Wine Explain

2024 was a year of transition for the wine world, with old-guard retirements, new buyers on the scene and big names changing hands. Market shifts saw previous owners buying back their namesake businesses, an average 25 percent drop in Bordeaux futures prices, and major retailers adapting their strategies to attract younger consumers. The year also

When guests arrived at the 17th annual Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival’s Grand Tasting on Dec. 15, they found an even bigger and better event than last year. The culmination of a four-day culinary extravaganza, the food and wine tasting, hosted at the Palm Beach County Convention Center and presented by Wine Spectator, offered

Perhaps a daily glass of wine has been unfairly targeted. The panel of health experts tasked with studying alcohol consumption for the U.S. Dietary Guidelines has found with “moderate certainty” that people who drink alcohol in moderation have lower all-cause mortality than those who don’t drink. The report provides a strong argument that the current

Bottles of Marchesi Antinori’s super Tuscan Tignanello raised nearly $190,000 at a London auction organized by Christie’s, on Nov. 26 and 27. The bottles came straight from the Antinori cellars, giving collectors a rare chance to secure one of Italy’s most beloved wines with unbeatable provenance. The auction celebrated the 50th anniversary of the release

All eyes on Aglianico. Scientists from a cohort of Italian universities have published a study on the potential health benefits of a specially-designed pomace made from the byproducts of Campania’s flagship grape. According to their paper, Aglianico could potentially spare diabetes patients from blindness. Almost a quarter of patients with type 2 diabetes will experience

Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo-Boisset, the scions of two famous wine families, have purchased Flora Springs Winery in Napa Valley from the Komes and Garvey families, founders of the company. Though Gallo-Boisset and Boisset are industry veterans, this is the first winery collaboration by the couple. The sale includes the St. Helena winery, inventory and

Until 11:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 3—Giving Tuesday—wine lovers have the chance to bid on rare bottles of Burgundy, Beaujolais, Napa Cabernet and more, all for a worthy cause. Proceeds from the auction, organized by Edouard Parinet of Château du Moulin-à-Vent in Beaujolais, will support Wine on Wheels, the nonprofit founded by New York City

Burgundy’s biggest name in charity auctions had an impressive year, despite a challenging vintage. On Nov. 17, the 164th Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction raised a grand total of $15.2 million to support the Hospices Civils de Beaune hospital network. This is the fourth year the event, the world’s longest-running charity wine auction, has

It was an auction lot so good, it sold three times. Lot number five at the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s Carnivale du Vin on Nov. 16 was “Chef Charlie Trotter’s Legacy,” starring a bottle of Château Margaux 1900 from Trotter’s personal collection, donated by his widow, Rochelle. Trotter had said if he ever planned a last

We’re wrapping up season 2 of Wine Spectator‘s Straight Talk podcast by counting down the Top 10 Wines of 2024 with senior editor and host James Molesworth. But before James reveals this year’s 10 most exciting wines, including Wine Spectator‘s 2024 Wine of the Year, we’re taking a look at the economic state of the

Sometimes even the world’s best-known chefs need to return to their roots, and that includes Emeril Lagasse. The chef’s latest endeavor, 34 Restaurant & Bar, opened in New Orleans’ Warehouse District last month near his Grand Award–winning flagship Emeril’s, the restaurant that solidified Lagasse’s place as an icon of Creole cooking. But this new restaurant

The alleged mastermind of a multi-million dollar wine counterfeiting gang was conducting a transaction with a shady printer at Milan’s Malpensa airport when the Italian Carabinieri moved in and arrested him on Sept. 26. At the exact same moment in multiple locations in France and Italy, various law enforcement officers launched raids and arrested five

When Charlie Trotter was asked what his last meal would be, he was a bit vague on the food. But he was highly specific on the wine. As he told author and photographer Melanie Dunea for her book My Last Supper, “I would eat many courses of tiny, raw and delicate seafood. The china plates

The California wine industry is in the doldrums as it faces three challenges at once: consumer spending on wine is declining, inventory is backed up in the sales pipeline and there’s a glut of grapes and bulk wine left over from the 2024 harvest. The last hazard, the oversupply of grapes, poses an immediate threat. Many

Suzanne Deal Booth, owner of the historic Bella Oaks Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Rutherford appellation, has finalized a deal to purchase the Wheeler Farms winery facility from the Araujo family, Wine Spectator has learned. Wheeler Farms has a high-profile list of custom crush clients, including Booth’s own Bella Oaks label. Other wines made at the

Should wineries in California, Oregon and other states be able to sell wines directly to Iowa retailers, bypassing wholesalers? Yes, according to a Sept. 30 federal court decision. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled it was unconstitutional for Iowa to allow in-state wineries to sell directly to Hawkeye State retailers while preventing out-of-state wineries

Jan Shrem, who left an indelible mark on California’s wine industry through his dedication to the arts and charitable generosity, died last month at the age of 94. The founder of Clos Pegase winery in Calistoga, Shrem was also a consummate philanthropist, contributing to The MET Opera, Festival Napa Valley, the San Francisco Museum of

Who’s behind it: Time and Tide is the latest Manhattan restaurant from Kent Hospitality Group. The opening comes after a challenging time for the group: This past June, its founder, chef Jamal “James” Kent, died unexpectedly at age 45, a tragedy felt throughout American fine dining. The group subsequently changed its name from Saga Hospitality

Burgundy is the type of wine region that invites delight, fascination and even obsession. Now, Burgundy fans have the chance to buy their very own piece of wine history. On November 12, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) will conduct an auction of retired appellation signs. The signs, which until recently adorned the roadsides and vineyards

When Jeffery Lindenmuth took the stage on the first morning of the 2024 New York Wine Experience, the executive editor of Wine Spectator looked out on a crowd of more than 1,000 people—but they might as well have been family. “When I arrived at the hotel last night, I was riding the elevator with a