“When it comes to winery sales, the economy is kind of like a thermometer,” says Rob McMillan, founder and SVP of Silicon Valley Bank’s wine division. “When times are good, average companies can sell. When times aren’t good, nobody wants to buy those. So the things that are moving now are really good companies, and
Month: December 2023
2024 awaits, but before we turn the calendar, Wine Spectator‘s editors would like to remember the wine industry trailblazers, innovators and history makers we lost this year. In 2023, we said goodbye to longtime California wine industry leaders Paul Dolan, Mike Grgich, Donald Hess and Michael Martini, as well as Oregon Pinot Noir legend Dick
Our most-popular videos of 2023 are odes to the joy wine brings us all, whether it be from winemaking, wine tasting, or just enjoying with friends. The best cheese pairings for different white varietals were a big hit, as were refreshing summer sangria recipes. An exclusive interview with wine legend Chuck Wagner of Caymus dove
Two small wineries and some prominent lawyers have launched a new front in the wine direct shipping wars, and this one is targeting a law in America’s biggest wine state. They’re asking, should alcohol producers outside of California be able to sell directly to Golden State businesses? Under current law, California is one of many
Why you should know about it: Nemacolin is a major luxury travel destination in western Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh, in the Allegheny Mountains. Encompassing more than 2,200 acres in the scenic Laurel Highlands region, Nemacolin offers a wide range of lodgings, food and beverage options, and activities, including a spa, skiing, horseback riding, fly fishing,
Artificial intelligence may not be able to appreciate the taste of a glass of red wine, but apparently it can tell you where it came from. And by doing so, modern technology might confirm the classic concept of terroir. A team of scientists used machine learning and gas chromatography to successfully analyze 80 wines and
Sunshine and fine wine were on the menu as top names from the world of food and wine gathered for the 16th annual Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival (PBFWF). Founded in 2007 by David Sabin and Lindsay Autry, the Festival has grown steadily and marks another big leap forward with its first year in
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a longtime Napa Valley winemaker who was best known for crafting the famed 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the Paris Tasting of 1976, died on Dec. 13. He was 100. Over his decades in wine, Grgich worked at several trailblazing California wineries. He also helped perfect several winemaking techniques in California,
One of Italy’s top wine families is dividing their company in two, as a new generation plays a larger role. Wine Spectator has learned that the Allegrini family, one of the leading names in Amarone wine, is restructuring its estates and companies in Veneto’s Valpolicella region and Tuscany’s Bolgheri and Montalcino areas. Once the arrangement
Who’s behind it: Brasero comes from John Manion, the chef-restaurateur behind Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner El Che Steakhouse & Bar in Chicago. Why you should know about it: Manion has been a guiding force in Chicago’s Latin American cuisine landscape, bringing Argentine and Chilean flavors to Windy City locals and visitors, along with
In May 2021, New York City lost one of its finest dining institutions when chef Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud shut its doors. But we know now that the closure was only temporary: On Friday, Dec. 15, Boulud’s Dinex Group will be reviving Café Boulud in a new location at 100 East 63rd Street on the Upper
Masked Intruder Destroys Thousands of Gallons of Wine at Sparkman Cellars Video surveillance caught a person entering at night and opening the spigots on two full vats of wine; it’s not the first wine vandalism Sparkman Cellars winemaker Linn Scott and co-owners Kelly and Chris Sparkman, left to right, saw 1,800 cases of their 2023 white
As 2024 approaches, the American wine industry isn’t sure how things are going—much like the American consumer. In 2022, the U.S. wine market declined by 10 million cases, and value-wise, wine was flat. Sales of wines priced $15 a bottle and higher grew, but wines under $15 declined by more than 4% by volume and 3%
Few things are as captivating to Burgundy lovers as a packed auction selling more than 750 barrels of the Côte d’Or’s greatest wines from the latest vintage. Last month, the historic Hospices de Beaune wine auction, conducted by Sotheby’s, raised a grand total of $27.4 million at its 163rd sale. The amount marks the second-highest
In a section of a Napa Valley warehouse, more than half a million bottles of wine rest on pallets stacked 30 feet high. Every bottle was purchased by customers of Underground Cellar, a San Francisco-based internet retailer boasting 24,000 clients. Among a variety of perks, the bedrock promise of Underground Cellar was that it would