Wine Explain

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

Who’s behind it: Rubén García, an acclaimed Spanish chef, has worked with culinary leaders such as the late Jean Luc Figueras and Martín Berasategui, and at celebrated restaurants such as Ferran Adrià’s now-closed El Bulli. As the creative director of José Andrés Group (formerly ThinkFoodGroup) for 16 years, he also worked with the avant-garde, chef’s

Renowned Piedmont vintner Michele Chiarlo, founder of the winery that bears his name, died Nov. 18. He was 88. Born into a winegrowing family, Chiarlo studied enology at the wine school in Alba, counting among his contemporaries future enology consultant Giacomo Tachis and winery founder Renato Ratti. He established his winery in 1956, bottling his

Why do red wines give some people headaches? There have numerous unproven culprits: sulfites, histamines or maybe just too much alcohol. But a new study, published in Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of California, Davis, has found that one of the healthier polyphenols in red wines keeps some people from quickly metabolizing alcohol,

Napa’s Duckhorn Wine Company is making a big move in Chardonnay, buying fellow California winery Sonoma-Cutrer from spirits giant Brown-Forman for $400 million in a combination of stock and cash. The deal gives Brown-Forman a 21.5 percent stake in Duckhorn. Sonoma-Cutrer is known for Chardonnay ranging from $20 to $50 per bottle. The company owns

A New Red Horse by David Burke Opens at the Bernards Inn Chef-restaurateur David Burke isn’t done growing his portfolio, which already includes Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning establishments in multiple states: David Burke Prime Steakhouse in Connecticut, 1776 by David Burke in New Jersey, and Double Barrel Steak by David Burke in Rhode Island. Earlier

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What’s New at Napa Valley’s Dry Creek Kitchen? Over the two-decade run of Charlie Palmer’s Best of Award of Excellence winner Dry Creek Kitchen, the Sonoma County restaurant has seen a few touch-ups to its dining room in downtown Healdsburg, Calif., but nothing like the facelift that debuted this fall. Among the noteworthy transformations is

When members of Hamas crossed the border of Gaza and launched attacks against Israelis on the morning of Oct. 7, winemaker Victor Schoenfeld quickly learned that a number of his employees at Golan Heights Winery were being called back to military service immediately. That included his son, Shai, who is currently serving his mandatory military

Treasury Wine Estates has made another move in the luxury California wine category, agreeing to acquire Paso Robles-based Daou Vineyards in a deal with a potential final price tag of $1 billion. The deal includes an initial payout of $900 million, with an additional $100 million if Daou reaches certain goals. The acquisition includes the

The winelands of South Africa’s Western Cape region were hit by the largest and most devastating storm in living memory at the end of September, while the country celebrated its Heritage Day weekend. Nearly 16 inches of rain fell in less than 48 hours in some areas, causing catastrophic damage as rivers burst their banks,

Something old, something new. Wine has a magical way of being both timeless and innovative. Winemakers are rooted in tradition, but always looking for new ideas for improving the quality of their wines and tending the land that produces the wines we treasure. Both of those qualities were on full display at the 2023 New

Imagine you’re invited to a fantastic reunion of family and friends. Now imagine those friends each brought some of their favorite wines, to the tune of more than 260 of the best bottlings in the world. That gives you an idea of what the opening night of the 2023 New York Wine Experience was like,

Ford Fry Opening Little Sparrow and Bar Blanc in Atlanta Along with other French-influenced dishes, onion soup gratinée helps add Paris bistro flair to Ford Fry’s Little Sparrow. (Little Sparrow) Who’s behind it: Chef-restaurateur Ford Fry and his Rocket Farm Restaurants hospitality group. Fry has built a portfolio of restaurants across the South, including Wine

The owners of Napa Valley’s Vine Cliff Winery recently sold its winery in Oakville to the SCW Fund Corp., a business entity run by Canadian entrepreneur Stephan Crétier, who also owns the nearby Roy Estate. The sale price was not disclosed. The deal includes the winery, 23 acres of vineyards and all other business-related assets, including unplanted acreage

Plenty of premium wines and lively bidding raised about $1.3 million for Northern California charities at the annual Sonoma County Wine Auction last month. Organized by the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation (SCVF), the auction funds community grants for nonprofit organizations in education, health, the environment and arts, as well as SCVF’s Emergency Relief Fund. “It

Star chef Michael Chiarello—who helped put Napa Valley on the culinary map and became a pioneering restaurateur, author and TV food personality—died Oct. 6 after an acute allergic reaction led to anaphylactic shock. He was 61. Chiarello had been hospitalized at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa for several days before his death,