Month: May 2024

Who’s behind it: Chef and restaurateur Michael Mina continues to grow his Mina Group, the culinary force behind a dozen Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners, including his namesake restaurant in Las Vegas and seven Bourbon Steak locations. For the eighth Bourbon Steak, Mina is partnering with JW Marriott Essex House on Central Park South, taking

The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) had another strong showing at its annual auction in support of northwest Florida children in need. On April 27, the event gathered over 600 wine lovers at Grand Boulevard Sandestin Town Center in Miramar Beach and raised more than $3.3 million for 17 children’s charities. The auction, which

Patz & Hall co-founder James Hall is still pinching himself: After selling the iconic California Chardonnay brand in 2016, Hall was able to buy it back earlier this year. He tells us how he did it, and then takes us all the way back to landing his first winery gig in Napa … by pretending

California wine company O’Neill Vintners & Distillers is creating a new luxury division and starting it by purchasing a Sonoma winery. Shanken News Daily (SND) reports that the 1.8 million case company has purchased Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma for an undisclosed sum. Ram’s Gate is known for upscale Pinot Noir and Chardonnay retailing from

A Paris tribunal has found Qu Naijie, the 63-year-old founder of Chinese corporation Haichang Group, guilty of money laundering, sentencing him to a three-year suspended prison sentence, a €1 million fine and the confiscation of nine of his Bordeaux châteaus, worth an estimated €35.5 million ($38.4 million). The case has stunned Bordeaux. Qu was one

Decades of research has found that people who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol enjoy better cardiovascular health than abstainers, but that benefit quickly disappears as consumption rises into heavy drinking. But in recent years, a vocal group of public health advocates has argued that no level of drinking is safe. Now, a new

Shovels went into the ground May 17 as Napa Valley College (NVC) celebrated the groundbreaking for the Wine Spectator Wine Education Center. Funded by a $10 million gift, the largest donation ever made by the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, the center will dramatically expand and update the teaching facilities of NVC and its Viticulture and

One of Burgundy’s top winemakers is striking out on his own. Pierre Vincent, the respected general manager at Domaine Leflaive since 2017, has announced that he will leave at the end of the year to pursue his own project, Domaine Pierre Vincent. Vincent purchased Domaine des Terres de Velle in Auxey-Duresses in July 2023 with

Who’s behind it: In the Historic Ybor area of Tampa, Fla., Ten Rooms is a new concept from local hospitality professional Ro Patel (formerly of Ciro’s Speakeasy and Anise Global Gastrobar in Tampa) and restaurant COO Zach Pace, previously of Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winners Aphotic and Lazy Bear in San Francisco.

One of Washington state’s more beloved wineries has changed hands for a second time. Ackley Brands, a small but rapidly growing beverage firm, has purchased Betz Family Winery, founded by longtime Chateau Ste. Michelle winemaker Bob Betz, from Steve and Bridgit Griessel, the owners since 2011. The deal also includes Washington wine brand The Untold

Constellation Brands—the drinks giant whose portfolio includes Corona and Modelo beers as well as Meiomi, Kim Crawford and Robert Mondavi wineries—has signed a deal to purchase Sea Smoke, an iconic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay estate vineyard in Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills, from founder Bob Davids. The sale includes 1,100 acres of land, 256

Some of Italy’s most amazing wines flowed freely in Verona on April 13 at the 13th edition of OperaWine. The gala tasting spotlighted 131 of Italy’s top names in wine. Created by Wine Spectator in partnership with Vinitaly and Veronafiere, OperaWine has become the unofficial kickoff to Vinitaly, Italy’s largest wine trade fair. “OperaWine—it’s an

In a matter of minutes on the evening of May 1, the 2024 vintage for Chablis was rewritten. A violent storm unleashed pelting hail on vineyards across the northern Burgundy appellation, known for its distinctive white wines made from Chardonnay. Vintners will not know how the vines will recover for several weeks, but the early

Who’s behind it: After closing Charlie Palmer Steak NYC in February, chef Charlie Palmer has re-envisioned the steak house as Charlie Palmer Steak IV in a new location in New York City. This is the latest steak house in Palmer’s restaurant collective, which includes Restaurant Award–winning Charlie Palmer Steak locations in Washington, D.C., and Reno,