Franco Ziliani, the winemaker and revered “founding father” of Northern Italy’s Franciacorta sparkling wine appellation, died of natural causes over the weekend at his home on the shores of the appellation’s Lake Iseo. He was 90. Ziliani’s passing came at a historic milestone, 60 years after making his first groundbreaking vintage of a Champagne-style sparkling
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Davies and Brook, chef Daniel Humm’s restaurant in London’s Claridge’s hotel, will close at the end of December. Opened in late 2019, it was the first international venture for Humm’s New York–based Make It Nice group, which includes Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Eleven Madison Park. Since Humm’s transition to a completely vegan menu at
Why do certain wines give people headaches, even when consumed in moderation? Wine intolerance has long been a mystery and a nuisance for many wine lovers. For researchers, it’s proven difficult to determine what exactly causes the symptoms, which can range from headaches to nausea to wheezing and even anaphylaxis. While studies have pointed to
Philippe Cambie, one of the most influential winemakers in the Southern Rhône Valley, has died Dec. 18, just a month shy of his 60th birthday. Cambie was consulting winemaker for dozens of wineries in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the surrounding appellations of the Southern Rhône and in the Languedoc. He was also owner of his own Southern
MGM Resorts International, a collection of hospitality venues across the globe, named Douglas Kim as its new wine director this month. Kim now oversees the wine programs for hundreds of concepts including four Wine Spectator Grand Award winners at the company’s lauded Las Vegas casino-resorts such as Bellagio and MGM Grand. He’s been with the
Bill Foley is buying another Sonoma icon. His company, Foley Family Wines, has acquired Chateau St. Jean from Aussie wine giant Treasury Wine Estates. The deal includes St. Jean’s chateau in Kenwood, Calif., as well as a 6,000-square-foot visitors center and 39,000-square-foot production facility. The deal also includes Chateau St. Jean’s 79 acres of estate
Add one more salvo to the ongoing scientific debate on the health impact of moderate drinking. Multiple studies have found in recent decades that drinking approximately a glass of wine a day can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. But there’s recently been pushback, with some arguing that other factors are at play and that
One of Santa Barbara’s top vineyards is changing hands. Kathy Joseph is selling her 100-acre Fiddlestix Vineyard to a partnership led by Justin Willett of Tyler Wines. The sale price for the Sta. Rita Hills property was not disclosed, but Willett and company will take over ownership of the land, while Joseph will release wines
The energy was electric inside Las Vegas’ Mirage ballroom Dec. 4 as wine lovers gathered for the first installment of Wine Spectator’s 2021 Grand Tour. This sold-out event was the first Grand Tour since April 2019, and represented a much-anticipated reunion for the wine community. “It’s really exciting to be able to reconnect with people
The Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic Foundation (CBWCF)’s Grand Auction, held Nov. 6, raised $2.3 million for the Access College Foundation, which helps increase college admission for underrepresented and low-income students. “This was the best year for the CBWCF, raising about $1 million more than we did in 2019,” said Foundation executive director Jennie Capps. “Folks
Wine has been largely absent from the raging debate over inflation in recent months. While the wholesale price of beef is up by 20 percent and gas costs are at their highest level in seven years, a bottle of wine has been one of the few products consumers could count on to stay stable. Not
The team behind Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Acquerello in San Francisco opened Sorella (Italian for “sister”) on Dec. 1. “After spending 32 years perfecting the fine dining experience at Acquerello, we are ready for a new challenge,” co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini told Wine Spectator via email. “The time feels right for us to introduce a
After an external investigation that began one year ago, the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas (CMS-A) plans to expel six Master Sommeliers: Bob Bath, Fred Dame, Fred Dexheimer, Drew Hendricks, Joseph Linder and Matt Stamp. The move follows allegations by multiple female wine professionals who were studying for the organization’s certification exams that some of the
Winemaker Eloi Dürrbach, owner of Provence’s Domaine de Trévallon, died Nov. 12 at his winery. He was 71. “For my father, either you did something with passion and excellence, or you didn’t do it all,” said his daughter, Ostiane Dürrbach Icard. He was a winemaker who was proud to do what he loved—produce great wines.
Burgundy’s historic Hospices de Beaune charity auction roared back to life Nov. 21 after delaying and limiting its 2020 auction, setting a new record in front of a packed house. The 161st iteration of the auction raised a total of $15.3 million, including premiums, for multiple charities. The highlight of the sale was a record
One of the world’s largest wine corporations is buying a Napa Valley winery, taking another step in adding more premium wines to its U.S. portfolio. Treasury Wine Estates announced yesterday a deal to acquire Frank Family Vineyards for $315 million. Frank Family is known for Chardonnay and also makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and sparkling
While chef Christopher Kostow’s Wine Spectator Grand Award–winning Restaurant at Meadowood has yet to be rebuilt after it was largely destroyed in the September 2020 California wildfires, his more casual Napa restaurant, the Charter Oak, is up and running. Now, the chef is bringing that concept to a pop-up at Montage Los Cabos. “The whole idea was
We all know that a glass of wine can impact our mood, whether it relaxes us at the end of the day, or increases our pleasure while drinking with friends while out on the town. But can it improve awareness of body, space and time? Researchers at the University of Lisbon in Portugal recently performed
It was a record-breaking weekend for the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s Carnivale du Vin charity event, which took place on Nov. 5 and 6 in New Orleans. The 17th annual culinary-inspired wine auction raised $3.75 million to support local children’s charities focusing on nutrition and arts education, $175,000 more than the 2019 live event. Last year’s
Few French winegrowers will remember 2021 fondly. This year France recorded its smallest wine grape harvest since 1957. And it was just one of many nations that produced less wine this year thanks to challenges across much of Europe that included late-spring frost, hail, drought, vine disease and wildfire. Speaking from Paris last week about