Previous issue: May 31, 2008

 

Cover Story

Travel to California Wine Country A lifetime could be spent exploring California's many magnificent wine regions. To make your discovery of the Golden State's wine culture more manageable, we present a detailed look at five of the state's major wine areas

• WineSpectator.com:  Visit our online Dining & Travel section for more great wineries, hotels and restaurants to visit in California, or in other wine regions around the world. Members have full access to all our travel information.

Yountville   Napa Valley’s culinary capital

Sonoma Valley   An intimate tour of California’s wine cradle

Anderson Valley   Pastoral charm and impressive Pinot Noirs

Santa Barbara   Taking to the back roads in Southern California

Sierra Foothills   Winemaking traditions flourish in Gold Country

Features

Tasting Reports

Austria’s Tour de Force The country’s 2006 Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners exhibit high quality and long-term cellaring potential

• WineSpectator.com Bonus Videos:  Join Kim Marcus as he tastes Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the outstanding 2006 vintage in Austria.

• WineSpectator.com:  An alphabetical chart of all wines tasted for this report.

Seeing Red in the Loire   Red wines shine as the last of the 2005s arrive, while inconsistent vintages lie ahead

• WineSpectator.com Bonus Videos:  Cabernet Franc is undervalued—even though it's the grape in Bordeaux's famed Cheval-Blanc. Learn why this varietal is worthy of attention as James Molesworth tastes a pair of Cabernet Francs from the Loire.

• WineSpectator.com:  An alphabetical chart of all wines tasted for this report.

People

Vineyard Capitalism   William Hill and Richard Wollack are developing myriad vineyards along the West Coast

Dining

Dallas Renaissance   A changing of the culinary guard enlivens the north Texas restaurant scene

• WineSpectator.com:  Get information on nearly 4,000 restaurants with award-winning wine lists. Our complete Dining Guide listings are online in our Restaurant Search database.

Departments

This Issue

This Issue Marvin R. Shanken

Tastes

  

Tender filet mignon; old-fashioned ice cream; exploring daiquiris; Los Angeles: Bar Pintxo; straight from the South

• WineSpectator.com Bonus Videos:  Thought pairing steak with wine was as simple as picking a Cabernet Sauvignon? Join Harvey Steiman and chef Tom Colicchio at Craftsteak to learn more about how the type of beef can affect the flavors in a wine.

Upfront

  

Brunello cellars under siege in fraud investigation; French wineries target carbon emissions; Napa icon Barney Rhodes dies; Chinese authorities detain American wine importer; wine and tea may help diabetes patients; GrapeVine

• WineSpectator.com  Keep up with breaking news as well as the people, places and happenings that wine lovers are talking about.

Columns

James Laube   Dick Grace’s redemption

• WineSpectator.com:  In recent blog posts, James Laube uncovers some flashy Zinfandels from Carlisle, visits with Tuscan vintner Piero Antinori to talk about his Antica Napa Valley winery on Atlas Peak and enjoys an evening with Robert Mondavi.

Matt Kramer   Winemaker in the sky

Collecting

  

The garage wine-collector; Collecting Q&A

• WineSpectator.com:  Manage your cellar: Our improved Personal Wine List allows members to organize the bottles in their collection in a personal database. The new My Cellar companion tool tracks the value of your individual collectibles and of your cellar's total worth.

Wine Talk

Wine Talk   Law & Order’s Christopher Meloni

The Buying Guide

View a list of all tasting notes from this issue. Or for more than 205,000 tasting notes, use WineSpectator.com's Wine Ratings Search, where you can sort by region, variety, vintage, price, score and tasting date.

2008 VIDEO CONTEST:  Creative with a video camera? Submit your wine videos to Wine Spectator's second annual video contest and you could win great prizes. We are looking for short, original videos that are educational and entertaining. Our editors will select the best entries, and the finalists will be posted on WineSpectator.com, where viewers will vote to choose the winner. The deadline for entering is Aug. 18, 2008. Here are the complete rules and technical information, and last year's finalists. VIDEOS:  We now have hundreds of videos on our Web site: Cabernet Franc:  This grape is sometimes undervalued but remains the heart of Cheval-Blanc, the famed Bordeaux. Learn why senior editor James Molesworth is enjoying-and buying-more of this varietal as he tastes a pair of Cabernet Francs from France's Loire Valley. Austria:  Join managing editor Kim Marcus as he tastes Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the region's outstanding 2006 vintage. SUMMER ENTERTAINING:  Memorial Day weekend kicks off the start of outdoor parties, from picnics on the beach to backyard barbecues. Get our picks for warm-weather wines and recipes for easy-to-prepare meals. FATHER'S DAY:  Spoil dad with flavorful recipes and great wine matches that show him he's raised you with good taste. Or, take him out for a special meal at a restaurant with an award-winning wine list.

WINE RATINGS DATABASE:  We now have more than 190,000 ratings, including our editors' tasting notes and drink recommendations. Search by winery, wine name, region, variety, vintage, price, score or case production. You can even save your favorite searches and print shelf talkers for the bottles in your cellar. COLLECTING & AUCTIONS:  Build your cellar through smart bidding-our tools help you find the good investments and values. The Auction Price database tracks performance for more than 15,600 collectible wines. Auction Highlights analyzes results from the latest major sales, including lots that sold for above- or below-average prices. Organize your collection with the Personal Wine List, and update the value of your collectibles with the My Cellar tool. EDITORS' BLOGS:  Editor at large Harvey Steiman reports from Australia as he tours some of the best and most promising wineries there.