Future of Chardonnay, ‘Drinkable’ and ‘Balanced’

En route to the first Chardonnay Symposium the city of Santa Maria appeared in all its incarnations. Hosted at Bien Nacido Vineyards’ historic Adobe, the morning began, like most in this winemaking region, wrapped in tangible veils of fog.

Garagiste Grenache: A Ballroom Debut

I stood 1,200 miles away from home, in a dimly lit ballroom, at a historic hotel in Walla Walla, WA, clutching two bottles of the inaugural vintage of our family’s homemade wine, which until quite recently rested safely in neutral 60-gallon French-oak barrels in my garage. I was about to pour the very first public taste of this wine, for a celebrity Master Sommelier … in front of a crowd.

The Story of Malvasia Istriana

In June 2005 I joined a mixed group—Croatian winemakers, restaurateurs, professors, and journalists—to sail the Adriatic from the Istrian peninsula of Croatia to the Greek locality of Monemvasia, off the eastern coast of the Peloponnese. We boarded two 65-foot yachts that set sail on a Malvasia Mediterranea MMV expedition whose aim was to discover the true roots of the ancient malvasia grape variety.

Spontaneous Fermentation: Bubble, Bubble, Less Toil, or Trouble?

Open a refrigerator in the back of many wineries and you may find some leftover pizza, cheese and fruit for tomorrow evening’s mixer, and a few rectangular foil packages that look suspiciously like bread-baking yeast. However, those packages of yeast—and they are yeast—are for the wine, not bread dough.

Getting Ready for the Lagrézette challenge and International Malbec Days

On the left, a glass of 2007 Zuccardi Q Mendoza Malbec. On the right, a glass of 2004 Château Lagrézette Cahors—also a Malbec. The Zuccardi is fruitier, with slightly jammy overtones and good structure (though the acidity seems a little out of place), while the Cahors has an earthier, more brooding presence with more substantial, velvety tannins and great length.

A Tasting with Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery

Unlike many of his colleagues, Joe Davis, the founder and winemaker of Arcadian Winery, does not come from a long line of winemakers. On the contrary, his people were Monterey fisherman—with first-hand accounts of John Steinbeck’s peccadilloes, no less! But he was not destined for the family business.

There’s a Time and a Place

For a long time, John Holdredge knew it was coming, but he kept it to himself. It was so contrary to his core beliefs that he questioned if he could do it. Then, one late afternoon in August of 2008, he heard himself speak the words out loud for the first time, almost involuntarily:

“I’m going to make a huge-ass Pinot.”

The Excitement of Discovering an Unknown Greek Treasure

Once consumers taste well-crafted indigenous Greek wines, many of their misconceptions disappear, replaced with real excitement of discovery.

Deirdre Heekin’s Bitter Alchemy

Deirdre Heekin is a writer, restaurateur, and sommelier. Her new book, Libation: A Bitter Alchemy, is an exquisite chronicle of her journey through the underworld of spirits as she learned to become liquoriste and winemaker.

Deirdre Heekin’s Bitter Alchemy

Deirdre Heekin is a writer, restaurateur, and sommelier. Her new book, Libation: A Bitter Alchemy, is an exquisite chronicle of her journey through the underworld of spirits as she learned to become liquoriste and winemaker.