piedmont wine

Navigating the Changing Trends of Piedmont Wine: Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, and Cabernet Sauvignon

  As one of the top two winegrowing regions in Italy, Piedmont stands out for its one-of-a-kind varietals, Nebbiolo and Dolcetto. What many collectors might not realize is that this region is cultivating a new era of classic wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, in addition to its traditional, regional-based offerings. To find the latest trends…

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wine industry

The Best Wines Are Political: What a Country’s Regulation of Its Wine Industry Means for Investors

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens.” At the time this quote was written, Jefferson was in an intense fight against British taxation in the United…

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wine terroir

As Emphasis on Wine Terroir Increases, Winemakers in Napa Turn to Larger Barrels

Since the introduction of cement vats in the 19th century, wine critics have fiercely debated whether wine is best aged in cement or wood. Since cement does not appear to affect a wine’s flavor, many experts believe that a wine’s natural, terroir-based qualities can only be expressed through cement aging. However, proponents of oak barreling…

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wine monopole

Are We Seeing the Breakup of the Iconic French Wine Monopole? Greater Diversity in French Winemaking and What It Means for the Collector

When today’s sommeliers taste wines, they can often immediately pick out the unique flavors and bouquets associated with bottles from Champagne and Bordeaux. That’s partly because, in the late 1800s, French land became cheap and plentiful, allowing winemakers to purchase entire regions of their own, and to grow the grapes to the same high standards.…

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California grenache

Despite Low Yields, California Grenache Is Ready for a Renaissance

Today, California Grenache is among the most sought-after varietals in the region, but this was not always the case. California winegrowers turned away from this traditional Rhone crop in the mid-1900s, believing that Grenache would never attract premium collectors who wanted the rarest wines. As Napa Valley developed its premium reputation, commercialized Grenache lost favor;…

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new zealand wines

New Zealand Wines: Searching for the Next Great New Zealand Terroir

  More than 20 years ago, serious wine collectors never spoke about New Zealand wines. Despite an ideal climate and rocky terrain, the country’s producers only began cultivating grapevines in earnest in the late 1980s. Today, wine is New Zealand’s largest export, earning more than $1.3 billion annually. The popularity of New Zealand wines has…

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white burgundy

The Mystery of White Burgundy: Why Does Burgundy Consistently Produce the Finest Chardonnay?

Burgundy’s reputation for growing the finest Chardonnay on the market comes down to the one-of-a-kind clay, limestone, and chalk terroir that provides its wines with intense minerality. Modern winemakers clamber to buy grapes from every subregion of Burgundy, making it the region with the most widely-replanted white grape roots in the world. Terroirs in Napa…

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Napa Valley terroir

Napa Wines Move toward Classification: Is the Area Creating a Napa Valley Terroir-Specific Cru Classé of Its Own?

The 1939 Treasure Island World’s Fair marked the birth of Napa Valley wine tours as we know them. Under Beringer’s direction, my great uncle enticed movie stars like Clark Gable to visit the then-unknown Napa Valley wine scene for the first time shortly after Prohibition ended. Hollywood soon became enamored with the tiny, premium wineries…

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