Wine Personalities

Article: John Alban Traps Philippe Guigal in an Elevator and other Tales of HdR

This is the third installment of my conversation with John Alban regarding Hospice du Rhone and the advancement of Rhone variety wines globally over the past...

Article: John Alban on the Evolution of Hospice du Rhone and Surge in Rhone Variety Popularity

This is part two of my interview with John Alban of Alban Vineyards...

Article: John Alban on the First Hospice du Rhone and the State of American Rhone Variety Wine in 1993

Hospice du Rhone is only two weeks away. I’ll once again be leading a small band o...

Article: Looking Forward to Hospice du Rhone 2012

Hospice du Rhone 2012 will take place in Paso Robles, CA on...

Article: Breaking News: Ken & Diane Wilson Buy Pezzi King

Article: Profile of McCay Cellars: Video Interview with Michael McCay, Photos, More

McCay Cellars is a small, family-owned winery in Lodi. They make...

Article: Premiere Napa Valley 2012 in Photos

Premiere Napa Valley 2012 took place on February 25 at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Campus in St....

Article: Wrap Up on the Antonio Galloni Interviews

My in-depth interview with Antonio Galloni was published in three parts this week. (

Article: In-Depth Interview with Antonio Galloni, Part 3

In case you missed them, here are

Article: An Exclusive, In-Depth Interview with Antonio Galloni of Wine Advocate

Antonio Galloni became a key contributor at Robert Parker's The...

Article: Updated: Antonio Galloni Identifies a New Generation of Cult Wineries

Update: The numbers in my own original analysis below omitted a number of wines Antonio Galloni reviewed, due to an issue with "search" on the WA site. After reviewing the...

Article: A Good Winery is Closing, Another Gets Back to Basics

There are roughly 3,400 bonded wineries in California. The vast majority of those are small businesses and family-run. Operating a winery is rarely a tremendously profitable venture. It is even...

Article: Experiencing Carnivale du Vin 2011

Carnivale du Vin is an annual event which centers around a chartity auction. The...

Article: Boudin & Beer (and Wine) in New Orleans

Boudin & Beer was a pre-event for

Article: Where Do Points Come From?

Joe Roberts, aka 1WineDude, asked a question today in his friendly “Hey, what about...

Article: 2012 Vintners Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) announced seven new inductees to the Vintners Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at the...

Article: Celebrate with Trefethen! A Napa Valley Landmark Turns 125

Before the Golden State was golden, or a state, its residents cultivated wine grapes. In 1782, Jesuit missionaries made sacramental wine at Mission San Juan Capistrano....

Article: Charles Krug 150th Anniversary in Photos

On Saturday, I drank 1966 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon. If you didn’t, it’s not because I didn’t give you fair warning. A couple of weeks ago, I

Article: Fun Facts about California Cabernet Sauvignon

As you’ve no doubt heard, Governor Jerry Brown has declared September, 2011 to be California Wine Month. It’s a well-deserved honor for the ind...

Article: Good Points or Bad Points - The 100-Point Wine Rating System

Today’s vintelligentsia seem to be almost entirely against the 100-point rating system first popularized by Robert Parker and his team at The Wine Advocate. H...