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2024 Vulture: Defying the Paradigm
featured, Italy: Center & South
, May 2026
Vulture is a unique pocket of Italian terroir, a place where ancient caves and century-old vines sit in the shadow of a looming volcano. Far from the hit-and-miss industrial reds of the past, this near-forgotten region is currently undergoing one of the most exciting quality shifts in southern Italy.
Sassicaia from Magnum at Vinous Icons: Italy
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, May 2026
I have tasted Sassicaia from magnum a few times over the years. But never ten vintages at once. This vertical of tasting Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia held at the inaugural edition of Vinous Icons: Italy provided an incredible opportunity to do just that. The selection of vintages spanned many of the classics, with some lesser-known vintages sprinkled into the mix. And of course, in Vinous style, we finished with the 1985, the wine that put Sassicaia and Bolgheri on the map.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Credit Where Credit is Due
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, May 2026
Montepulciano is at a crossroads. The region has consistently raised the bar by improving standards, mapping its diverse terrain and distinguishing historical subzones. However, the vagaries of recent growing seasons have pushed winemakers, while a lingering identity crisis over naming conventions threatens to create uncertainties in the marketplace.
Hot Body, Cold Blood: 2025 Bordeaux En Primeur
featured, France: Bordeaux
, May 2026
The fascinating 2025 Bordeaux vintage merges traits of both hot and cool growing seasons. The best wines channel the finest of each, yielding potentially magical, terroir-driven offerings. The question is not one of quality, but whether there are any takers en primeur as Bordeaux stares into an unwritten future.
Gamayzing: Beaujolais New Releases
France: Rhône & Beaujolais, featured
, May 2026
Each time I return to Beaujolais, I fall a little more in love with the region, its wines and its people, including a clutch of up-and-coming young winemakers. My trip in early March broached the challenging 2024 vintage that nevertheless managed to deliver some "Gamay-zing" wines.
Champagne: The 2026 Spring Preview
France: Champagne, featured
, May 2026
Champagne is one of the brighter spots in a world fraught with uncertainty. I continue to be impressed with the dynamism and overall energy that is palpable here, even in the current environment. Young, quality-minded growers keep popping up at a pace that is hard to keep up with. Not to be outdone, the larger players continue to invest and innovate.
2025 Bordeaux En Primeur: Le Freak
featured, France: Bordeaux
, Apr 2026
After a problematic vintage in 2024, Bordeaux bounces back with the 2025s. It’s too soon to know where 2025 will land relative to most highly regarded recent vintages, but the finest 2025s are nothing short of thrilling. There is some inconsistency, which is to be expected in a large appellation and in a year with challenges that led to different approaches and decisions. While top names tend to get most of the attention this time of year, readers will find countless gems among Bordeaux’s lesser-known châteaux.
The New Face of Cava
Spain, featured
, Apr 2026
Spain’s most famous sparkling wine is going through a period of transition. Since 2021, new legislation and adjusted regulations have revitalized a category that had lost its shine in recent years. The new releases featured in this report offer a tantalizing glimpse of a brighter future for Cava.
Tuscany’s Quintessential Underdogs
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Apr 2026
Step outside Tuscany’s famous DOCGs, and you’ll find that much of the region’s potential lies in its lesser-known appellations. My latest tastings revealed a quality revolution among smaller producers who are crafting wines of grace, structural depth and aging potential that rival Tuscany’s elite.
Southwold: 2016 Bordeaux, Ten Years On
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux
, Apr 2026
The Bordeaux 2016s were lauded upon release. Now it’s time to put them to the test via two exceptional tastings, one sighted and the other blind, to see whether the wines deliver as they reach their tenth birthday.