with a supple, almost creamy texture. Builds in complexity on the finish. Drink now. 4,500 cases made, 750 cases imported. Source : 19501520248a16254566f0c09bdaa981
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