From the point of view of an American consumer, the world of Champagne is more diverse today than ever before. While the most prominent names are still highly appreciated, the proliferation of lesser-known houses and grower estates in the marketplace has given us an incredible array of wines to choose from. More importantly, this diversity has encouraged more of us—consumers and wine professionals alike—to think of…

Argentina’s winemaking industry is evolving fast. With changes happening in the vineyard as well as in the cellar, there is an intrinsic complexity and diversity in the current landscape that refuses to conform to a simple outline. A few years ago the...

Andrew Rastello

Coming out of passing my Advanced Exam in April, I wasn’t sure my high could get much, well, higher… but days later, I received notice that I’d been awarded the travel scholarship…

Young Assyrtiko is relentless. It is a predator, and your palate is the prey. It puts you on your back and you throw your hands up. You have to submit!
-Yoon Ha MS

Put simply, Santorini Assyrtiko may be the best terroir value in the world. The wines generally retail between $15-30 in the US, a price point at which one can easily find good varietal quality, but real sense of place becomes a bit more elusive. Modern Assyrtiko…

In June 2014, Liz Dowty (New Orleans), Ryan Totman (Corkbuzz, NYC), Victoria James (Marea, NYC) and Master Sommeliers Laura Maniec and Geoff Kruth traveled to Switzerland and the Savoie. Following is a report on the region from Victoria James.

“I’m not leaving this country until I taste some Vin de Glacier,” Liz announced.

Ryan’s eyes widened as he described this “unicorn” wine of Switzerland that we…

There is a reason why most indigenous grape varieties will never became international successes. Some of those hyped varieties are niche products and will never reach a wider audience. But there are a few Cinderella varieties, waiting for their grand entrance—and one of them could be Silvaner. Silvaner is one of the most underrated grape varieties in the world; however, it is not a victim—there are reasons why it is…

The mere mention of Lodi may conjure up images of massive wine factories, Woodbridge, Delicato, and 7 Deadly Zins, but there’s a hidden world of viticultural history and old-vine treasure chests out there—and winemakers throughout California have been sniffing around. Turley was one of the first premium “outsider” wineries to bottle a Lodi AVA wine (1996 Spenker Zinfandel), but in recent years others have followed, attracted…