Wine

Claude Taittinger, who led Taittinger Champagne for nearly five decades, died Jan. 3. He was 94. Known as both a stylish gentleman and a savvy businessman, Taittinger is credited with growing his family’s young Champagne house, investing in a large collection of vineyards while also modernizing the marketing of Champagne as a luxury product. The

Finding quality wines that also offer value is always crucial, especially now as inflation approaches wine shelves. Earlier this week, Wine Spectator named New Zealand winery Allan Scott’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc its first ever Wine Value of the Year. At $17 a bottle and 93 points, the wine is a steal, but for co-owner and

One of the fastest-growing segments in the wine market isn’t actually wine, at least, not technically. Sales of de-alcoholized wine, aka non-alcoholic wine, rose 43 percent in the first half of 2021, according to Nielsen, making it the second-fastest-growing category of wine last year. Clearly many consumers see these products as a way to moderate

Italy’s Marzotto family, which built Santa Margherita into a Pinot Grigio juggernaut, acquired majority ownership of Roco Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley this week. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the purchase marks the company’s first winemaking venture outside Italy. The sale includes Roco’s winemaking facility just outside Newberg, the Roco brand and current inventory.

Before we look ahead to whatever 2022 may bring, Wine Spectator‘s editors would like to remember the wine industry pioneers, innovators, leaders and chroniclers we lost this year, some of them to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year we bid farewell to Steven Spurrier, organizer of the famed 1976 Paris Tasting, as well as Châteauneuf-du-Pape star

While our top videos of 2020 highlighted creative ways to pass the time at home, 2021’s favorites focused more on getting out and about and meeting big names in wine in their element. Whether it was riding along on vineyard visits with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, talking wine with NBA legend Dwyane Wade or seeing

Franco Ziliani, the winemaker and revered “founding father” of Northern Italy’s Franciacorta sparkling wine appellation, died of natural causes over the weekend at his home on the shores of the appellation’s Lake Iseo. He was 90. Ziliani’s passing came at a historic milestone, 60 years after making his first groundbreaking vintage of a Champagne-style sparkling

Davies and Brook, chef Daniel Humm’s restaurant in London’s Claridge’s hotel, will close at the end of December. Opened in late 2019, it was the first international venture for Humm’s New York–based Make It Nice group, which includes Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Eleven Madison Park. Since Humm’s transition to a completely vegan menu at

Why do certain wines give people headaches, even when consumed in moderation? Wine intolerance has long been a mystery and a nuisance for many wine lovers. For researchers, it’s proven difficult to determine what exactly causes the symptoms, which can range from headaches to nausea to wheezing and even anaphylaxis. While studies have pointed to

Philippe Cambie, one of the most influential winemakers in the Southern Rhône Valley, has died Dec. 18, just a month shy of his 60th birthday. Cambie was consulting winemaker for dozens of wineries in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the surrounding appellations of the Southern Rhône and in the Languedoc. He was also owner of his own Southern

MGM Resorts International, a collection of hospitality venues across the globe, named Douglas Kim as its new wine director this month. Kim now oversees the wine programs for hundreds of concepts including four Wine Spectator Grand Award winners at the company’s lauded Las Vegas casino-resorts such as Bellagio and MGM Grand. He’s been with the

Bill Foley is buying another Sonoma icon. His company, Foley Family Wines, has acquired Chateau St. Jean from Aussie wine giant Treasury Wine Estates. The deal includes St. Jean’s chateau in Kenwood, Calif., as well as a 6,000-square-foot visitors center and 39,000-square-foot production facility. The deal also includes Chateau St. Jean’s 79 acres of estate

Add one more salvo to the ongoing scientific debate on the health impact of moderate drinking. Multiple studies have found in recent decades that drinking approximately a glass of wine a day can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. But there’s recently been pushback, with some arguing that other factors are at play and that

One of Santa Barbara’s top vineyards is changing hands. Kathy Joseph is selling her 100-acre Fiddlestix Vineyard to a partnership led by Justin Willett of Tyler Wines. The sale price for the Sta. Rita Hills property was not disclosed, but Willett and company will take over ownership of the land, while Joseph will release wines

The Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic Foundation (CBWCF)’s Grand Auction, held Nov. 6, raised $2.3 million for the Access College Foundation, which helps increase college admission for underrepresented and low-income students. “This was the best year for the CBWCF, raising about $1 million more than we did in 2019,” said Foundation executive director Jennie Capps. “Folks

The energy was electric inside Las Vegas’ Mirage ballroom Dec. 4 as wine lovers gathered for the first installment of Wine Spectator’s 2021 Grand Tour. This sold-out event was the first Grand Tour since April 2019, and represented a much-anticipated reunion for the wine community. “It’s really exciting to be able to reconnect with people

Wine has been largely absent from the raging debate over inflation in recent months. While the wholesale price of beef is up by 20 percent and gas costs are at their highest level in seven years, a bottle of wine has been one of the few products consumers could count on to stay stable. Not

The team behind Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Acquerello in San Francisco opened Sorella (Italian for “sister”) on Dec. 1. “After spending 32 years perfecting the fine dining experience at Acquerello, we are ready for a new challenge,” co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini told Wine Spectator via email. “The time feels right for us to introduce a

After an external investigation that began one year ago, the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas (CMS-A) plans to expel six Master Sommeliers: Bob Bath, Fred Dame, Fred Dexheimer, Drew Hendricks, Joseph Linder and Matt Stamp. The move follows allegations by multiple female wine professionals who were studying for the organization’s certification exams that some of the

Winemaker Eloi Dürrbach, owner of Provence’s Domaine de Trévallon, died Nov. 12 at his winery. He was 71. “For my father, either you did something with passion and excellence, or you didn’t do it all,” said his daughter, Ostiane Dürrbach Icard. He was a winemaker who was proud to do what he loved—produce great wines.