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Weather rolls across the valley floor of the Petaluma Gap AVA, as seen from Keller Estate in Sonoma County. Defined largely by the effects of coastal wind influence, the Petaluma Gap AVA was established in 2017 and includes a slice of southernmost Sonoma County and northern Marin County, stretching from the Pacific Coast inland to the Carneros AVA. INSTRUCTIONS:Download this …

Luciano Sandrone, a vintner who was part of a movement to elevate quality in Barolo for more than four decades, died yesterday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 76. Sandrone built his wine business from a tiny 2.5-acre parcel in the appellation of Cannubi to 67 acres stretching from Barolo to Serralunga d’Alba and neighboring Roero. He manged …

Sherry-Lehmann. In Wine Spectator, Peter Hellman reflects on “the sad decline” of New York’s Sherry-Lehmann wine stores. “Once arguably the queen of wine shops in America’s biggest wine market, Sherry-Lehmann is facing potential financial ruin. Several leading wholesalers tell Wine Spectator that inventory at the store is low because the company owes money to multiple suppliers, who now refuse to send the …

How do the non vintage wines compare? Champagne is one of the most fascinating wine regions of France, and it is also one of the most dynamic, as this is where tradition and change go hand in hand. It is technically just one large appellation, but multiple identities and stylistic expressions co-exist, adding to its dynamic force. Still today, for …

A jewel in the crown The Beefeater distillery first launched its premium gin Crown Jewel back in 1993. Available only in travel retail, it became a collectible cult hit and a bartender favourite, but was discontinued in 2009. Thankfully the distillery has had a recent change of heart and Beefeater Crown Jewel (Alc 50%) is back and better than ever, …

Do we have to give up wine if we want to shed a few pounds? No! Click on the arrow above to watch the video … On CTV’s The Social, we put this notion to the test with a fun quiz show format on calories and wine. How many answers can you get right? Three of the wines we’ll taste …

  You can access the wines that I reviewed as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. You can also see …

On a sunny afternoon last December, a middle-aged woman angrily walked out of 88-year-old Sherry-Lehmann, once the royalty of Manhattan wine and spirits stores. “I was shopping for a gift bottle of tequila for my boss,” the woman said, as she waited to cross Park Avenue. “But the salesperson tells me there’s only one bottle of tequila in stock and …

On WineBusiness.com, Lucie Morton offers a review of clones, clonal misidentifications and what that means for vineyard owners. “What I propose here is that the industry follow a similar investigative trajectory when it comes to trueness-to-type in clones. As in the past, clonal identification should begin with physical ground truthing, also known as ampelography, and then perhaps there will be …

The boutique producer plans to grow Bordeaux and Italian varietals on the land, which it has purchased from SeVein Vineyards. The parcel is located in the middle of the SeVein slope, 274 to 335 metres (900 to 1,100 feet) above sea level. It benefits from similar loam soils and elevation to the celebrated Seven Hills Vineyard, which is located on …

Klearhos Kanellakis was born in Athens, Greece. After working for Michelin-star restaurants and boutique hotels in Greece he moved to London in 2015 to be part of the opening team at 67 Pall Mall. Four years later he moved to Trivet restaurant, working with Isa Bal MS. Now he is head sommelier and wine buyer for the Nordic restaurant Ekstedt …

Adrian Bridge at the summit of Mount Vinson, Antarctica Starting his career in the British Cavalry Regiment the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, Bridge moved to Portugal in 1994 and is now CEO of The Fladgate Partnership, which produces Taylor, Fonseca, Fonseca-Guimaraens, Krohn and Croft Ports. Bridge has been a driving force behind wine tourism in Porto, opening The Yeatman …

Felton Road’s Calvert Vineyard and the surrounding hills in Central Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island. It is what many dream of: you are an experienced executive at the top of your game, you have seen it all. Then you leave it all behind to buy a vineyard. And no, not in a famous region, but an emerging region on …

Biondi Santi Riserva wines are made from older vines from the estate. The image of an older gentleman walking along the cypress-lined avenue of Il Greppo in Montalcino dressed in the typical Italian ‘casentino’ coat is arguably one of the most famous photographs of Franco Biondi Santi. The owner of Tenuta Il Greppo, who passed away in April 2013, was …

Peter Liem returns as Regional Chair for Champagne at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2023. Peter Liem Peter Liem Peter Liem is an American wine writer and author of ChampagneGuide.net, an award-winning online guide to the wines and wine producers of Champagne. Following nearly a decade in the wine trade, he was a senior editor, critic and tasting director for Wine …

Stefan Neumann MS is Regional Chair for Switzerland at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2023. Stefan Neumann MS Stefan Neumann MS Stefan Neumann MS is an independent wine consultant based out of London. Stefan has spent the majority of his career in the world of Michelin-starred restaurants, the most recent position as the director of wine for Michelin two-star …

Simon Field MW is Regional Chair for the UK at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2023. Simon Field MW Simon Field MW Simon Field MW joined Berry Brothers & Rudd in 1998 and was with them for 20 years, having spent several misguided but lucrative years working as a chartered accountant in the City. During his time at BBR …

Dominique Vrigneau is the Regional Chair for Beaujolais, Southwest and Rest of France at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2023. DWWA Regional Chair Dominique Vrigneau Dominique Vrigneau Dominique Vrigneau joined Majestic on a work experience placement in 1986 after completing a five-year PhD in agriculture and oenology in Toulouse France.  He was soon promoted to the position of buying …

Michael Garner is Regional Chair for Northern Italy (excluding Piedmont & Veneto) at the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) Michael Garner Michael Garner Michael Garner brings a wealth of experience to the role of Regional Chair for Northern Italy: he has worked in the wine business for forty years, mostly specialising in the wines of Italy. He is the …

Simon J Woolf is the new joint Regional Chair with Caroline Gilby MW for North, Central and Eastern Europe at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2023. DWWA Regional Chair Simon J Woolf Simon J Woolf Simon J Woolf is an award-winning English author and wine writer, currently based in The Netherlands. An acknowledged expert on the subject of natural …