Michael Franz, Author at Wine Review Online

Barolo Bounty

by Michael Franz | October 18, 2010

The 2006 bottlings of Barolo–as well as Riservas from 2004–are now arriving on our shores, and they are terrific. The...

Faith Restoring Shiraz

by Michael Franz | October 17, 2010

Those who follow the wine trade are well aware that the winds of fortune have not been blowing in a...

La Rioja on a Roll

by Michael Franz | September 29, 2010

All is not well in Spain these days, with a grim financial situation and unemployment levels hovering around 20%. Nevertheless,...

Back to the Point(s)

by Michael Franz | September 1, 2010

My recent column regarding the 100-point scoring system for summarizing wine evaluations prompted many reactions and responses, some of them...

Memo from the Dark Side: In Defense of the 100-Point Scale

by Michael Franz | August 3, 2010

Exactly five years have passed since we launched Wine Review Online, making this seem like a good time for a...

Riesling Rendezvous Reflections

by Michael Franz | August 1, 2010

Among the most impressive aspects of "Riesling Rendezvous" (the remarkable recent Riesling symposium recently co-hosted by Chateau Ste. Michelle and...

The Perfect Gift for Father’s Day?

by Michael Franz | June 18, 2010

What’s the perfect gift for a wine-loving Dad? Not wine, in my opinion, but rather a really great bottle of...

Stars Align for Piedmont

by Michael Franz | June 9, 2010

In a time when the news is pretty grim on many fronts, it is especially pleasant to point to something...

Verdejo from Rueda: Spain’s Best White?

by Michael Franz | May 22, 2010

A key aspect of the amazing renaissance in Spanish wine during the past 15 years has been the emergence of...

Giant Killer: Verdejo Thumps Sauvignon Blanc in Rueda

by Michael Franz | May 13, 2010

My WRO column for this month is all about Verdejo from Rueda, and I discovered last week that Rueda is...

Massive Wine Losses from Earthquake in Chile

by Michael Franz | March 4, 2010

Saturday’s massive earthquake in Chile resulted in the deaths of at least 800 persons as well as terrible physical devastation. ...

Michael Franz’s Winery and Wines of the Year for 2009

by Michael Franz | January 1, 2010

Winery of the Year: Terredora Dipaolo My criteria for selecting a winery of the year are pretty straightforward–if rather numerous: ...