»Log In»Customer Care»Subscribe
Wine Ratings  Site   

Blog Index

Harvey Steiman

Radically Different Pizza

In researching my cover story on pizza (in the current June 30, 2008, issue of Wine Spectator), I came across some truly inventive options that went well beyond toppings. In the end, the story focused entirely on more traditional pizzas and modern variations, and omitted the most intriguing idea of them all—charcoal-grilled pizza, made famous by Al Forno in Providence, R. Read more


James Suckling

A Few Weeks More for Brunello

Brunello di Montalcino producers were given a few extra weeks before their wines will be banned from the US market. On May 13, I reported in my blog post "Brunello's Mess Worsens" that producers had until June 9 to prove that what's on the label is consistent with what's in the bottle. Read more


Richard Betts

Playing It Safe in Italy

I have recently returned from another really lovely trip to Italy. We spent more than a week in the Val d’Orcia, which lies to the south of Montalcino and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All in all, it was a really welcome break and super time spent with family and good friends. Read more


James Laube

Reflecting on Different Interpretations in Film and Wine

Filmmaker Sydney Pollack was one of the first artists I heard discuss his works in person—what he intended to portray on the big screen and how they were interpreted.

Pollack, who died yesterday, directed and starred in many great films, among them They Shoot Horses Don’t They, Jeremiah Johnson, Tootsie and Out of Africa. Read more


Kim Marcus

Douro Thunderclap

The descent into Porto began with a bolt of lightning and a thunderclap. I know that airplanes can survive lightning strikes, but I still wonder. It’s an inauspicious beginning to my third trip to the Douro Valley of Portugal.

I’m curious as to how many of you have tried a Douro red. Read more


James Laube

Shiners Are a Secret Part of the Wine Business

Shiners are a big part of the wine business. But most people have never heard of them, even though they drink shiners all the time. That’s because shiners get a complete makeover and these otherwise often undistinguished wines are disguised by their labels. Read more


Harvey Steiman

There Won't Be Another

When word reached me in Australia that Robert Mondavi had finally succumbed to the ravages of time, I lifted a glass or two to his memory with a few Australian friends. But I held off writing about him, in part because I was traveling, in part because I wanted the news to sink in first. Read more


Harvey Steiman

Hunter Sémillon, Part Two

In my continuing effort to understand Hunter Sémillon (see Hunter Sémillon, Part One, previously), I sat down with winemaker Phil Ryan to taste through two of the region's most venerable examples, from Mount Pleasant. The winery makes several levels of Sémillon, and we were focusing on the top tier: Elizabeth, a blend of the better lots from several sandy-soil vineyards, and Lovedale, a single-vineyard wine on calcareous soil from vines planted in 1946. Read more


Harvey Steiman

Hunter Sémillon, Part One

"Enjoy your rusty rainwater," said the South Australian winemaker. I had just told him I was off to Sydney, where I was planning long vertical tastings with the two leading producers of Hunter Valley Sémillon. South Australia doesn't quite understand a wine like Hunter Sémillon, which is the polar opposite of South Australia's big Barossa Shiraz, heady McLaren Vale Grenache, vigorous Clare Valley Riesling and mouthfilling Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. Read more


James Suckling

Thoughts on 2005 Barbaresco and Nebbiolo from the Tasting Room

I am impressed. I have to say it. But I have tasted most of the top 2005 Barbarescos, and the wines are much better than I anticipated. I don’t see a lot of difference between 2004 and 2005. The two vintages produced aromatic and delicious Nebbiolos with lovely perfumes of ripe fruit and flowers and refined palates of strawberries, fine tannins and fresh acidity. Read more


- Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 -

Advertisement