Wine

Ready for a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Marselan? Last month, the French organization that governs wine appellations approved six grape varieties to be added to the grapes currently allowed for the production of Bordeaux entry-level wines, AOC Bordeaux and AOC Bordeaux Supérieur, with other categories expected to follow. Vignerons hope the

After the Restaurant at Meadowood was largely destroyed in the September 2020 California wildfires, the Wine Spectator Grand Award winner is popping up at Ojai Valley Inn for a two-month culinary residency. Chef Christopher Kostow and his team will host a dinner series March 3 through April 28 at the resort in Ojai, Calif., which

The most famous Down Under winery has gone Up Above. Australia’s Penfolds recently unveiled its latest endeavor, a lineup of four California-based wines from vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles. The move came as the company decided to combine the Penfolds know-how with the vineyards its corporate parent, Treasury Wine Estates, has accumulated around the

Duckhorn Wine Company, the Napa Valley–based portfolio of wineries headed by Duckhorn Vineyards, which has consistently made some of the top-rated Merlots from California since its founding in 1976, filed a statement today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) declaring its intention to go public. Duckhorn, owned since 2016 by the San Francisco–based

Ever wanted to bid on multiple magnums of Screaming Eagle? Now’s your chance. The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), a nonprofit trade association that supports the local wine industry, launched its inaugural Napa Valley Library Wine Auction last week, offering collectors top-shelf wines spanning six decades. Bidding concludes Feb. 20. “It’s hard to say this isn’t

A new study suggests that tannic acids, found in plants and, most notably, in grape skins, may help suppress COVID-19. The findings don’t suggest that a bottle of Barolo is therapeutic, but the study could lead to future treatments. While scientists have developed vaccines at record pace, others have focused their research on treatments for

Two Tennessee lawmakers have proposed a law that would ban many small wineries from selling direct to the state’s consumers. The bill, introduced in both the state house of representatives and senate, would prohibit wineries from shipping to Tennessee residents through fulfillment houses, firms widely used by U.S. wineries to handle shipping logistics. Owners of

Australia’s Penfolds is perhaps best known for its iconic Grange bottling, but the iconic winery doesn’t stand still. Under the direction of chief winemaker Peter Gago, it continues to release innovative new wines. The latest endeavor has just been unveiled, a lineup of four California-based wines from vineyard holdings in Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles,

Brady Williams, head chef at Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Canlis, is leaving his position at the end of February to work toward opening his own restaurant. The news was announced on social media last month with the Canlis brother-owners, Mark and Brian, thanking Williams for his role at the famed Seattle destination. The brothers

Can you trademark terroir? In the case of Napa’s most famous vineyard, a federal court has ruled yes. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has ruled in favor of Constellation Brands in a suit filed by Jeremy Nickel, owner of The Vineyard House, dismissing his claim that he is entitled to use the To Kalon

When your boss hands you responsibility for an enormous retail wine operation and you know next to nothing about wine, where do you start? For Annette Alvarez-Peters, it began with lots of books, not enough sleep, and promising her boss she’d learn the ropes fast. Alvarez-Peters joined Costco in 1983, and became a wine buyer

The Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) raised $7.2 million for local charities last week, the highest amount raised by a virtual wine charity auction since the pandemic started. Now in its 21st year, the southwestern Florida event has brought in a total of $220 million for underprivileged children in Collier County, Fla., helping more than

In a sign of how the pandemic has turbocharged alcohol e-commerce, Uber has agreed to acquire drinks delivery platform Drizly in a deal worth $1.1 billion. Drizly has operations in 1,400 cities across a majority of U.S. states. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close later this year. Uber currently

The Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation has donated $100,000 to the Roots Fund, a non-profit organization devoted to securing a pathway for members of Black, indigenous and LatinX communities into the wine business. In fall 2020, 17 scholarships were awarded within the group’s “Rooted in Education” and “Stay Rooted in Education” programs, sponsored by Wine Spectator

Hospitality titan Tilman Fertitta has announced a deal to take his Fertitta Entertainment Inc. company public via a merger with blank check company Fast Acquisition Corp. The deal values Fertitta’s empire, which includes the Landry’s restaurant group and Golden Nugget casinos at $6.6 billion. It’s expected to close in the second quarter of this year.

Major Food Group (MFG) expanded to Miami Beach, Fla., this week with the opening of its famed Italian restaurant, Carbone. The existing Carbone locations in New York, Las Vegas and Hong Kong comprise three of MFG’s seven Restaurant Award winners, which include Wine Spectator Grand Award winner the Grill in New York. “I, along with

Baron Benjamin de Rothschild—banker, philanthropist and wine estate owner—died of a heart attack at his home, Château de Pregny, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 15. He was 57. De Rothschild was chairman of the privately owned financial group Edmond de Rothschild, founded by his father, which has banks in Paris, Luxembourg, Geneva and London, with

After a month of strict restrictions on California businesses, including bans on outdoor dining and wine tastings, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an easing of shutdown rules last night. The move is welcome news to a coalition of 50 impacted businesses in the Bay Area that filed a lawsuit last week against Newsom and the state’s

What happens when you bring both Bordeaux and German know-how to Bolgheri? For wine star Axel Heinz, it’s paid off, as he has helped Ornellaia become one of the biggest names in Italian wine. Born and raised in Germany, but influenced by his family’s Bordeaux origins, Heinz became estate director of Ornellaia in 2005. In

The Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation has donated $100,000 to the Glancy Wine Education Foundation as part of its campaign to support diversity in the wine industry. The contribution will fund scholarships for students demonstrating economic need and a desire to start or advance a career in the wine or hospitality industry using certifications offered at

The Albada Jelgersma family is slimming down their winery portfolio, selling Bordeaux fifth-growth Château du Tertre in Margaux to an undisclosed French institutional investor. The Helfrich family, owners of the large wine firm Grands Chais de France, will lease and manage the winery. The sale price was not disclosed. The Albada Jelgersma family wanted to

When Dr. Christian Squillante traveled to South Africa in February 2020, he enjoyed safari rides and explored the local wine regions. But halfway into the trip, the Minneapolis-based oncologist developed a fever and severe fatigue that lasted two days. He recovered quickly and didn’t give it much thought until two weeks later, when he opened

Just over 25 years ago, American diplomacy helped end almost four years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, one marked by ethnic cleansing and war crimes. During the fighting, which culminated in the breakup of Yugoslavia, more than 100,000 people were killed and more than 2

Updated Jan. 15, 10 a.m. The owners of Williams Selyem, one of Sonoma’s best-known Pinot Noir producers, announced that they have sold a minority stake in the winery to the Faiveley family of Burgundy’s Domaine Faiveley. The price and share of ownership were not disclosed. John and Kathe Dyson plan to maintain control of the

In August, chef Dan Barber announced plans to step down from his kitchen duties and pivot his Grand Award–winning Blue Hill at Stone Barns into a chef-in-residence concept. That came to fruition this week, with Jan. 13 marking the start of the first season of chef residencies at the farm and restaurant in Pocantico Hills,

A record-breaking snowstorm in Spain collapsed the cellar roof of one of Priorat’s leading wineries, Vall Llach, destroying fermentation tanks and other machinery and possibly the entire 2020, 2019 and 2018 vintages. While the rain in Spain is nothing new, snowstorms are something of a rarity in the Iberian Peninsula. Last weekend, Storm Filomena brought

It’s been a long time coming, but E.&J. Gallo has closed its acquisition of more than 30 wine brands and five wineries from Constellation Brands. The final price was approximately $810 million, consisting of approximately $560 million in cash paid at closing and up to $250 million in earnouts if brand performance targets are met

The U.S. government has opted not to redefine moderate drinking. On Dec. 29, the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2020–2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. While there were some changes, the guidelines left the federal recommendations on alcohol—that women drink no more than one alcoholic beverage per day and men

The pain of 2020 has not ended with the new year for South African vintners. The nation’s government has instituted another ban on domestic alcohol sales, in hopes of reducing alcohol-related hospital visits at a time when COVID-19 cases are surging and a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus has arrived. That has winemakers

The past 12 months have been a year to remember … and one almost everyone would like to forget. A global pandemic killed more than 1.76 million people and shut down multiple nations, often more than once. The restaurant and travel industries were particularly devastated and have yet to recover; in the United States, more