We've been drinking Cognac all wrong. I just spent three days in the Cognac region, immersed in the stuff, and not once did I...
Rethinking Cognac
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W. Blake Gray
Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Freixenet
Freixenet might be the best-known wine in the world. The Spanish company makes more than 100 million bottles of Cava each...
Simplifying Sherry
I'm going to simplify Sherry for you. Or at least, I'm going to explain how simple it now seems to me. I was seeing...
Château de Viella, Madiran (Sud Ouest, France) 2010
The 40% Cabernet Franc is strong in this blend with 60% Tannat, imparting a brambly, light raspberry flavor with plenty of fruit...
Domaine Rotier, Gaillac (Sud Ouest, France) 2009
A modern wine, picked ripe and micro-oxygenated, that's fairly rich but keeps a modicum of Old World character. Spicy on...
Domaine de Labarthe, Gaillac (Sud Ouest, France) 2010
The Labarthe estate has belonged to the Albert family since the 16th century, and is still made by a father and son team. This...
Maestria, Madiran (Sud Ouest, France) 2011
There is always a market in the US for big-bodied, intense red wines at bargain prices. First it was Aussie Shiraz, then...
Clos Basté, Madiran (Sud Ouest, France) 2009
Previously the oenologist for the well-known Madiran winery Château d'Aydie, Philippe Sur bought a run-down estate in 1998...
Château Croisille, Cahors (Sud Ouest, France) 2009
This is a really high price to pay for a Cahors, nearly double what you can get some wines from the region for. That...
Domaine Chiroulet, Côtes de Gascogne (Gascony, France) 2012
A sommelier's version of a Côtes de Gascogne, quite earthy, and successively more interesting with more time in the glass.
Clairet: A Darker Shade of Pale
Faced with an ocean of wine to sell, Bordeaux has come up with a new category. "Clairet" is like a dark rosé,...
Kathleen Inman: Rising on Restraint
Other winemakers call Kathleen Inman "The Barometer of Russian River Valley." "I'm the first person to pick every...