Wine

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars founders Warren and Barbara Winiarski made waves when their Cabernet Sauvignon stood out at the Judgment of Paris in 1976, enhancing the reputations of their winery and of Napa Valley. They enshrined their legacy 20 years later when they donated $50,000 to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History to

In 2020, chef and TV personality Bobby Flay closed his Mesa Grill at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace hotel and casino. Last month, Flay revived the space as Amalfi by Bobby Flay, his first venture with Italian cuisine. Joining his other restaurants, including Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic

Following a vehicle crash on May 12 on a back road near the town Sebastopol, Calif., in Sonoma County wine country, a winemaker is dead and a young vineyard manager is facing DUI and possible manslaughter charges. Mark Osborne, 53, an enologist at Gary Farrell Winery in the Russian River Valley, was riding his bicycle

Alejandro Fernandez, who revolutionized Spain’s Ribera del Duero region with his determination and his iconic wine, Pesquera, died May 22 in Santander. He was 88. “The passing of our friend and mentor Alejandro Fernández is also the passing of an era bridging the past to the future,” said Steve Metzler and Almudena de Llaguno, founders

Heidi Scheid enjoys a glass of wine every night. “Wine is just a part of everyday living, the perfect way to segue from a busy schedule to a relaxed evening,” says Scheid, who is the executive vice president of Scheid Family Wines in Monterey, Calif. “But I also like to get up early, exercise and

Chef Daniel Boulud opens his highly anticipated, sprawling new seafood restaurant in Midtown Manhattan’s One Vanderbilt skyscraper this week. Le Pavillon debuts with a limited number of dinner reservations May 20, followed by a full opening on May 28. The restaurant takes its name from the New York destination that’s widely credited for putting French

A year ago it was hard to fathom how Bordeaux wineries would conduct a futures campaign, selling their latest vintage as a global pandemic raged. But they managed to pull it off. Now they have launched the campaign for 2020 futures, and while conditions in many of their leading markets have improved, it is hardly

For many wine lovers, relaxation can often be found in a glass of good wine. And stress reduction is a matter of health: High stress levels can lead to adverse cardiovascular effects such as high blood pressure. A new study has found promising results for moderate alcohol consumption and reducing stress-related brain signals responsible for heart

Since the passing of California Proposition 64 in 2016, which legalized the commercial and recreational growing of cannabis, many farmers are moving to the Golden State’s top winegrowing regions to cultivate the cash-crop. While some winegrowers are unbothered by the rise in cannabis farming, many others are worried that they have to compete with the

Jim Clendenen, who brought a love of Burgundy to his groundbreaking Santa Barbara winery Au Bon Climat and helped put the region on the world winemaking stage, died in his sleep the night of May 15 at his home in the Los Alamos district near the town of Buellton, Calif. He was 68. Clendenen was

When Donae Burston began conversations with Constellation Brands in summer 2020, he saw the United States’ largest maker and marketer of alcoholic beverages as the key to expanding his French rosé brand, La Fête du Rosé. Today, Constellation has announced it has purchased a minority stake in La Fête, marking the first move in its

David Bruce, a pioneer in winemaking in the Santa Cruz Mountains and an early advocate of California Pinot Noir, died April 28. He was 89. “He was a trailblazer in the Santa Cruz Mountains,” said Jeffrey Patterson, owner and winemaker of Mount Eden Vineyards. “He was an unabashed Burgundy man, and he planted one of

Two long-established Sonoma County wineries lost their homes this week as the parent companies of Sebastiani and Clos du Bois laid off workers and shifted production to other facilities. The brands will continue, but the wines will be made elsewhere. In the case of Sebastiani, this marks an end of an era. The winery, located

When Louis de Bonnecaze started diving into digital currencies in 2015, he saw a unique opportunity for the fine wine industry. Three years later, the CEO of BTC Wine, a Bordeaux-based wine retailer, became one of the first to accept cryptocurrencies, or “crypto,” as payment for prestigious French wines. “I thought it was a good

Anyone thinking that France’s vintners had put the risk of frost behind them with the end of April were mistaken. Frigid air from the Arctic swept over France again the first week of May, less than a month after freezing temperatures devastated numerous wine regions. “We had another hit of frost the morning [of May

Chef John Fraser, whose 701West holds Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, opened Iris April 21 in Midtown Manhattan. The restaurant offers Aegean-style dining, influenced by Turkish cuisine and Fraser’s Greek background, with an emphasis on plant-based dishes. “This restaurant is such a direct expression of my heritage and passion, as seen through the

The Destin Charity Wine Auction made a strong comeback following an uncertain year for live events, raising more than $2 million for 16 local children’s charities. Organizers refocused their efforts by introducing a hybrid model that combined in-person events with virtual auctions, and it paid off by raising nearly $700,000 more than last year’s $1.35