I distinctly remember the first time I saw a vintner culling grapes. I was just seven years old, wandering through the vines of a family friend’s California estate, admiring all of the big, juicy grapes hanging from the branches. You can imagine my surprise when I saw one of the vineyard’s workers snip off what…
Some wine experts have a pretty loose definition of “unicorn wine.” I’ve seen critics give unexceptional wines the unicorn title simply because the vintner didn’t produce as much wine as expected in a particular year. Personally, I’m far more measured about which wines I deem unicorns. They can’t just be rare or expensive; they should…
A few months ago, I went to a Pinot Noir tasting and met a few budding wine collectors. They’d only been collecting wine for a handful of years, and they were loving every second of it–that is, until we started talking about wine storage. One of the collectors told the group that he’d just finished…
I’ve known collectors who will spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on elaborate wine storage racks that look like they belong in an art museum rather than a cellar. Maybe you’ve thought about buying one of these racks–if so, you may want to rethink your decision. Although many of these racks are beautiful and…
Growing up in a wine-loving family, I learned that patience makes great wines. My great uncle had an apartment in New York that was covered wall-to-wall in empty bottles of Bordeaux Grand Cru, but he was the most proud of his dust-covered collection of 40-year-old wines that he had yet to drink. I own one…
Whenever I’ve entered sommelier food pairing competitions, there’s usually one rule: no Champagne. No matter how much you might want to pair that fresh, herb-crusted rack of lamb with a dry, summery Krug rosé, you’re forced to pick a red wine instead. That’s because Champagne is a no-brainer wine for a food pairing; it’s easy…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: Languedoc-Roussillon California Alsace Getting wine experts to agree on what temperature you should store wine at is like pulling teeth. I know one collector who has his cellar dialed to a precise 55 degrees at all times, and is convinced his bottles will spoil if the temperature spikes by even 5…
When I first took an interest in wine, Ridge was my gateway to finer bottles. As a child, I’d visit my family in California every year, and I’d always see at least one Ridge bottle resting on the rack in my grandma’s pantry; it was her go-to celebration wine. By the time I was old…
Forbes calls him the “Steve Jobs of wine,” and Robert Parker named him Wine Personality of the Year–twice. Winemaker Paul Hobbs is one of those rare kingmakers of the wine world who brings good fortune to any estate. He introduced Robert Mondavi to new oak aging techniques, he brought Argentinian Cabernet into the spotlight, and…
A family friend has one of the most elaborate home wine cellars I’ve ever seen. His Florida home boasts three levels of wine shelves, gorgeous oak furniture, and special glass display cases for his many Jeroboams and Magnums. Although his home cellar is a work of art, it’s not without risks. Once, during a rowdy…
Many wine collectors assume that they can only bring one bottle of wine with them through U.S. customs when they fly home from a foreign country, but this isn’t the case. The fact is, if you handle your wine label clearance properly, you can bring as much wine as you want, and pay less in…
When you’ve been a wine collector for decades, “wine of the century” is a phrase you’ve likely heard dozens of times, yet you’d be lucky if even one recent vintage lived up to the hype. However, I’m not exaggerating when I say that 2015 German wine might make a fan out of the most jaded…
