When I started collecting wine more than a decade ago, I had to wait for my favorite monthly magazines to arrive in the mail to learn about the latest vintages and trends in wine. Today, I get much of my industry news from podcasts, which are available instantaneously. The best wine podcasts offer expert, in-depth reviews of incredible wines as well as educational resources and interviews with wine professionals that aren’t available anywhere else.
When I travel, I love to check out wine shops in different countries and always notice that the California selection at any shop outside of the U.S. is minuscule–usually only a handful of wines. But I’ve noticed that in Australia and Europe, if a shop is going to carry a California Cabernet, it’s always from Ridge Vineyards. The estate’s flagship Monte Bello label is highly sought-after among collectors, so much so that every year hundreds of wine enthusiasts from around the world journey to the Santa Cruz Mountains just to taste Ridge’s iconic Cabernet.
When I bought my first Bordeaux wine, I learned the hard way that storing Bordeaux requires careful planning. For instance, I didn’t realize that wines like 1999 Palmer and 1990 Château d’Yquem mature at different rates. I soon found out that each wine has its own timetable; the Palmer is already drinking well now and I may have to uncork it soon, whereas the Yquem could stay in my cellar for another 30 years.
As an avid fan of Shiraz, I’ve amassed a number of bottles of Penfolds Grange Hermitage over the years. However, I recently noticed that my collection was becoming unorganized; I had more than a dozen Penfolds bottles sitting in storage, and some of these were fast approaching their peak. I knew that if I didn’t…
With ripe, perfumed aromas and lively acidity, the 2017 Bordeaux vintage is shaping up to be a very approachable release for collectors. It’s true that these wines aren’t quite as exciting and sumptuous as the recent 2015 and 2016 vintages, but 2017 Bordeaux is still worth consideration. This vintage is perfect for early to mid-term drinking, with a great expression of terroir. However, before you invest in 2017 Bordeaux wine futures, keep in mind that quality varies in this vintage and many producers had to overcome poor weather conditions. You’ll need to choose your bottles carefully, but if you do, you can expect to find supremely drinkable, fresh-tasting wines that you can enjoy while your more legendary bottles mature.
A wine’s mineral flavors come from more than just rocky terrain and ancient seashells; in order to understand why a wine tastes like wet stones or chalk, you need to know how soil affects wine–and how it doesn’t affect it.
Italian wine is notoriously difficult to navigate in part because the differences between the regions are so pronounced. This guide will dig into the eight most important wine regions in Italy to help you make wise investment decisions about this complicated country’s wine.
The biggest issue with selling port wine is that only some rare vintages are actually worth flipping for a profit. Additionally, port takes decades to mature and gain in value, and collectors who don’t have time to wait may not be able to make a profit. This is why it’s important to know when, whether, and how to sell port wine.
It’s common for even the most experienced collectors to struggle when learning about Italian wine. However, one technique for overcoming this struggle is to sample a range of wines from some of the best Italian wine producers. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of some of the best Italian wine producers to help you get started on your journey. The producers in this guide represent some of the finest in terms of wine quality, value, and overall reputation.
With rich, dark berry flavors, spicy aromatics, and a lavish (yet still well-structured) personality, Canon vintages are among the most interesting Classe B Saint-Émilion wines. And if you haven’t already sampled this estate’s incredible wines, then now is an excellent time to start. The producer is gaining in popularity on the secondary market and is showing great promise for investors as well as for avid drinkers. There has never been a better time to be a passionate Canon fan.
I used to be skeptical about online wine clubs, especially those offering deals that seemed too good to be true. Could you really get a mixed case wines including high-quality California Chardonnay for less than $13 per bottle? In order to test some of these popular wine subscriptions, I joined a few wine clubs myself. After signing up for three different subscription services, I learned that the quality of a wine club can vary dramatically depending on how rigorous the bottle selection process is.
Ornellaia e Masseto has long been one of Italy’s finest wine producers, but today this winery is becoming even more valuable for collectors. According to the Liv-ex Power 100 report (the organization’s annual list of the top performing wines on the market), the producer Ornellaia e Masseto is among the top 20 best-performing wine labels in the world. By comparison, in 2016, the producer took 51st place on the Liv-ex Power 100 list. Over the past year alone, Ornellaia e Masseto has moved up an impressive 31 places on the list.
