Wine Spectator September 30, 2015

Visit www.winespectator.com/093015 to find links to all of the following resources. Free resources for all of our WineSpectator.com readers: 2015 VIDEO CONTEST—CHOOSE THE WINNER Original wine video shorts have been pouring in to Wine Spectator’s 9th Annual Video Contest. (Entries accepted until Sept. 7.) Our editors will select the finalists and post them on Wine Spectator.com on Sept. 14, then you can vote for your favorite. The first-place winner will receive a pair of tickets to the Wine Experience. The top video will be revealed on Sept. 22. LABOR DAY ENTERTAINING Throw a great party without breaking a sweat—or breaking the bank. Our featured chef has you covered with a recipe sure to impress, while Wine Spectator picks affordable, well-rated wines to enjoy over the long weekend. WINE SPECTATOR VIDEO…

We enjoy wine in many different settings, but it truly shows its best when served with food. And when a food and wine match is artfully made, an everyday meal can become a special experience. Most frequently in these pages, we begin with wine, exploring flavor, typicity and quality. Often we suggest foods that complement the wines we recommend, but the priority is what’s in the bottle. But sometimes we start with food, offering recipes with wines to match. And in our September issue each year, we put food center stage. We choose a culinary theme, call upon top chefs to give us intriguing recipes, and explore the dishes’ wine-pairing potential in depth. In past years, these cover stories have centered on beef, cheese and chocolate, among other ingredients. This…

NAPA VALLEY CULTIVATING EXCELLENCE HARVEST 2015 Harvest is a truly magical time of year. In late summer, the Napa Valley comes alive with a rush of activity. This is the time when excellence is more than an ideal. It is a way of life in Napa Valley. To learn more about how our passion for quality winemaking comes to life in our vineyards, on the crush pad and in the cellar, be part of the 2015 Napa Valley vintage in the making as the magic unfolds. VIEW HARVEST PHOTOS, WATCH WINEMAKING VIDEOS ANDMEET THE WINEMAKERS AT NAPAVINTNERS.COM/HARVEST…

A SEAT AT THE TABLE Readers respond to Matt Kramer’s question “Should restaurants champion local wines, in the same way chefs showcase local ingredients?” (“Should Restaurant Wine Lists Feature Local Wines?” online, June 16). Kramer states that unlike their counterparts in Europe, many top restaurants in the U.S. have a surprising paucity of local wines, and he wonders whether they have an obligation to better support them. As a wine producer I’d say, “No, a restaurant has no obligation to carry local wines.” A wine buyer can carry any wines she or he wants, based on any criteria. Having said that, I do find it somewhat odd when a restaurant that champions local farm-to-table cuisine eschews local wines. I also wonder if in tourist areas such as San Francisco, restaurants…

BEHIND THE DEAL • Constellation will pay $315 million for the Meiomi brand, which owns no vineyards. • Meiomi’s sales grew more than 500 per-cent in just five years. Wagner sold 550,000 cases of the wine in 2014 and expects sales to exceed 700,000 this year. • For Joe Wagner, the deal provides capital for his new company and allows him to in-vest in vineyards for the long term Call it proof of the power of Pinot. On July 1, Joe Wagner revealed that he had inked an agreement to sell his Meiomi wine label to Constellation Brands for $315 million. Constellation, one of the world’s biggest wine companies, adds a Pinot Noir star that has helped fuel the grape’s rise in California over the past decade. Wagner, son of…

“Get me a unit of Cheval, a good chunk of Cheval,” said the voice on the recording, a taped phone conversation between the accused mastermind of an eight-month crime spree, in which more than $1.1 million worth of Bordeaux’s best wines were stolen, and an accomplice. In June, a Bordeaux criminal court found both men, along with 13 others, guilty of robbing 18 wineries and négociants and selling the stolen wine. Sentences included $67,000 fines and up to four years in prison. The man speaking on the recording, according to French gendarmes, was Carlos Da Silva Lopes de Sa, who worked at a Biarritz catering supply company. He was placing an order with Yoann Gautrau, 27, the alleged ringleader. ROBBERS AND CLASSIFIED GROWTHS • The Burglaries: Yoann Gautrau broke into…