Wine

After opening in Yountville in 2012, Ciccio became a favorite among Napa Valley locals and visitors as a convivial gathering place for comforting Italian food and great Negronis. But, like many other restaurants, the beloved spot struggled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually shuttered in 2022. It sat empty for nearly 18 months before

A California wine pioneer and global advocate for organic, biodynamic and regenerative viticulture, winemaker and grapegrower Paul Dolan died on June 26, at age 72, after battling cancer. As a 27-year employee of Fetzer Vineyards, starting as winemaker in 1977 and rising to president in 1992, he helped the Fetzer family (and later Brown-Forman Corp.)

The iconic winemaker Jean-Michel Cazes, co-owner of Château Lynch Bages and other vineyards in France, Portugal and Australia, has died after a lengthy illness. He was 88. Cazes was a larger-than-life figure, a tireless promotor of his vision of great wine in Bordeaux and beyond, and emblematic of the strides his region has made in

The art of hospitality is alive and well, with restaurants finding new and exciting ways to satisfy both their regular clientele and attract broader audiences. With sophisticated AI and other technologies spreading more broadly throughout our lives, restaurateurs and wine professionals are proving to be indispensible, offering advice, guidance and a sense of connection and

We’re welcoming summer with wall-to-wall California Chardonnay in episode 10 of Wine Spectator‘s Straight Talk podcast. Host James Molesworth is joined by senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec and an all-star cast of winemakers and grapegrowers, including Larry and Chris Hyde of Hyde Vineyards and HdV, Kistler’s Jason Kesner and Arista and Ferren’s Matt Courtney. Later in

America’s largest wine company continues to expand, particularly with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. E.&J. Gallo announced earlier this week that it has acquired Hahn Family Wines, one of the most notable wine companies on California’s Central Coast. The deal gives Gallo three new brands—Smith & Hook, Hahn, and Hahn SLH—but excludes the Hahn family’s impressive

For several years, Cathédrale’s vaulted ceilings, captivating atmosphere and Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list have been enchanting diners in Manhattan’s East Village. On May 1, Tao Group Hospitality debuted a new location of the concept in Las Vegas, at the Aria Resort & Casino. Part of a portfolio of more than

Time is running out for Sherry-Lehmann, once the royalty of New York wine shops. Wine Spectator has learned that the store’s landlord issued it a 14-day notice of default, warning that its owners must pay overdue rent, water and real-estate tax charges by June 16. If not, proceedings will begin to evict the 89-year-old merchant from

The Miami dining boom continues! On June 3, multi-floor culinary destination Julia & Henry’s opens near Miami’s Bayfront Park, in a 1936-built Art Deco building that once housed one of the first Walgreens stores. Part of a growing downtown community, the space promises a number of projects from celebrated chefs and beverage professionals, and Florida-based

Archeologists digging in the Negev desert in southern Israel have uncovered evidence of a booming wine industry dating back more than 1,500 years. They have also found and genetically analyzed two ancient winegrape varieties that thrived in the hot, dry climate of the region. Some members of Israel’s young wine industry hope to use the

Maison Joseph Drouhin has purchased two estates in Burgundy, totaling nearly 50 acres of vineyards: Château de Chasselas in the St.-Véran appellation and the Rapet estate in St.-Romain. The company did not disclose the price. Château de Chasselas includes 17.3 acres in the St.-Véran appellation, plus small parcels of Chasselas and Beaujolais. It’s already the

In April 2022, Sonoma-based antiquarian bookseller Ben Kinmont oversaw the sale of the Thackrey Library, a valuable collection of more than 700 tomes and documents assembled by California winemaker Sean Thackrey. Sadly, Thackrey passed away shortly after the collection sold for $2 million to an undisclosed buyer. It was revealed this month that the buyer

Is the 2022 Bordeaux hype for real? Straight Talk podcast host James Molesworth just returned from the Médoc, where he tasted hundreds of these young wines; don’t miss his take on this highly regarded new vintage. Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank introduces us to Auberge Resorts Collection CEO Craig Reid, and legendary California and

The Loire Valley lost one of its more influential and iconic winemakers with the passing of Jacky Blot on May 15 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 75. Widely credited with uplifting the reputation of Montlouis and the entire Loire Valley, Blot crafted some of the French region’s most concentrated and complex Chenin

The 2023 vintage will go down as one of the most tempestuous in Argentina and Chile’s modern eras. For Argentina, the year brought widespread hailstorms, followed by a sweltering summer and then some frost near harvest time for good measure. In Chile, much of the country weathered the same summer heat, but a few regions

France has come to Florida—by way of New York—at the new Pastis, which opened in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood on April 30. A sibling of Starr Restaurants’ Pastis in Manhattan (a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner), the bistro joins an impressive group of eateries from leading East Coast restaurateur Stephen Starr, including Restaurant Award winners

Some of the biggest names in wine are making a splash this month. Bordeaux’s top châteaus have begun releasing futures of their 2022 wines, giving wine lovers and collectors their first chance to grab hold of what is looking like the best vintage in several years. But is anyone buying? The en primeur system allows

Marchesi Antinori is solidifying its foothold in Napa Valley, buying complete control of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. The two companies announced today that Antinori, which has been a minority partner at the iconic Napa winery since Ste. Michelle purchased it from founder Warren Winiarksi in 2007, is buying Ste. Michelle’s

An auction of wines straight from the cellars of Masseto, the renowned single-vineyard Merlot from Bolgheri, brought in impressive numbers at Sotheby’s. The grand sum of just over $400,000 was almost double the pre-auction estimate of $220,000. Topping the 46 lots was a 15-liter bottle of the 2010 vintage (one of only 20 nebuchadnezzars the

Chicagoans can now get a taste of Napa Valley without leaving the city. The Oakville Grill & Cellar—a partnership between wine director Richard Hanauer, chef Maxwell Robbins and restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You—debuted April 24 in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. The restaurant’s menu revolves around the team’s partnerships with farms, ranches and wineries throughout California