Bordeaux 2012: The Affordable Story

Dorothy Gaiter
Features
6 min read
For those of us who didn’t get over to Bordeaux this April for en primeur, the much anticipated annual futures market, some winery folks brought their new wines to us. This is the week that favored customers, media, negociants, and retail buyers taste still-in-the-barrel wines. These immature wines, always sampled

Finally, A Voice for Wine Consumers

David White
Features
2 min read
Today, more than 12,000 U.S. wine shops have a presence on the web. But just 14 states allow consumers to order wine from out-of-state retailers. Eleven states prohibit residents from ordering wine from out-of-state wineries. Four states ban the sale of wine on Sundays. The overwhelming majority of Americans support

2012 Las Lilas Vinho Verde

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The wine pours with a very light fizz. The nose offers sweet fruit, white peaches and pears. On the palate, the flavors are unripe peach and lime. Lime lingers on the finish. Acidity adds a knife-sharp zing. It's summer in a glass, a moderate alcohol (10%) stone-fruit and citrus refresher

Wine Competition: For Whom the Medals Toll?

W. Blake Gray
Features
6 min read
Four judges taste a wine. One thinks it's gold-medal worthy. Two say silver. One says bronze. What medal does this wine get? If you guessed "gold," you have probably sat on a wine jury in the United States. This nearly happened on my jury earlier this month -- and I

The (Very) Slow Rise of the Wines of Crete

Michael Cervin
Feature Stories
4 min read
The Greeks may have been the architects of democracy, but they seem to have taken more time to build reputable wine. The wine history on the island of Crete stretches 3,500 years, but it has only been since 2003 that Crete has achieved a modicum of success. To comprehend this

2010 Ridge Estate Merlot

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The nose is sweet, Bing cherries cooked in brown sugar. ON the palate, the flavors are far more tart than sweet, sour cherry and redcurrant lead on the attack. Plum and hints of black fruit show on the mid-palate, along with touches of olive, rosemary, and tarragon. Tannins are big,

Bidding for Success at the Napa Wine Auction

Michelle Locke
Features
3 min read
It's a brilliant California day and it’s about 1000 degrees in the tasting tent at the annual Napa Valley barrel auction. I'm wilting in a plain summer frock and sandals. But my escort, vintner Jean-Charles Boisset, isn't even breaking a sweat despite being fully rigged out in dark slacks and