Wine

Count Lucio Tasca d’Almerita, a leader of Sicily’s wine renaissance who helped to bring the island’s wines to the world stage at his family winery Tasca d’Almerita, died July 25. He was 82. “Lucio Tasca d’Almerita was one of the main protagonists of Sicilian and Italian viticulture,” said Antonio Rallo, CEO of his family’s Donnafugata

An ambitious new study has prompted a flurry of sensational headlines suggesting that people under 40 should avoid alcohol entirely, while people over 40 may benefit from modest alcohol consumption. But the research, which examined health data for 30 years from multiple nations, presents a complex picture: On one hand, the researchers found that people

In 2021, one of New York City’s most luxurious institutions, the NoMad hotel, shut its doors. This followed the departure of acclaimed chef and Eleven Madison Park owner Daniel Humm, who had overseen the hotel’s Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning NoMad restaurant before breaking in 2020 with its then-owner, Sydell Group. Earlier this summer, the NoMad’s

Víctor Urrutia has been closely following the wildfires raging across different parts of Spain this summer. He has to—he’s the co-owner, with his sister María, of estates in five Spanish wine regions, including the historic CVNE (Compania Vinicola del Norte de España) winery in Rioja. As Europe has experienced one of its hottest summers on

AXA Millésimes, the wine subsidiary of French insurance company AXA, has purchased Platt Vineyard from Russian River Partners, a vineyard investment fund managed by Eric Flanagan of Flanagan Wines in Healdsburg. The 38-acre vineyard is located in the Sonoma Coast wine region near the town of Freestone. The price was not disclosed, but permits are

The people of Japan have some of the highest life expectancies in the world, at an average of 85 years. But as they live longer, what dietary, fitness or socioeconomic factors affect health as they age? Exploring cognitive function, researchers at Osaka University and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology recently collected health and lifestyle

The announcements came from different wine regions on different continents, but the message was the same. Last week, both Favia in Napa Valley and Allegrini in Valpolicella announced that some of their wines would now be sold and distributed around the world not by local merchants but by the French négociants of La Place de

The canned wine market is being pulled in different directions. One way is chock full of affordable, mass-produced, widely available products of middling quality, often sharing shelf space with ready-to-drink cocktails and hard seltzers. The other, and perhaps more intriguing, path is in the premium sector—higher-priced wines made from quality grapes by well-known winemakers, giving

In June, celebrated New York–based chef François Payard and restaurateur Adam Lovett opened a new restaurant on Long Island’s North Fork: Southold Social. The former owner of the now-closed Payard Patisserie & Bistro restaurants, Payard built his reputation as a pastry chef at French icons La Tour d’Argent and Lucas Carton before moving to New

Star winemakers and celebrity guests came together for Wineapawlooza’s ninth-annual charity wine auction on June 25, raising more than $2.2 million for Napa’s Jameson Humane. The total is a big increase from last year’s virtual auction results of $1.4 million and a new high total for the event. The live auction, which raised $1.75 million,

New York City’s summer Restaurant Week is back for its 30th anniversary, with reservations now open for specially priced lunches and dinners from July 18 through August 21. Encompassing all five boroughs, the month-long program features more than 600 restaurants, including 60 of Wine Spectator’s 2022 Restaurant Award winners. Each year, Wine Spectator honors restaurants

Oregon Pinot Noir country has a new wine appellation. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved the Mount Pisgah American Viticultural Area (AVA) on June 3, and the designation went into effect July 5. The approval brings the total number of appellations in the Evergreen State to 23. Mount Pisgah, Polk

What do your heart and an open bottle of wine have in common? Oxidative stress plays a critical role in damaging both. But that open bottle of wine could actually help protect your heart. In new findings, a group of Greek researchers from Harokopio University found that coronary heart disease (CHD) patients who consumed wine

A change in owners is underway at one of the top wineries in Bordeaux’s Sauternes region. Bérénice Lurton has sold a majority stake in Barsac’s Château Climens to Jean-Hubert Moitry and his family for an undisclosed amount. “Acquiring a wine estate in the Bordeaux region corresponds to a longstanding family dream with my spouse,” said

What’s your wine story? Is there a specific bottle that made you fall in love with wine—or even changed your life? A wine trip that you’ll remember forever or that you’ve been dreaming about for years? A special ritual you have for enjoying wine or ways you incorporate it into your everyday life? A particularly

Chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés recently confirmed he will be opening a new location of the Bazaar at Washington, D.C.’s Old Post Office building later this year, following years of anticipation. “I first dreamed of opening a restaurant at the Old Post Office back in 1993 when I first came to D.C.,”

Another Napa wine icon is changing hands. Wine Spectator has learned that LVMH Moët Hennessy, the global wine and fashion titan, has signed a deal to purchase Joseph Phelps Vineyards. The agreement includes the brand, winery and inventory, and 500 acres of vines in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Phelps produces approximately 60,000 cases of

American consumers have a thirst for bubbly. Sales of sparkling wine from numerous wine-producing regions continue to be one of the strongest-growing categories in the U.S. market. And while French Champagne and Italian Prosecco are well-known success stories, Spanish Cava emerged as a winner in 2021: Shipments to the United States skyrocketed, ending the year

After two challenging years, during which many customers took a long hiatus from dining out, restaurants are developing innovative ways to attract diners back, no matter their preferences. From wine flights to creative, quality “mocktails” and more, restaurants around the world are pulling out all the stops with their beverage programs to enhance the full

Washington wine giant Chateau Ste. Michelle is continuing to shake things up, with news this week that it quietly put its 118-acre Woodinville property on the market. The site has been the winery’s home base since 1976, when the company built the iconic chateau that graces the wine’s labels. The move follows Ste. Michelle’s decision

Creating even a simple restaurant wine list takes time and effort. Transforming a wine list into an outstanding combination of wine selections, cellar inventory and service that is worthy of global recognition takes passion and dedication. This year, two restaurants have accomplished just that, earning Wine Spectator‘s Grand Award—the world’s highest honor for a restaurant wine

California vintner Bill Foley is bolstering his company’s presence in Napa Valley with a deal to purchase Silverado Vineyards from the Disney Miller family, Wine Spectator has learned. The purchase price is estimated to be north of $150 million. Founded by Ron Miller and his wife, Diane Disney Miller, Silverado last year marked its 40th

The limestone hills of Mount Harlan in California’s Central Coast are forever intertwined with vintner Josh Jensen. The founder of Calera Wine Company, Jensen was not only a pioneer for the region, located within the remote Gavilan Mountains near Monterey, but also a trailblazer for California wine. Jensen chased an impossible dream to make Burgundy-style

The realm of wine and health research entered uncharted territory with a recent paper assessing the association between alcohol consumption and pituitary gland tumors. Analyzing data from three major studies, researchers found a substantial reduction in risk of developing pituitary adenoma among moderate wine drinkers. Adenomas, which are benign, non-cancerous tumors, can cause headaches, visual

Napa Valley Vintners board chair Jack Bittner called the Napa Valley Barrel Auction weekend a “reunion.” And for good reason: It’s been 18 months since NVV announced the discontinuation of the famed Auction Napa Valley, and more than three years since Katy Perry headlined the organization’s last major live auction event. In its place is

More than 1,000 wine lovers gathered June 4 for Wine Spectator’s first 2022 Grand Tour stop, in Las Vegas, to taste more than 200 outstanding wines from around the world. Crowds were gathered around Orin Swift Cellars‘ booth, tasting the winery’s Eight Years in the Desert red blend. The excitement was further fueled by Wine

Las Vegas has become a mesmerizing city in terms of dining quality, with more and more star chefs and restaurateurs establishing locations in the bustling city. The latest addition to the Strip is RPM Italian, the fifth restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises partners R.J., Jerrod and Molly Melman and celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill

EPI Group, an investment and luxury goods company owned and managed by Christopher Descours, has acquired Chianti Classico estate Isole e Olena. Under the direction of Paolo di Marchi since the 1970s, Isole e Olena, located in San Donato in Poggio, is one of Chianti Classico’s finest estates and has contributed to the region’s success.

Sean Thackrey, who earned a dedicated following for his unconventional wines made at his bare-bones winemaking facility in Marin County, died May 30 following a decade-long battle with cancer. He was 79. Thackrey’s first career was as an art dealer, specializing in 19th century European photography. He made a home in the small town of

Defining California’s Sonoma Coast American Viticulture Area (AVA)—and the wines it produces—has long been challenging. The vast region spans 750 miles, with vineyards near the Mendocino County border in the north to the Carneros border in the south, some 20 miles inland from the Pacific coast. But as of now, wines made from the westernmost