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André Soltner, the dedicated French chef behind Lutèce who helped turn New York City into a world-class dining destination, died on Jan. 18. He was 92. From 1961 to 1994, Soltner led the kitchen at his French bistro on Manhattan’s East Side at 50th Street, teaching American diners what classic French techniques could do when coupled with fresh, first-class ingredients. …

When it comes to a distinguished wine like Brunello di Montalcino, value is a relative concept. The challenge in 2020 is finding less expensive examples that deliver the structure and complexity the denomination implies. As a reminder, value doesn’t simply mean the cheapest price. In this vintage, shelling out just a little bit more might result in a substantial increase …

Mourinho famously described himself as ‘The Special One’ after he was appointed Chelsea manager in 2004. The Portuguese coach had just led Porto to the Champions League title, and he vowed to bring success to his new club. Mourinho lived up to his self-styled nickname, as the Blues won back-to-back Premier League titles. The moniker stuck, so it seemed an …

Wines from Renegade urban winery in London. Renegade founder Warwick Smith said he has been speaking to prospective investors and that some capital had already been committed, as part of a fresh funding drive to take the London urban winery ‘to the next level’.  Renegade, established more than eight years ago, built a new winery in 2021 after a previous …

Juan Padilla among his tinajas. Modern winemaking, much like life at large, seems to exist at a crossroads. As technological innovation pushes forward, it also seeks the wisdom rooted in ancient tradition, creating a paradox where ‘progress’ often depends on looking to the past. In recent years, the revival of ancestral clay vessels – amphorae, qvevri, talhas, and tinajas – …

In the domestic market, sales declined by 7.2% to 118.2 million bottles. That represents the lowest sales rate since 1985. Exports fared even worse, as they decreased by 10.8% to 153.2 million bottles. Demand for Champagne has not been this weak since 2002, when the world was reeling from the dot-com bubble crash and the 9/11 attacks. Maxime Toubart, president …

Looking west from the town of Montalcino. ‘Riserva is the first wine I forfeit to make a better Brunello,’ declares Tommaso Cortonesi (Cortonesi). In 2019, he and his colleagues didn’t need to make such sacrifices. ‘2019 is unequivocally a Riserva year’. Given the sheer number of bottlings previewed – upwards of 100 – 2019 is unequivocally a Riserva year. Even …

A first look at the 2020 Brunello reveals graciously structured, seductive and immediately harmonious wines. The summer was hot and dry with nights cooling in September. Significant rainfall towards the end of the month divided producers in later ripening pockets in terms of who harvested before and who picked after. A comprehensive overview of the vintage highlights key weather episodes …

Looking towards Castello Romitorio. Brunello di Montalcino 2020 vintage rating: 4/5 A hot and dry summer, with nights cooling in September and rain towards the end of the month. Graciously structured, seductive and immediately harmonious wines promise immense pleasure now and over the mid-term. The global pandemic seems like a ghost of the distant past, yet as I tasted through …

Katherine Cole profile picture credit: She Saw Things This is absurd. A reasonable person should only own one style of wine glass. I don’t need a towering Pinot Noir, a cavernous Cabernet Sauvignon, a bulbous Chardonnay and an abstemious Riesling glass. And yet, here they all are, vying for shelf space. And now, there are new ‘must-have’ shapes on the …

As 2025 begins, I’ve received some really interesting press releases. The following are my 2025 best launches, so far. Why Doesn’t The W.H.O. Go After Pharmaceutical Side Effects? Why doesn’t the W.H.O. go after pharmaceuticals’ side effects or even poisonous plants? It vehemently as it goes after wine, beer, or hard liquor, yet pharmaceutical products […] The post Best Press …

The biodynamically farmed vineyards of Jo Landron. The river Loire drains into the Atlantic ocean on France’s western coast just south of Brittany. Stretching between the coast and roughly 120km inland are the vineyards of the Nantais. This area comprises four Muscadet appellations (Muscadet, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu), along with the …

Hello and welcome to this week’s dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently. This past week included a couple of nice wines from the Margaret River, a once-obscure …

When sommelier Jaime Smith drinks a Châteauneuf-duPape, he sees blocky, heavy red and blue pentagons approaching him – clumsily bumping together. Alcohol drips from above, pushing the muscular shapes out of the metaphorical ‘box’ in his mind. Smith, the first director of wine at the famous MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas and twice named best sommelier in America by …

Perhaps the most iconic and controversial aspects of the biodynamic farming regimen are Preparations 500 and 501, which involve packing a cow horn with either manure or pulverized quartz and burying it over a winter or summer. The horns are dug up half a year later, and the materials inside are added to water to make sprays designed to improve …

Susana Balbo’s Signature White Blend That Susana Balbo has been a pioneering force in Argentine (and South American) wine goes without saying. Her talent as a winemaker, entrepreneurial spirit, resilience in the face of many challenges and the way in which she has reframed the possibilities for women in the wine industry make her one of the sector’s most respected …

Decanter brings you the first in a new series of articles celebrating great buys by wine category from UK supermarkets and wine merchants. We’re focusing on bottles chosen for their great value and taste whilst also highlighting a few curveballs with points of difference to discover. The collection kicks off with a look at great-value sparkling wine, with a price …

Opportunistic buyers have been replenishing their cellars with blue-chip Burgundy at lower prices in recent months, according to merchant commentary cited in the Market Watch section of Decanter magazine’s new-look January 2025 issue. The monthly Market Watch pages, also published on Decanter Premium, are sponsored by international merchant Bordeaux Index and its LiveTrade online trading platform. It’s been a subdued …

Sri Lanka in the mix Award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan, has launched an innovative range of cocktail seasonings that pay homage to his Sri Lankan heritage. He has joined forces with Amal de Silva Wijeyeratne, MD of Sri Lanka’s oldest distillery Rockland Distilleries, and Dilhan Fernando, CEO of Sri Lankan tea producer Dilmah, to create Three Families (Alc …

Matthew Stubbs MW, DWWA Regional Chair Matthew Stubbs MW achieved the Master of Wine title in 1996, earning the Bollinger Medal for the best tasting paper. Since then, his contributions to the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) has been invaluable, serving as a practical examiner, seminar lecturer, and currently as the practical Chair for the IMW Education Committee. With …