Reviews

Wine Review: 2014 La Crema “Sonoma Coast” Chardonnay, and 2013 La Crema “Sonoma Coast” Pinot Noir

La Crema Winery La Crema Winery is a family-owned estate in the Russian River Valley that specializes in Burgundian-style Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from cool climate vineyards found in in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Established in 1979, La Crema quickly gained reputation for quality and consistently fine wines. The estate is owned and operated by […]

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Champagne Bureau USA Lunch and Update – NoMI Kitchen, Chicago [Part 2 Media Lunch]

As I mentioned in Part l, I attended one of those lunches that rarely come around — not only was the food and Champagne selection extraordinary, in attendance was Thibaut Le Mailloux, Communications Director for Comité Champagne (the trade association that represents all the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France) and Sam Heitner, the

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Champagne Bureau USA Lunch and Update – NoMI Kitchen, Chicago Part 1 [The Update]

On February 29th, 2016 I attended one of those lunches that rarely come around — not only was the food and Champagne selection extraordinary, in attendance was Thibaut Le Mailloux, Communications Director for Comité Champagne (the trade association that represents all the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France) and Sam Heitner, the Director of

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WHAT MAKES VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE SO SPECIAL?

Liz Palmer, and Delphine Veissiere PhD The Champagne region, which is an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlée) is based on two key characteristics: assuring place of origin of each product and its method of production. It’s not the largest wine-growing region, but it is the most famous. The region is divided into four main growing areas;

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The 13th Edition of Anteprima Amarone – Verona

The 13th Edition of Anteprima Amarone was held in Verona on January 30 and 31st when 74 producers revealed their wines from the 2012 harvest to international press, industry insiders and general public. This preview was promoted by the Consortium of Valpolicella and was held at the beautiful historical Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona. In

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#TBT FIVE TOP CHAMPAGNE BRANDS BY GLOBAL SALES FOR 2014

2014 Champagne sales hit second highest total on record with over 308m bottles of Champagne being sold. This represent a 1% rise in global Champagne sales from 2013. The Comite Champagne, formerly the CIVC, also estimated that worldwide Champagne sales reached 4.5bn euros in value terms, up from 4.3bn euros in 2013 and the second

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BULGARIAN WINE – PART 1 – CHATEAU KOLAROVO

Bulgaria is one of the oldest winemaking countries in the world; this Balkan nation has been stomping grapes since the time of Thracians who were big fans of Dionysus. With the fall of communism and recent investment and innovation, they’re again immerging on the international markets. Bulgaria has five official wine regions, each with their

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Wines of Sicily ~ Part 1 – Sicilia en Primeur 2015

The 12th edition of Sicilia en Primeur was held this year in Taormina at the Grand Hotel, Atlantis Bay from April 14th to April 18th. Organized by Assovini Sicily, it’s one of the most important events of the year – it’s the international preview of the last vintage, addressed to both Italian and international press.

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