Innehållsförteckning för April 30, 2023 från Wine Spectator

An unidentified firm recently purchased Napa Valley’s Seven Stones Winery for $34 million, following the death of its founder, Ronald Wornick, in 2021. The price includes a 45-acre plot of land on the outskirts of St. Helena near the Meadowood resort, including 3 acres of planted vineyards, a 6,600-square-foot residence and a winery. Winemaker Aaron Pott will stay on at the winery under its new ownership. The sale was announced by residential brokerage firm Compass. The buyer is a “multinational corporation with a significant U.S. presence,” said Compass real estate agent Damian Archbold, adding, “This acquisition will form part of a newly established entity for their wine business.” The buyer has been identified as a holding company registered as HSIH NHH INV LLC. As first reported by Santa Rosa’s The…

Two of Italy’s best-known confections—Nutella and Baci—are based on the magical combination of chocolate and hazelnuts. This pairing of flavors has its roots in the north, where abundant hazelnuts were first incorporated with scarce cacao to stretch it out. While the two products are widely exported, they remain distinctly Italian, popular with departing tourists filling their bags in duty-free chains. Piedmont Hazelnuts, which received IGP designation in 1993 and are grown on UNESCO protected land, are recognized as the highest quality for their aroma, creamy texture and lack of bitterness. Katrina Markoff, CEO and chocolatier of Chicago-based Vosges Haut-Chocolat, uses the nuts in some of her products: “They’re extraordinarily special in texture and the density of the flavor.” They also have the allure of being a healthful treat, rich in…

So you think your boss can be unpredictable and heartless? Laura Bianchi has you beat: “I think that my main boss is Mother Nature. Managing that is a very stressful part of the job,” she says. “I remember my first vintage, 1989, and it was such a poor harvest that we didn’t put any wine in bottle and I cried … Most people think that because we live in the countryside, we have an idyllic life with peaceful moments, but most of the time it’s the opposite. This is a type of business where you cannot control everything.” Fortunately, Bianchi found it within herself to persevere through that first vintage and now counts more than 30 to her credit as winemaker and proprietor of Tuscany’s Castello di Monsanto. With 178…

Like many people passionate about their job, chef Marc Vetri could happily work seven days a week. But as his family—and his family of restaurants—continued to grow, he acknowledged the importance of finding balance. “My third restaurant opened up a week before my third baby. I went home and was like, ‘I think I’m gonna work five days a week.’ I love work. So, it’s necessary to recognize the need to step back, or that my wife just needs a little more help,” says Vetri, who opened Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner Vetri Cucina in 1998. The Philadelphia-based chef has simple advice for finding joy in fitness. “You have to take care of yourself. I’ve always liked to workout, but it’s not just about lifting weights, but…

If you’re reading this, you probably know what it’s like to have wine on the mind. Wine has a way of kindling happy obsession, whether conjuring dreams of blue-chip bottles, inspiring a cellar renovation or spurring a trip abroad. But is drinking wine actually good for your brain? First things first, abusing alcohol through heavy consumption or binge drinking can lead to a higher risk of stroke, dementia and mental health problems; any potential brain benefits come from light to moderate consumption. (The definition of moderate varies, but is generally accepted as one to two drinks per day for men, one per day for women.) Researchers have found that moderate wine drinkers enjoy a brain boost when compared to both teetotalers and heavy drinkers. As part of a varied diet…

As hard as it is to admit, Cabernet has calories. But how much of an effect does wine have on our waistline? And is it possible it could even help us lose some weight? There are many differing opinions here. First, some numbers. You can generally expect a 5-ounce glass of dry wine to have about 120 to 140 calories, although the actual figure correlates closely with the level of alcohol; the less alcohol, the fewer the calories. There are about 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates—including less than 2 grams of sugar—per serving of dry wine. Those numbers will, obviously, be higher for sweet wines (such as Port or Sauternes, with more than 10 grams of sugar per liter, sometimes upward of 30 grams). The sugar in wine isn’t…

Any discussion about wine and health raises the topic of wine’s connections to cancer risk. Let’s be clear: Studies have shown that alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of certain cancers, particularly cancers of the breast, colon, liver, mouth and throat. Yes, a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and thoughtful diet, may help reduce that risk. But alcohol is a carcinogen. However, studies have also linked wine to a lower risk of other forms of cancer. Based on 30 years of data on Finnish twins, a 2016 study published in Cancer Causes & Control indicated that both heavy drinkers—those consuming more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week—and non-drinkers faced a greater risk of prostate cancer compared to light drinkers. A study published in Clinical Epidemiology in 2018, based on…

The suppleness and elegance of the 2018 Barolos may lead fans of these reds to think of earlier vintages from Piedmont, located in the shadow of the Alps in northwest Italy. Missing this year is the tannic structure that has defined Barolo for the previous three vintages. What you’ll find instead are freshness and gracefulness, along with purity of fruit, giving the 2018s a profile not typically found in young Barolos—namely, an approachability that offers immediate gratification. “We have to go back to previous decades, perhaps 2009, to understand a vintage like 2018,” says Andrea Farinetti, whose family owns Barolo estates Borgogno and Fontanafredda. He also cites the 2004 and 1998 Barolos as having a similar style to the wines of 2018, a vintage whose “tannins are more nervous, acidity…

Several of Argentina’s leading wine regions were devastated by widespread freezing conditions on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 of 2022, impacting tens of thousands of acres of vines throughout the country. At a time when nearly all vineyards were budding and many were beginning to flower, it was a particularly bad time for a cold snap. In some areas, temperatures dropped to the low 20s F. Magdalena Pesce, general manager of Wines of Argentina, said numerous winery representatives believe it’s still too soon to have accurate data, but that an average loss of 32% of yields nationwide is the early estimate. “We have to wait to see how the plants react,” she said. Argentina experienced very warm days before the sudden temperature drop. Zonda winds—warm, dry gusts blowing down from…

Castelmagno is relatively rare in the United States, an unsung hero among Italy’s finest cheeses and a longtime connoisseurs’ favorite. Boasting a unique flavor profile, a distinct expression of terroir dating back centuries and rustic charm, this authentic mountain cheese is definitely worth seeking out. Texturewise, it’s semihard, flaky and grateable. Despite hardening with age, it remains meltable, crumbly yet moist, and not overly dense, leaving a surprisingly light, nimble impression for a savory, full-flavored cheese that gradually turns blue with age. Introducing itself with earthy aromas of moist cellar and yeasty fermentation, a Castelmagno offers chalky and minerally notes as well as bright herbal, grassy, gamy and brothy flavors, with hints of rich milk, sweet cream and lactic tang. The two classes of Castelmagno are della Montagna (mountain) and…

We all know that wine can be a delicious part of a healthy lifestyle. And for those who love to eat and drink well—and we’re guessing that’s most of our readers—these pleasures become even greater when we’re focused and active each day. Those who work in the restaurant and wine industries are no strangers to decadent meals, fine wine and some late nights. This makes staying in top physical and mental condition even more important. Many successful chefs, restaurateurs and winemakers strike this balance exceptionally well. We highlight several of these professionals, who share how sports and fitness add joy and confidence to a life in food and wine. From surfing and running to mountain biking and meditation, their stories are inspiring. Any discussion of wine and wellness should include…

For Mike Dunn, head winemaker at Napa’s Dunn Vineyards, mountain biking is almost more important to his mental well-being than to his physical health. “It’s the feeling of flow when you’re moving your limbs in a rhythmic way and your brain disconnects–it’s like meditation,” he describes. Dunn, 56, began riding in college after an ankle injury prevented him from surfing (proximity to the ocean being the reason he had transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara). He joined the university’s cycling team and also competed in the Davis Double Century, a 200-mile cycling race. Hooked on the sport, he worked a series of jobs in bike shops, eventually opening his own shop in Calistoga, Calif., which quickly became a haunt for local winemakers. “Regulars like David Abreu, Michael Honig,…

Earlier this year, the French nun known as Sister André died at the age of 118. She had long credited her longevity to her work and a daily glass of wine and piece of chocolate. But can wine really help people age more slowly and live longer? Ongoing research hopes to draw a clearer picture of wine’s potential benefits for us as we age. The subject of wine and longevity generated plenty of hype in 2003, when it was found that resveratrol, a polyphenol found in wine, could activate proteins called sirtuins and extend the lives of yeast cells by 70%. Scientists hoped to replicate the findings with mice and humans, but the work has faced numerous setbacks and delays. Recent research has found that resveratrol can mimic the hormone…

BY THE NUMBERS The April 30 Buying Guide features 45 classic wines and nearly 350 outstanding wines from among reviews of more than 500 new releases. Members can access tasting notes and scores for those wines, along with hundreds of additional wines reviewed since our last issue, using the Wine Ratings search at WineSpectator.com.…

While 2023 was just getting started, three weeks of storms dumped a tremendous amount of rain on California. The weather led to at least 22 deaths and scores of washed-out roads, mudslides and flooded neighborhoods, but many farmers couldn’t help but welcome the rain after years of on-and-off drought. Many areas have already attained their average rainfall for the entire year. As a result, aquifers are recharged and reservoirs are full. And for the state as a whole, according to the California Department of Water Resources, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range currently holds more than twice the water content than in an average year. Melt from the snowpack provides approximately 30% of the water supply to the state each year. The atmospheric rivers that carry warm moisture…

Israel’s dynamic wine scene is evolving at a rapid clip. Exciting new producers are emerging every year, while established wineries are embracing new styles and approaches. Meet eight winemakers at the forefront of the country’s boutique wine revolution. Flam Winery Brothers Golan and Gilad Flam had a bold idea in the mid-1990s. “We wanted to make a wine in Israel that truly expressed its terroir,” Golan says. Their father was the longtime winemaker at Carmel, one of Israel’s largest producers, and the first Israeli to graduate from the enology program at University of California, Davis, so the brothers had grown up in the industry, but there weren’t many paradigms for this style. “Our father thought we were crazy, that no one would buy this kind of wine,” Gilad says. The…

As surfers do, Jean-Charles Cazes has traveled the world in search of the perfect break—from Indonesia to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the Maldives, he’s chased the thrill of the wave since he was introduced to the sport at age 12. Today, you’re most likely to find him heading out in the morning with his board along Bordeaux’s Atlantic coastline, where he learned to surf while growing up at his family’s nearby Château Lynch-Bages. “Surfing cleans everything off,” Cazes describes. “Some people get a kick out of golfing, but I find surfing the most fantastic therapy for forgetting your worries. After a good surf session, I’m full of energy and my head is full of images of great waves for the rest of the day.” Scion of Bordeaux royalty,…

One day, headlines sing the virtues of a glass of Pinot Noir with dinner. The next, they proclaim that no amount of alcohol is safe for anyone. What’s behind this vacillation? And what’s a wine lover to do? As with most science and health studies—whether they’re talking about eating more oat bran or avoiding fat and sugar—there are no simple, black-and-white answers. Some recent research links alcohol to various forms of cancer. Mortality experts have also pointed out the dangers inherent in heavy or binge drinking, particularly accidents and violence. But numerous other studies have shown a strong association between light to moderate wine consumption, especially when paired with a healthy diet and regular exercise, and lower rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, dementia and respiratory illnesses. We took a…

Good news travels fast and persists: On 60 Minutes 32 years ago, Morley Safer introduced 21.8 million Americans to the French Paradox, the seemingly puzzling reality that the French, despite consuming far more than their fair share of saturated fats, had better heart health than Americans. The term was coined by French nutrition and cardiology researcher Serge Renaud, who claimed that regular, moderate wine consumption—particularly with meals—was behind the healthier French hearts. After Safer’s broadcast invigorated interest in the topic (U.S. red wine sales jumped a whopping 39% in 1992), a flurry of research steadily linked alcohol to two main cardiovascular benefits. First, moderate drinking was found to increase HDL cholesterol, often called “good cholesterol” for its ability to lower levels of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, or “bad cholesterol.” Second, alcohol…

Biologically, women and men face different issues when it comes to drinking. For starters, women metabolize alcohol differently; when drinking the same drink over the same time period, women at 5’9” and 160 pounds will feel drunk faster than men of the same size. An enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) helps break down alcohol, but women have less of it in their stomachs and lower ADH activity in their livers, meaning they can’t process alcohol as quickly, so more enters the bloodstream. Women also tend to have less body water and a higher percentage of body fat; since alcohol is highly soluble in water, but not in fat, women end up with a higher blood-alcohol concentration. For many women, concerns about drinking center around having a child. Heavy drinking has…

If you are looking for a vacation that’s wellness-focused, a trip to California’s wine country is a good place to start. World-class spas and resorts can be found up a nd down the Golden State, especially amid or near vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara. Most spas in wine country have fitness centers, pools, yoga or other classes in addition to signature treatments. Some resorts even provide bicycles for guests to use. But what about visitors for whom wellness offerings are a secondary focus of their wine country exploration? California’s wine lands have plenty of options for them too. April Gargiulo has a hand in both wine and wellness as a part-owner of Napa’s Gargiulo Vineyards and founder of Vintner’s Daughter, a luxury skin care line with cultlike status.…

It wouldn’t be the South of France without a new celebrity rose, and 2023 has brought exactly that: French singer-actor Patrick Bruel has unveiled a new organic rose from his Domaine de Leos in Provence, produced in collaboration with Rhone vigneron and wine merchant Nicolas Jaboulet. “I talked to Nicolas about our unspoiled terroirs and the historic winegrowing regions situated at altitude in the Ventoux, the Luberon and the Alpilles, in the very heart of the peace and tranquility of nature,” said Bruel, who in addition to being a successful actor and singer who’s interested in wine is an accomplished poker player and World Series of Poker television commentator. The Domaine de Leos Cuvee Augusta Rose 2022 is a blend of Grenache, Bourboulenc and Vermentino, and in many ways is symbolic…