The wines of southern Italy present many challenges for the discerning consumer. While the potential for excellence exists, winemakers often focus on making forward, easy-drinking wines. A number of cultural factors may contribute to this trend, including wineries prioritizing local sales and a general reluctance to embrace innovation. Nonetheless, many exceptional estates are widely deserving of considerable attention.

This vertical tasting focused on recent vintages, with several older bottles dating back to the 1979 vintage. Raymond-Lafon can produce exemplary Sauternes that equal the elite.

An island nation at the bottom of the earth renowned for its native flightless bird as well as "Flight of the Conchords," New Zealand has made a name for itself around the world for its light-filled interpretations of Sauvignon Blanc. As Marlborough looks back on half a century of Sauvignon, it seems the country has a complicated relationship with its star performer.

A wine of suave sophistication and supreme textural finesse, the 1995 Monte Bello is almost shockingly primary and fresh as a daisy.

When I asked Vinous readers for their Paris dining suggestions, Comice popped up on many lists. Naturally, I was eager to check it out. This recent dinner was nothing short of spectacular.

The wine world lost a visionary when Donald L. Bryant Jr. passed away on March 1 at age 82 from natural causes. Bryant was a force to be reckoned with, someone who knew exactly what he wanted to achieve and a man of action who pursued his vision with extraordinary drive.

Winemaker trials are key to the pursuit of exceptional wine. Small batches can allow creativity to flourish. The genesis of truly fine wine at Penfolds began in the 1940s with a program of wines that became known as Special Bins. A rare tasting of Penfolds Special Bins stretching back to the 1950s offered a glimpse deep into the historic past and showcased modern Australian benchmarks.

I admit I approached the 2022s from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti with some trepidation. Given reports of extreme, record-setting warm and dry weather, I feared a repeat of 2020, a year in which the wines were unusually dark and concentrated. Those concerns were quickly allayed as soon as I started tasting the 2022s. The wines are absolutely brilliant. Elegant and poised, the 2022s are not only captivating, but they also offer that most elusive of all qualities in fine wine: the ability to convey the essence of site.

If Haruki Murakami’s books featured wine instead of whiskey, the protagonist would drink Tokaji Essencia then suffer an existential crisis, pondering whether it is “wine” at all. Maybe this remarkable vertical tasting of every vintage of Essencia ever produced by Royal Tokaji helps answer that question...

I have long been an admirer and drinker of Dirk Niepoort’s wines, both fortified and unfortified. A 2019 Charme Tinto Douro was drinking beautifully when I cracked open a bottle recently.

Osip will become one of the UK’s most sought-after tables. With its sense of innovation and outside-the-box thinking, this was one of the most impressive meals I’ve had in the last couple of years.

Tuscany offers a wealth of exceptional wines, from Sangiovese to international varieties, that thrive throughout its lesser-known locations. This report highlights nearly 200 wines, many from emerging terroirs, aiming to uncover hidden gems and showcase the full breadth of Tuscany's winemaking potential.

Located in Northwest Spain, Galicia is home to wines with an Atlantic soul. Among the region’s white wine DOs, Rías Baixas and Ribeiro present contrasting yet equally intriguing styles. From Albariño to Treixadura, the 300 wines reviewed in this report offer a journey through Galicia's diverse terroirs.

Head Winemaker Lorenzo Pasquini flew to the UK to present the latest vintage of Château Yquem. Meeting in central London, Italian-born Pasquini gave me the background on the 2022.

Occasionally, you meet a young, bushy-tailed chef and you intuitively know that you’re face-to-face with a future star, a culinary talent in the opening chapters of their career. Sam Lomas is a name to keep your eye on.

The 2023 growing season kept winemakers in Austria’s east on their toes. Rain that had been so sorely missed in 2022 came in abundance, as did heat. However, a golden autumn ensured long ripening and yielded reds and whites with bright acidity and aromatic nuance. Producers who specialize in nobly sweet wines were able to pick concentrated fruit with super-clean botrytis. What’s more, Austria’s east was spared from frost and hail, as well as from the many flood events that did so much damage throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

This article rounds up a treasure trove of claret stretching back over a century, including bona fide legends. But are consumers losing an appreciation for Bordeaux that has been shaped by time?

Bill Blatch was a mentor, an entrepreneur, a sage, a purveyor of terrible jokes, a pillar of Bordeaux and the Saint of Sauternes. Above all, he was a mate.

History, expression of place, passion and artisan family values run deep at Ioppa. The Ioppas trace their lineage back seven generations, all the way to the mid-1800s, a time when life in the countryside was much harsher than it is today. This mini-vertical from the 1970s was a very pleasant surprise at the end of a day tasting through current releases. I tasted the wines with Giorgio Ioppa, his son Andrea, and consulting oenologist Cristiano Garella.

I continue to be deeply impressed with the wines of Alto Piemonte and Canavese. Each year, I taste more wines from these appellations, a testament to a vibrant scene that continues to grow. Readers in search of wines that speak to the essence of site, variety and vintage, all delivered with cool-climate vibrancy, will find all that and more in this patchwork of small appellations in Northern Italy.

After the near-perfect 2021 vintage, producers were dealt with a far more challenging set of weather conditions throughout 2022.Intense heat and drought followed by rain just before harvest yielded wines that mostly offer very attractive forward fruit along with mid-weight structure. Our annual Tuscan Preview covers a handful of wines that are entering the market shortly.

Ribeira Sacra and Bierzo share a climate and dominant red grape variety, and yet they produce two very different versions of Mencía. In this report, I survey over 300 wines to provide a comprehensive overview of the wine country that spans the mountains between Galicia and León.

My good friend Lord Bruce recently raided his cellar and produced a gem of a Burgundy from a vintage more renowned for the whites: the 1992 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Domaine Hubert Lignier.

Lurra is an unexpected gem nestled in a less-ventured part of London, hiding out of plain sight. I was planning a return visit as soon as I entered its doors.

Making wine in the Finger Lakes is no walk in the park, and yet year after year, estates across the region turn out compelling Rieslings, Cabernet Francs, Chardonnays and a litany of other wines. But that’s not the full picture. The Finger Lakes has been the American wine scene’s underdog for decades. What will it take to break through?