Featured Articles

KIM STARE WALLACE Vice-President & Director of Marketing • Dry Creek Vineyards, Sonoma, CA Thirty five years seems a long time to own a California vineyard. Kim Stare was just 8 when her family packed everything into a station wagon and headed from Wellesley, Massachusetts to Davis, California. Dad was... Read More

So you’ve finally decided to get serious about collecting wine. The idea of having a cellar is certainly an enticing one – especially to your significant other who wants the cases of wine stacked all over the place put away somewhere. Like any real estate agent will tell you: location,... Read More

BOB McGINN • 58 • New York and New England Sales Manager • Ferrari-Carano Winery, Napa Loyalty, familiarity, experienced, known quantity . . . 2O years with one team like Carl Yastrzemski. Solid citizen, loyal soldier. McGinn has been professionally linked, one on one, with the prestigious Ferrari-Carano label, being... Read More

It has sprinted from total obscurity to underground popularity to mass wine community hysteria to virtually zero visibility anywhere, a complete round trip that’s taken less than a decade. Overzealous producers intent on rushing to market ahead of the curve with wine’s ‘Next Hot Thing’ killed it before many Americans... Read More

AMERICAN MICROBREWS In evolutionary terms, the time wasn’t long ago when the American beer industry was ruled by titans. American craft beer was perhaps considered quaint by some, a novelty by others. But now craft is king. “American craftsmanship is certainly the wave of popularity right now,” says Alan O’Campbell,... Read More

While Santorini is well-known for its spectacular panoramas, its wine industry remains relatively undiscovered. Vines dot the slopes and plains that skirt down from the crater. The soil is a powdery gray volcanic ash peppered with chunks of pumice stone and black lava. The strong winds which are typical to... Read More

Wine, olive oil, cheese – these delightful products are all the same answer to the same dilemma of abundance: now that I’ve had the good fortune to harvest a few tons of fresh grapes and olives or 1OOO gallons of cow’s milk, what exactly am I going to do with... Read More

Where status formerly was the overall driving force behind product selection, some industry observers say the “Me” factor has gained considerable clout. That is, more consumers appear to be wondering, “How well-made is this, how enjoyable will it be, and how will it make me feel?” instead of how good... Read More

Once, if one were asked to name a fine Californian winery, Louis M. Martini would be on most lips. Venerable and respected, it stood at the peak, along with Beaulieu, Inglenook and Charles Krug. But then, for reasons both clear and obscure, it fell below the radar. “Martini” would more... Read More

Spurred by joining the European Economic Community in 1986, wineries are investing in new technology and emphasizing quality over quantity. Fortunately, they are largely staying with the indigenous grape varieties that make Portuguese wine unique, while planting some international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay. According to Rui Abecassis,... Read More