Vinfolio Manager of Collector Services Derek Cienfuegos has seen his fair share of messy cellars. As a professional cellar organizer, Cienfuegos regularly meets wine collectors who already have three cellars packed full of wine, and are looking to invest in a fourth just to keep up with the bottles they’re buying. It’s easy for…
You’re likely familiar with the phrases “Bordeaux futures” and “Burgundy pre-arrivals,” but do you know what these terms actually mean? Even well-educated wine collectors mistakenly assume that futures and pre-arrivals are the same thing. In reality, while both terms refer to buying wines “en primeur,” they represent two distinct styles of presales. The goal…
It’s difficult to say where the next big wine market boom will hit, but Bloomberg’s Elin McCoy predicts that Cabernet Franc will play a huge role in the coming year. Wine critics and collectors alike are favoring the spicy, acidic notes of the Cabernet Franc grape, which lends well to dry red blends. The…
Now that 2015 has come to a close, the London International Vintner’s Exchange (Liv-ex) has released its annual report detailing the best-performing wines and wine regions in the world. This year’s report suggests that Bordeaux has lost some of its hold on the market over the past year, but that other regions like California,…
In a wine tasting, your nose isn’t the only tool you have to test a wine’s aromatics. A small study sponsored by Spain’s Institute for Scientific Research found that the bacteria in your mouth actually has a huge impact on the aroma of wine. Researchers discovered that when bacteria in our mouths comes into…
When asked about the future of rosé wine, Chez Lavinia owner Virginie Morvan said, “There’s a real change in the thinking about rosé. It used to be for the barbecue or on the ‘terrasse’ or for the holidays and festivals in the sun. But now, winegrowers are investing in making wine that can be…
From its birth in 1994, Sine Qua Non has been a must-try cult winery. Robert Parker gave the young winery a boost when he awarded Krankl’s first-ever Sine Qua Non release a score of 95. At the time, this was the highest score any American Rhône blend had ever received. The estate’s immense popularity…
To outsiders, wine collectors are a strange group of people. We spend small fortunes on what is essentially expensive grape juice, but we love every moment of it. To us, wine is more than just a drink that makes us feel warm and fuzzy after we’ve had a few too many glasses. It’s a living…
The ripe “fruit bomb” style of much Pinot Noir over the past 10 years has finally fallen out of favor in the United States. Colder regions like Alsace are growing more robust and richly-flavored Pinot Noir than ever as the weather in the region becomes hotter, yet this wine style is still losing ground…
When sommelier Tali Dalbaha proposed an idea to her partnered restaurant, City Winery, in New York, the restaurant owners weren’t sure at first whether she could pull it off. Dalbaha wanted to find all 61 bottles from the original 1855 Classification growths in Bordeaux, under the most sought-after 2010 vintage. She was one of…
Wine connoisseurs are a rare breed. Their personal views on wine can create market trends, inspire winemakers, and fire up demand for hitherto obscure varietals and blends. Some of them have become stars, and their subjective opinions are taken as the gospel truth. When it comes to spotting fabulous wines before anyone else has…
Bordeaux has enjoyed a long, prosperous history as France’s great wine region, but after 2011, wine collectors around the world were cautious of investing in the region’s bottles. The reason? In the early 2000s, Chinese wine enthusiasts became obsessed with all things Bordeaux, going from investing in an average of 12,000 hectoliters of wine…
