DO OLD VINES MATTER?
I once found myself staring at a grenache vineyard in the southern Rhône Valley, along with a young California winemaker and a famous French winemaker. The latter was showing us the old vineyard that had… Continue reading
Truly Hard to Swallow
Asbestos in Wine?
Guest Blog by Nina Rosas Note from Karen: Our friend Nina Rosas, a lover of wine who has worked in the industry for over 20 years, spent hours researching this alarming piece on the historic… Continue reading
Napa Valley’s Top Cabernet Sauvignons
The 75th Anniversary of the Napa Valley Vintners seems like a great time to open one of the valley’s stunning top cabernet sauvignons (read on for a list of my top choices), and to think… Continue reading
The Delicious “Sister” of Brunello di Montalcino
Luce Still Soars
Montalcino may be one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany. The town itself sits bathed in sunlight atop a large hill, with sweeping vineyards and forests descending from it in flowing circles like the… Continue reading
THE HISTORY OF SAUVIGNON BLANC
Plus, the Musqué Muddle
Sauvignon blanc is one of the few grape varieties that makes delicious wines all over the world. (Most varieties are confined to just a small handful of places). But where did it come from? Who… Continue reading
Super Sauvignons: A Whole New Class of Sauvignon Blanc
For the last 20 years, California sauvignon blanc has been mostly stuck in a rut. No matter how many sauvignon lovers prayed for a leap in quality, none came. Until now. The emergence of “Super… Continue reading
WHY DO WE LOVE ROSÉ?
Over the last couple of years, the increase in rosé sales has been so astronomical that wineries you’d never imagine making a rosé are making one. (Harlan and Screaming Eagle are still holding out). The… Continue reading
THE LAST TRUE THINGS
My Commencement Speech at the CIA
Yesterday, I had the honor of giving the commencement speech at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for the students in the Accelerated Culinary Arts Program and Wine and Beverage Graduate Certificate Program. The… Continue reading
ALL ABOUT SHERRY
SPAIN'S GREATEST WINE
As Champagne is in France or Port is in Portugal, Sherry is Spain’s most complex and labor-intensive wine. It was also once Spain’s (maybe the world’s) most tragically forgotten wine. But in the last few… Continue reading
BEING A WOMAN IN WINE IN THE TIME OF RECKONING
The 2nd Annual Report on the Status of Women in the Wine Industry
This is my second annual report on the status of women in the wine industry, and I think it will give every woman pause. The report was first published this month in SOMMJournal. Here it… Continue reading
THE END OF EISWEIN?
An Interview with Johannes Selbach
Several WineSpeed readers have written in worried about the future of eiswein, one of the most spectacular sweet wines in the world—and one of the most difficult to make. Is eiswein doomed thanks to global… Continue reading
RED LEAVES? WAIT, DON’T TAKE THAT PHOTO
This time of year, scores of photographers and wine lovers line up along the roads of every wine region and whip out their cameras and phones to photograph grapevine leaves turning glorious shades of red,… Continue reading