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  4.    <title>RSS FEED WineSpectator.com: News &amp; Features</title>
  5.    <description>Most Recent Free News &amp; Features</description>
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  9.      <title>Has Long COVID Made It Harder to Enjoy Wine? You’re Not Alone</title>
  10.      <description><![CDATA[<p>A Stanford report links long COVID to alcohol sensitivity, including headaches and worse hangovers, but the reasons remain unclear</p>
  11. ]]></description>
  12.      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
  13.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/alcohol-sensitivity-and-long-covid</link>
  14.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/alcohol-sensitivity-and-long-covid</guid>
  15.      <author>Kenny Martin</author>
  16.      <dc:creator>Kenny Martin</dc:creator>
  17.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/tags/covid-wine-lovers-health">COVID-19 pandemic</a> is no longer in the crisis stage globally, many people—including some wine lovers—continue to feel its effects. Anecdotal evidence has indicated a potential link between COVID infection and increased alcohol sensitivity. That sensitivity can cause <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/a-potential-reason-for-your-red-wine-headache">headaches</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/does-your-hangover-cure-work">severe hangover-like symptoms</a> and other effects, including intoxication at low levels of consumption.</p>
  18.  
  19. <p>Now, new research adds to our understanding of how so-called ‘long COVID’ may impact people’s enjoyment of alcohol. The study, conducted by researchers at <a href="https://stanfordhealthcare.org/" target="blank">Stanford Health Care</a> and published <a href="https://www.cureus.com/articles/152512-new-alcohol-sensitivity-in-patients-with-post-acute-sequelae-of-sars-cov-2-pasc-a-case-series#!/" target="blank">in the journal <em>Cureus</em></a> late last year, reports that some people with long COVID experience a dramatically decreased ability to tolerate alcohol, even in small amounts. The study reports the cases of four people who had long COVID and experienced acute alcohol sensitivity, which led to changes in their drinking habits.</p>
  20.  
  21. <h2>What Is Long COVID?</h2>
  22.  
  23. <p>Long COVID (formally known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2) is a group of symptoms experienced after acute viral infection with COVID-19. Symptoms and their severity vary widely, and they can last anywhere from a few months to over a year.</p>
  24.  
  25. <p>Patients commonly report headache, fatigue, disrupted sleep and more. These symptoms are also common in other conditions associated with previous viral infection, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and complications from Epstein-Barr infection.</p>
  26.  
  27. <h2>Long COVID and Alcohol Sensitivity</h2>
  28.  
  29. <p>Alcohol sensitivity is also emerging as a possible symptom of long COVID, but very little medical research has looked into the phenomenon. The new study is limited, analyzing the cases of four Stanford patients who had long COVID symptoms lasting longer than a month, but offers a serious look at the possible link. Their experiences varied widely, from mildly increased sensitivity to alcohol to severe intolerance.</p>
  30.  
  31. <p>One patient, a 60-year-old man, drank alcohol twice a month, without any issues, before getting COVID. After having COVID, he experienced chronic, daily headaches as part of his long COVID symptoms; drinking alcohol was an additional trigger of these headaches. Another patient, a 36-year-old woman, reported drinking socially without any issues before COVID. Now, she says similar amounts of alcohol cause “flushing and headache.”</p>
  32.  
  33. <p>The two other patients experienced drastic changes in their alcohol tolerance. One, a 49-year-old woman, used to consume several drinks per week before getting COVID. Now, her tolerance has decreased so dramatically that she has not had any alcohol for seven months. On one occasion, one glass of wine caused such a bad reaction that she felt she could not move. She described her symptoms as similar to a “bad hangover,” with a headache, grogginess, and “overwhelming” fatigue the next day. A week later, a single drink led to similar symptoms.</p>
  34.  
  35. <h2>What Causes Alcohol Intolerance in Long COVID?</h2>
  36.  
  37. <p>It’s unclear why long COVID appears to cause alcohol sensitivity in some people. One possibility is that alcohol worsens orthostatic intolerance, a condition increasingly associated with long COVID. Orthostatic intolerance results from inadequate blood flow to the heart and brain when a person stands or sits up. Because alcohol dilates blood vessels and is a diuretic, it may exacerbate low blood pressure, further limit blood flow and make various long COVID symptoms worse.</p>
  38.  
  39. <p>Other potential mechanisms include disruption of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/what-makes-the-mediterranean-diet-healthy">the gut microbiome</a>, which has been reported in long COVID and can also be caused by alcohol. This disruption could affect alcohol absorption and trigger inflammation in the liver, brain and elsewhere. That inflammation, in turn, may be connected to aggravated symptoms and patient discomfort.</p>
  40.  
  41. <h2>Alleviating Symptoms</h2>
  42.  
  43. <p>The authors say that current recommendations for managing alcohol sensitivity in long COVID include “abstinence, avoidance or the use of antihistamines to see if the severity of the reaction may be reduced.” They note that patients may be counseled to avoid the specific drink or ingredient triggering symptoms, and that more study is needed to determine whether different types of alcohol affect people differently.</p>
  44.  
  45. <p><a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/linda-geng" target="blank">Dr. Linda Geng</a>, a clinical associate professor of primary care and population health at Stanford and one of the study’s authors, told <em>Wine Spectator</em>, “We recommend that people who experience new alcohol sensitivity following COVID infection talk to their doctor and consider avoiding alcohol until cleared to resume per their doctor’s guidance. We do not understand what causes the alcohol sensitivity at this time, so specific medications or therapies cannot be recommended.”</p>
  46.  
  47. <p>The authors acknowledge several limitations of the study. Since this is a case report of just four patients, no causality can be established between long COVID and alcohol sensitivity. Additionally, all four patients identified as white or Hispanic. The authors believe their findings highlight the need for larger-scale studies.</p>
  48.  
  49. <hr>
  50. <p><i><b>Want to learn more about how wine can be part of a healthy lifestyle?</b> <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Sign up</a> for </i>Wine Spectator<i>'s free Wine & Healthy Living e-mail newsletter and get the latest health news, feel-good recipes, wellness tips and more delivered straight to your inbox every other week!</i></p>]]></content:encoded>
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  54.      <title>Straight Talk Episode 20: The Blocking and Tackling of Wine with Dan Petroski</title>
  55.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Host James Molesworth interviews the founder of Massican Wines about selling his brand to Gallo, the promise of Pinot Grigio and much more. Plus, Dr. Vinny is back! Or is she?</p>
  56. ]]></description>
  57.      <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:11:53 +0000</pubDate>
  58.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/straight-talk-podcast-massican-winemaker-dan-petroski</link>
  59.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/straight-talk-podcast-massican-winemaker-dan-petroski</guid>
  60.      <author>Robert Taylor</author>
  61.      <dc:creator>Robert Taylor</dc:creator>
  62.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Winemaker Dan Petroski made news when he <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/gallo-buys-napa-boutique-winery-massican">sold his boutique California white wine brand Massican to Gallo</a> late last year. But that was just the latest step on a wine journey that started ignominiously as a Columbia University football player and began in earnest a decade later after an eye-opening dinner at Le Bernardin in New York.</p>
  63.  
  64. <p>Petroski went on to become cellarmaster at <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/leading-napa-s-larkmead-winery-into-the-future">Larkmead</a>, where he worked until 2021 while also building his own brand. "I started Massican because my mother couldn't afford Larkmead," Petroski tells host James Molesworth in the newest episode of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/straighttalk"><em>Wine Spectator</em>'s <em>Straight Talk</em></a> podcast. "I wanted to do something that would bring more people great wine."</p>
  65.  
  66. <p>Now available on Apple, Google, Spotify and more, including at WineSpectator.com/podcast, episode 20 of Straight Talk also welcomes back <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine-iq/ask-dr-vinny"><em>Wine Spectator'</em>s beloved advice and education columnist Dr. Vinny</a>.</p>
  67.  
  68. <p><em>Straight Talk</em> debuted in October 2022 and has attracted some of the wine industry's biggest stars for honest, probing, revelatory and sometimes hilarious conversations. Season 1 guests included winemakers Aubert de Villaine, Tim Mondavi, Tony Soter, Mark Aubert, Helen Keplinger, Thomas Rivers Brown, Greg Brewer and many more, as well as chefs Thomas Keller and Marcus Samuelsson, NBA Hall of Famer and winery investor Tony Parker and film, TV and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc star Sarah Jessica Parker.</p>
  69.  
  70. <p>“The <em>Straight Talk</em> podcast is a must-listen for anyone in the wine industry, and gives consumers a personal connection with our expert staff of tasters that no other format—or podcast—can offer,” said Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken, who himself made several guest appearances in Straight Talk's first season.</p>
  71.  
  72. <p><em>Wine Spectator</em>'s <em>Straight Talk</em> podcast is available for free on all major podcasting platforms, as well as at <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/straighttalk">WineSpectator.com/podcast</a>, and listeners can email their questions and comments to StraightTalk@WineSpectator.com.</p>
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  77.      <title>Turning Tables: Finca Wine Opens in San Diego</title>
  78.      <description><![CDATA[<p>The neighborhood wine bar and retailer debuts with a Spain- and California-focused wine list; plus, Jean-George Vongerichten opens his latest restaurant and a new chef’s counter debuts at Anto Korean Steak House in Manhattan</p>
  79.  
  80. <p></p>
  81. ]]></description>
  82.      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 19:34:43 +0000</pubDate>
  83.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/restaurant-news-finca-wine-san-diego</link>
  84.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/restaurant-news-finca-wine-san-diego</guid>
  85.      <author>Aaron Romano, Collin Dreizen, Olivia Nolan</author>
  86.      <dc:creator>Aaron Romano, Collin Dreizen, Olivia Nolan</dc:creator>
  87.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>Who's behind it:</b> Finca Wine is a new <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/sensational-san-diego-restaurants-for-food-and-wine">San Diego</a> wine bar and shop from Dan Valerino and Joe Bower, the former general manager and sous chef, respectively, of <i>Wine Spectator</i> Best of Excellence winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/2482/juniper-and-ivy">Juniper and Ivy</a>. The duo also operates Bottle Boon, a hospitality management company. Joining Valerino and Bower as a partner is veteran restaurateur Ricardo Dondisch.</p>
  88.  
  89. <p><b>When it opened:</b> Feb. 8, 2024</p>
  90.  
  91. <p><strong>Why you should know about it:</strong> Depending on how you look at it, Finca is either an exciting new wine bar and restaurant (with the perk of having a retail space) or it is a neighborhood wine shop that happens to offer food. Either way, it is a wine- and community-focused establishment serving tapas and a diverse range of affordable bottles. "We wanted a customer to come in and feel like 'this is my place,'" said Valerino, who resides in the neighborhood. Finca can be a place to enjoy a full meal, have a quick bite with a glass of wine, or grab a bottle for home (at a minimal markup). The Finca Wine team is also developing a wine club with perks.</p>
  92.  
  93. <p><b>What's on the wine list:</b> Finca opened with 110 labels, but Valerino aims to grow the selection to about 180. The list exclusively features wines from Spain and California, with attention given to wineries practicing <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-organic-biodynamic-and-sustainable-wines-41226">sustainable techniques</a>, and almost all bottles are priced less than $100. "I think approachability on price point is absolutely relevant [in this era]," said Valerino. The restaurant serves 14 wines by the glass or half-glass, as well as <a href="https://origin.winespectator.com/articles/the-abcs-of-sherry-49293">Sherries</a> and vermouths, including a vermouth made in-house.</p>
  94.  
  95. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-finca-interior-032124_1600.jpg] [caption=Floor-to-ceiling windows add plenty of sunlight to Finca's dining room.] [credit= (James Tran)] [alt= The dining room of Finca, with blue tiles and orange banquettes][end: article-img-container]</p>
  96.  
  97. <p>Selections like <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Vega+Clara">Vega Clara</a> Ribera del Duero Dacán and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Mas+La+Plana">Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Penedès Mas La Plana</a> allow diners to explore leading Spanish estates, along with great values like <a href="https://origin.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=AVANCIA+Godello+Valdeorras+Old+Vines">Avancia Godello Valdeorras Old Vines</a> ($51 in the restaurant or $36 retail).</p>
  98.  
  99. <p>Many of the list’s California wines show Spanish influences, as with <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Ridge">Ridge</a>’s Grenache Blanc or the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/grenache-57807">Grenaches</a> from Santa Barbara wineries <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=%22Clementine+Carter%22">Clementine Carter</a> and <a href="https://origin.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=%22A+Tribute+To+Grace%22">A Tribute To Grace</a>. Guests can also expect Golden State <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/sauvignon-blanc-57815">Sauvignon Blanc</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/pinot-noir-57812">Pinot Noir</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/zinfandel-57819">Zinfandel</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/cabernet-sauvignon-57803">Cabernet Sauvignon</a>.</p>
  100.  
  101. <p>If a customer wants to try a wine not on the by-the-glass list, Valerino said the team will open almost any bottle for the purchase of a glass; other guests can then purchase a pour from these open bottles, which are displayed behind the bar. Valerino also offers special discounts: For instance, if restaurant guests buy more than one bottle, whether to enjoy at the table or take home, they only pay the retail price for all the bottles, not the typical restaurant markup.</p>
  102.  
  103. <p><b>Culinary Approach:</b> As with its wine program, Finca Wine offers value on its menu, which is primarily overseen by Bower. "In this day and age, it seems like every restaurant is at an $80-per-head check average," commented Valerino. Beyond approachability, Valerino also wanted the food and beverage selections to marry well. Tapas were a natural fit; Valerino pointed to favorites like grilled sunchokes with gochujang sauce and Parmesan, an extra-large duck confit croquette with cherry mustard dipping sauce, and fried chicken with caviar in a crème fraîche dressing, which guests can order with a glass of Cava for a seamless pairing.</p>
  104.  
  105. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-finca-vermouth-032124_1600.jpg] [caption=Spanish vermouths feature prominently in Finca's wine programming.] [credit= (James Tran)] [alt= Servers pouring sweet and dry vermouth in an eclectic collection of cups][end: article-img-container]</p>
  106.  
  107. <p><b>The neighborhood:</b> Finca Wine is located in North Park, an area northeast of downtown San Diego and bordering Balboa Park. According to Valerino, the neighborhood has had its ups and downs in recent years but is currently benefiting from a significant amount of investment, particularly in the hospitality sector.</p>
  108.  
  109. <p><b>The design:</b> In an age of maximalism and Instagram-worthy decor, Valerino said, it was important not to lean too far into that style while still providing a comfortable and attractive space: "It's an urban neighborhood, and we wanted it to feel like an urban restaurant; while it may be one of the ‘prettier’ restaurants in the area, that doesn't mean it shouldn't have some edge."</p>
  110.  
  111. <p>The 90-seat restaurant tilts industrial with exposed ceilings. Mismatched decorative plates and art created by Bower's brother and Dondisch's wife add whimsy to the space. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the dining room in sunlight, illuminating shades of orange and green. The centerpiece is a wrap-around bar that partially divides the bottle shop from the dining room, and a small patio adds outdoor seating.—<i>Aaron Romano</i></p>
  112.  
  113. <p><a name="jgv"></a></p>
  114.  
  115. <h2>Jean-Georges Vongerichten Opens Four Twenty Five in New York</h2>
  116.  
  117. <p><b>Who’s behind it:</b> <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-jean-georges-to-open-restaurant-in-new-manhattan-skyscraper">Following about two years of anticipation</a>, leading chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened his latest restaurant, Four Twenty Five at 425 Park Avenue in Manhattan. “This is a true full-circle moment for me,” Vongerichten told <i>Wine Spectator</i> via email. “In 1986, I began my New York culinary journey at Lafayette Restaurant in the Drake Hotel, steps away from [425 Park Avenue].”</p>
  118.  
  119. <p>France-born Vongerichten is an acclaimed figure in contemporary fine dining and leads a global restaurant empire that includes <i>Wine Spectator</i> Grand Award winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/435/jean-georges">Jean-Georges</a> (his flagship) in New York City, as well as Best of Award of Excellence winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/132/the-mark-restaurant-by-jean-georges">the Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5501/jean-georges">his Award of Excellence–winning namesake</a> in Philadelphia. In recent years, Vongerichten has also <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-acquerello-team-opens-sorella-in-san-francisco">entered Nashville’s dining scene</a>; and in 2022, he opened the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-jean-georges-continues-to-expand-his-global-restaurant-empire">Tin Building</a>, a dining-retail destination in New York’s historic Seaport district.</p>
  120.  
  121. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-425-pasta-032124-1600.jpg] [caption=Four Twenty Five blends influences from Europe and Asia, like in this spaghetti with sea urchin, garlic, lemon and pepperoncini.] [credit= (Hallie Burton)] [alt= A plate of spaghetti with sea urchin, garlic, lemon and pepperoncini next to a glass of red wine at Four Twenty Five in New York City][end: article-img-container]</p>
  122.  
  123. <p><b>When it opened:</b> December 2023</p>
  124.  
  125. <p><b>The culinary approach:</b> Culinary director Jonathan Benno oversees the cuisine, which draws from French, American, Italian and Asian influences. The à la carte and tasting menus include dishes such as Nantucket Bay scallop tartare, sauteed langoustines with kombu-herb butter, squash agnolotti in a brown butter vinaigrette, a seared Wagyu tenderloin and steamed black bass with mushrooms.</p>
  126.  
  127. <p><b>What’s on the wine list:</b> Jean-Georges Management sommelier and wine director Rory Pugh and chef sommelier Jamie Cohen put together a 50-page wine list featuring about 1,200 labels, representing a 9,000-bottle inventory. Except for the cellar at his flagship, this is the largest wine inventory among Vongerichten’s restaurants. The main regional strengths are France’s Burgundy and Bordeaux, Italy’s Piedmont and California.</p>
  128.  
  129. <p>“The wine experience at Four Twenty Five fuses exploration and pleasure,” said Pugh, noting that many wineries in the program employ <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-organic-biodynamic-and-sustainable-wines-41226">biodynamic or organic techniques</a>. “Taking that a step further, we have done away with printing menus and offer a digital wine list to our guests.”</p>
  130.  
  131. <p>Throughout the list are well-known names such as Napa Valley’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Corison">Corison</a> and Piedmont’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Elvio+Cogno">Elvio Cogno</a>. Acclaimed wineries from other regions across the globe include <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=BERGSTR%C3%96M">Bergström</a> in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Egon+Muller">Egon Müller</a> in Germany’s Mosel.</p>
  132.  
  133. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-425-fish-032124-1600.jpg] [caption= Presentation is key for Four Twenty Five, as evidenced by this pan-roasted sea trout with pumpkin seed gremolata.] [credit= (Hallie Burton)] [alt= Dish of pan-roasted sea trout wit pumpkin seed gremolata, butternut squash confit and brown butter–mustard sauce from Four Twenty Five in New York City][end: article-img-container]</p>
  134.  
  135. <p><b>By the glass:</b> More than 30 wines are served by the glass, including picks like Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay) from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Robert+Groffier">Robert Groffier</a> and Rosso di Montalcino from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Le+Ragnaie">Le Ragnaie</a>, along with dessert wines such as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Royal+Tokaji">Royal Tokaji</a> Tokaji Late Harvest and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Warre">Warre</a> Vintage Port.</p>
  136.  
  137. <p>Alongside these wines are cocktails like an olive oil–washed Martini (made with Vongerichten’s own olive oil <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/in-wine-terms-what-is-a-cuvee">cuvée</a>) and a spiced sidecar made with rye whiskey and Château de Pellehaut Armagnac.</p>
  138.  
  139. <p><b>Rarer gems:</b> The list boasts vertical depth, with older vintages from leading Bordeaux châteaus such as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Chateau+Latour">Latour</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Leoville+Barton">Leoville-Barton</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Yquem">Yquem</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Climens">Climens</a> in Sauternes.</p>
  140.  
  141. <p><b>The design:</b> Architect Lord Norman Foster designed the restaurant’s two floors, which feature hand-finished wood elements and a collection of art pieces, including a 25-foot-long painting by Larry Poons. Two private dining areas can host wine-focused events.—<i>Collin Dreizen</i></p>
  142.  
  143. <p><a name="gori"></a></p>
  144.  
  145. <h2>New York’s Anto Korean Steak House Team Adds Gori</h2>
  146.  
  147. <p><strong>Who’s behind it:</strong> Gori is a new chef’s counter located on the second floor of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6791/anto-korean-steak-house">Anto Korean Steak House</a>, a Best of Award of Excellence winner on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Chef Jeong Muk Kim is at the helm, and head sommelier Anibal Calcagno leads the wine program.</p>
  148.  
  149. <p><strong>Why you should know about it:</strong> Kim is an acclaimed culinary figure in South Korea and was previously the head chef of fine-dining restaurant Myomi in Seoul. He became head chef at Anto in November 2023. Calcagno previously led wine programs at Best of Award of Excellence winners <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/3998/indian-accent">Indian Accent</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5675/oceans">Oceans</a>, both in New York.</p>
  150.  
  151. <p><strong>When it opened:</strong> January 2024.</p>
  152.  
  153. <p><strong>The culinary approach:</strong> Kim brings his modern take on classic Korean cuisine to Anto’s à la carte lunch and dinner menus, and now at Gori he offers an even more elevated experience with a frequently changing tasting menu of 10 courses. Some recent dishes have included <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/pride-of-the-northwest-033123">Dungeness crab</a> with smoked trout roe and hamachi <em>mulhwe</em> (a spicy Korean fish soup), freshwater eel with a tricolor risotto and katsuo-butter foam, and Korean Wagyu with eggplant, ginseng and black garlic.</p>
  154.  
  155. <p>[article-img-container][src=/2024-03/turning-tables-anto-gori-counter-dishes-032124_1600.jpg] [caption=Seafood graces Anto's new chef's counter in many forms.] [credit= (Courtesy of Anto Korean Steak House)] [alt= A collection of dishes from Gori at Anto Korean Steak House][end: article-img-container]</p>
  156.  
  157. <p><strong>What's on the wine list:</strong> Calcagno offers pairings for each of the 10 courses, and the list changes with the menu. One mainstay is a <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/show/id/blanc_de_blancs">blanc de blancs</a> Champagne with the Dungeness crab. Calcagno suggests Korean rice wines for many of the dishes, such as pairing Sulseam’s Gamsa Blue Chungju with a truffle mushroom pancake and Shinpyeong’s White Lotus Makgeolli with freshwater eel and risotto.</p>
  158.  
  159. <p><strong>The design:</strong> Like Kim’s menu, the design at Gori (meaning “connection” in Korean) fuses traditional and contemporary elements. The restaurant space is intimate and calm, with warm lighting from the recessed ceiling and wall fixtures, and upholstered high-top bar stools at the chef’s counter, where guests can observe and interact with Kim and his team as they prepare each course. The room is accented with statement pieces like a model of a <em>geobukseon</em> (meaning “turtle ship”)—a type of warship prominent in the Joseon kingdom that ruled the Korean peninsula between the 15th and 19th centuries—as well as a modern art installation depicting a <em>Hibiscus syriacus,</em> the national flower of South Korea, where it is known as <em>mugunghwa</em>.</p>
  160.  
  161. <p><strong>There’s even more:</strong> Fans of Anto should stay tuned. The restaurant’s team is planning a second location, currently set for a spring 2024 opening in Midtown Manhattan.<i> —<i>Olivia Nolan</i></i></p>
  162. ]]></content:encoded>
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  165.    <item>
  166.      <title>A New Chapter in Piedmont—Former Vietti Owners Establish a New Barolo Winery</title>
  167.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Luca Currado-Vietti and Elena Penna-Currado begin a new project in Piedmont with Cascina Penna-Currado</p>
  168. ]]></description>
  169.      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  170.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/former-vietti-owners-establish-a-new-barolo-winery</link>
  171.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/former-vietti-owners-establish-a-new-barolo-winery</guid>
  172.      <author>Bruce Sanderson</author>
  173.      <dc:creator>Bruce Sanderson</dc:creator>
  174.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Legendary Barolo power couple Luca Currado Vietti and Elena Penna-Currado have begun a new chapter in their winemaking careers, this time with the collaboration of their children, Michele and Giulia. A year after the longtime proprietors of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Vietti">Vietti</a> left that winery, the family has established Cascina Penna-Currado, a small artisanal winery producing Barolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/italy-most-exciting-white-wine-story-spreads-to-unexpected-places">Timorasso</a>. Their first vintage is 2023.</p>
  175.  
  176. <p>The family <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/vietti-winery-sold-to-kyle-krause">sold Vietti in 2016 to American Kyle Krause and his family</a>, with an agreement for the couple to stay on as managers for five years. But when that ended in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they felt that the timing wasn’t right to leave. Instead, they resigned from Vietti in January of 2023.</p>
  177.  
  178. <p>“We didn’t have a plan when we left Vietti,” Penna-Currado told <em>Wine Spectator</em>. “We didn’t want to say anything [about the new project] because we were waiting for the printing of the labels, to see how the wines were, to be sure to have all the steps put together. We are happy to restart and be back into the wine world.”</p>
  179.  
  180. <h2>Where Will the New Wines Be from?</h2>
  181.  
  182. <p>The family is farming 30 acres of vines in the San Sebastiano area of the Monforte d'Alba appellation that they have leased for 25 years. “We have known this area for a long time,” said Penna-Currado. “Today, with climate change, grapes can ripen, with freshness, low alcohol, influence from [the] mountain and same soils as Barolo.” The vineyards will be farmed sustainably.</p>
  183.  
  184. <p>The wines are made at a historic farmhouse, now called Cascina Lazzarito, built in 1554. The couple purchased it in 2018 and have been renovating ever since. It was originally owned by the Marchesi Falletti family, then by the Opera Pia charity. “It’s a property that is always breathing history and Barolo, so there was no better place to start our new path,” said Penna-Currado.</p>
  185.  
  186. <p>A Dolcetto and Barbera will be released this spring, with a Langhe <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/nebbiolo-57810">Nebbiolo</a> and Timorasso to follow in autumn 2024. Three Barolos from the 2023 harvest are slated to debut in 2027. “To put together all those parcels for the ’23 harvest was not simple, but fortunately we had the help of some people to start this new project.”</p>
  187.  
  188. <p>The goal is to eventually reach about 6,000 cases. “We want to control every step of the process, from the vineyards to the winemaking, by ourselves.”</p>
  189.  
  190. <hr>
  191. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>’s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  192. ]]></content:encoded>
  193.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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  195.    <item>
  196.      <title>Exclusive: Patz &amp; Hall Co-Founder James Hall Buys His Winery Back</title>
  197.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is selling the Sonoma Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer as it shifts away from California</p>
  198. ]]></description>
  199.      <pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
  200.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/patz-and-hall-founder-james-hall-buys-his-sonoma-winery-back</link>
  201.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/patz-and-hall-founder-james-hall-buys-his-sonoma-winery-back</guid>
  202.      <author>MaryAnn Worobiec</author>
  203.      <dc:creator>MaryAnn Worobiec</dc:creator>
  204.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While the wine world is full of news of mergers and acquisitions, the latest transaction in California is more of a homecoming. <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Patz%20%26%20Hall">Patz &amp; Hall</a> co-founder James Hall and a small group of investors are buying the winery back eight years after it was sold to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. The sale is the latest move by Ste. Michelle to sell its California wineries and focus on its Washington brands. Hall will become the largest shareholder. A purchase price was not disclosed.</p>
  205.  
  206. <p>“It’s a dream come true,” Hall told <em>Wine Spectator</em>. “I love being a winemaker and having an opportunity to come back in. Emotionally I didn’t have a choice. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a compulsion. I don’t want to retire.”</p>
  207.  
  208. <h2>Patz &amp; Hall Was a Pinot Pioneer</h2>
  209.  
  210. <p>Donald Patz and James Hall met in the 1980s, when they were both working for Napa’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/chateau-smith-haut-lafitte-owners-buy-napa-flora-springs-winery">Flora Springs Winery</a>. With partners Anne Moses and Heather Patz, they launched Patz &amp; Hall beginning with the 1988 vintage. They were an early powerhouse for both vineyard-designated and regional blends of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, consistently scoring 90+ on <em>Wine Spectator</em>’s 100-point scale.</p>
  211.  
  212. <p>In 2016 the founders <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/purchasing-pinot-ste-michelle-wine-estates-buys-patz-hall-53035">sold to Ste. Michelle</a>, one of the largest wine companies in the United States. Patz left the winery and founded a new wine firm, while Hall remained. At its height, the Ste. Michelle portfolio included Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest in Washington, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Erath">Erath Winery</a> in Oregon, and Conn Creek and Villa Mt. Eden in California. The company also partnered with Italy’s Antinori family in <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Stag%27s%20Leap%20Wine%20Cellars">Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Col+Solare">Col Solare</a>.</p>
  213.  
  214. <p>Ste. Michelle ranked as the eighth-largest U.S. wine marketer in 2020. But the pandemic hit the company hard, with volume declining by more than a million cases. In 2021, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/ste-michelle-wine-estates-sold-101521">was sold by its parent company, Altria, to a New York–based private equity firm named Sycamore Partners</a> in a reported $1.2 billion deal. Since then, the company <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/woe-in-washington-wine-103123">appears to be refocusing on its brands in the Pacific Northwest and trimming production</a>. Ste. Michelle <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/antinori-buys-sole-ownership-of-napas-stags-leap-wine-cellars">sold its share of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 2023</a> to its partner, Antinori.</p>
  215.  
  216. <h2>Hall’s Plans for the Future</h2>
  217.  
  218. <p>Hall is gracious about working with Ste. Michelle. “It was a very satisfying relationship with very few challenges,” he said. “I don’t think we would have survived COVID without them.” He said not much has changed at the winery between the 2016 purchase and now. Annual production is about 40,000 cases. There are about two dozen bottlings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in any vintage, plus a trio of sparkling wines. Hall remains in charge of winemaking, but he promoted James McCeney, formerly of Lewis Cellars in Napa, to senior winemaker last year.</p>
  219.  
  220. <p>Because Patz &amp; Hall doesn’t own any vineyards (Hall and his wife planted a 14-acre vineyard on leased land in Green Valley), the brand relies heavily on Hall and the long-term arrangements he has to purchase grapes from some of the most prestigious vineyards in the state, including Hyde, Dutton and Zio Tony.</p>
  221.  
  222. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_patz-and-hall-winery-031824_1600.jpg] [caption= The Patz &amp; Hall winery and tasting room is located on the outskirts of the town of Sonoma.] [credit= ] [alt= The Patz &amp; Hall winery building in Sonoma, California.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  223.  
  224. <p>When asked about the path he’s taken, Hall brought up the joke about the two happiest days of a boat owner’s life: the day they buy their boat and the day they sell it. “I turned 65 last year,” said Hall. “I don’t want to play golf and sail.” He adds that, with a 20-year-old daughter, it’s premature to make plans about the business staying in the family. “I spent over 40 years building the chops to be the winemaker I am. Right now the plan is to continue running Patz &amp; Hall and build on our Chardonnay program.”</p>
  225.  
  226. <hr>
  227. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>’s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  228. ]]></content:encoded>
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  231.    <item>
  232.      <title>Israel's Flam and Tzora Wineries Buy in Bordeaux</title>
  233.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Two talented Israeli winemakers, Golan Flam and Eran Pick, have purchased Château Tour du Haut-Moulin, a  <em>cru bourgeois</em> estate in the Haut-Médoc</p>
  234. ]]></description>
  235.      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 21:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  236.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/judean-hills-winemakers-buy-in-bordeaux</link>
  237.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/judean-hills-winemakers-buy-in-bordeaux</guid>
  238.      <author>Kristen Bieler</author>
  239.      <dc:creator>Kristen Bieler</dc:creator>
  240.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Owning an estate in Bordeaux had been the longtime dream of friends Golan Flam of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Flam">Flam Winery</a> and Eran Pick of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Tzora">Tzora Vineyards</a>, both winemakers in Israel’s Judean Hills region. After five years of hunting, the partners have purchased <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Ch%C3%A2teau%20Tour-du-Haut-Moulin">Château Tour du Haut-Moulin</a>, a <em>cru bourgeois</em> estate in Bordeaux’s Haut-Médoc region on the Left Bank.</p>
  241.  
  242. <p>“We looked at so many properties. Some were too big, others too small; many lacked the right <em>terroir</em>, but this estate—a gravel soil plateau near the Gironde river—has everything we are looking for,” said Gilad Flam, Golan’s brother and partner in the winery they founded together in 1998.</p>
  243.  
  244. <h2>Château Tour du Haut-Moulin Enjoys a Prime Location on the Left Bank</h2>
  245.  
  246. <p>Established in 1870, Château Tour du Haut-Moulin has 24 acres of vines, which Flam says have been meticulously farmed by the current owners, sixth-generation Lionel and Carol Poitou, who will stay on to help manage viticulture. The property lies on the banks of the Gironde between Margaux and St.-Julien.</p>
  247.  
  248. <p>According to Eran Pick, Israel’s first Master of Wine, the opportunity to produce wines from “the most iconic region in the world” will be the perfect complement to his work as the technical director at Tzora Vineyards, the winery where he has worked since 2006. Under his direction, the estate is making some of the finest wines in Israel. Tzora and Flam are<a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/a-bright-outlook-for-israel-tasting-report-on-israeli-wines-101522">part of the Judean Hills Quartet</a>, a group of four <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/new-flavors-from-israel-043023">like-minded vintners crafting wine in the region’s prized terra rossa–limestone soils</a>.</p>
  249.  
  250. <p>The power team at Tour du Haut-Moulin also includes Burgundy-trained Tzora winemaker Dan Sheinman and Vincent Dupuch, the acclaimed Bordeaux-based enology consultant. The timing of the harvest should work in their favor, as well. When the grapes have all been picked in Israel, around mid-September, the team can head to Bordeaux, when the harvest is beginning. And Paris is just a four-hour flight from Tel Aviv, he explained. Their first vintage will be 2024.</p>
  251.  
  252. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_israel-in-bordeaux-winemakers-031324_1600.jpg] [caption= Dan Sheinman, Eran Pick and Golan Flam (left to right) have partnered to start a new chapter for Bordeaux winery Château Tour du Haut-Moulin.] [credit= (Courtesy Château Tour du Haut-Moulin)] [alt= Israeli winemakers Dan Sheinman, Eran Pick and Golan Flam (left to right) stand together in the Judean Hills.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  253.  
  254. <p>Pick has long benefited from Bordelais expertise, having worked at Tzora with consulting winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=chateau+petrus">Château Pétrus</a>. Now, Pick and his partners will have the opportunity to apply some of their own Israeli viticultural aptitude in Bordeaux. “We want to learn from Bordeaux and also bring our knowledge,” Flam said. In recent years, winegrowers around the world—including those in Bordeaux—have looked to Israel for <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/tags/environment">new technologies and innovative solutions to manage vineyards in drier, warmer climates</a>. Israel was a pioneer in modern drip irrigation techniques, for example.</p>
  255.  
  256. <p>“Bordeaux has learned from us, since they are dealing with drought and hotter years,” said Flam. “We are in a period of change, and we can’t farm the way past generations did. It’s very exciting to play in Bordeaux—to exchange this knowledge. There is big potential in the Médoc, and this château is very underrated when you see the high quality of the vineyards. I think we have the chance to make really great wine.”</p>
  257.  
  258. <hr>
  259. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  260. ]]></content:encoded>
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  263.    <item>
  264.      <title>Don Angie Owners Open a New Italian Spot in Manhattan</title>
  265.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Located in New York’s West Village, San Sabino matches eclectic seafood cuisine with an accessible wine list</p>
  266. ]]></description>
  267.      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 20:08:22 +0000</pubDate>
  268.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/don-angie-owners-san-sabino-open-nyc</link>
  269.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/don-angie-owners-san-sabino-open-nyc</guid>
  270.      <author>Julia Larson</author>
  271.      <dc:creator>Julia Larson</dc:creator>
  272.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>San Sabino is the latest endeavor from the team behind <i>Wine Spectator</i> Award of Excellence winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6800/don-angie">Don Angie</a>, one of the hardest-to-get reservations in New York City. The new restaurant features seafood-focused, Italian American cuisine and an accessible wine list. Open since March 12, San Sabino is next door to Don Angie in Manhattan’s West Village. Like its sibling restaurant, it represents a partnership between co-owners and chefs Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli (a wife-and-husband duo) and restaurateur Michael Stillman of the Quality Branded hospitality group, which owns the original Smith &amp; Wollensky steak house as well as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-quality-branded-opens-bad-roman-in-new-york">Bad Roman</a> in New York, among other restaurants.</p>
  273.  
  274. <p>Rito and Tacinelli—authors of the cookbook <a href="https://www.donangie.com/cookbook/" target="_blank">Italian American</a>—opened Don Angie in 2017 to critical acclaim, adding to a wave of fine-dining Italian restaurants <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/italian-in-the-united-states-where-to-wine-and-dine-093023">garnering attention across the U.S.</a> In the years since, Don Angie has earned praise for its list of Italian and American wines as well as dishes like a rosette-shaped lasagna for two and a chrysanthemum salad heaped with shaved Parmesan. At their new restaurant, Rito and Tacinelli are focused on fish, but still keeping a throughline of decadent showstopping dishes.</p>
  275.  
  276. <p>“I don't think of the programming at San Sabino as a differentiation from Don Angie, but rather as a natural extension, building on what has made Don Angie's food and beverage programs so successful over the past seven years,” Quality Branded beverage director Meng Chiang, who oversees the San Sabino wine list, told <i>Wine Spectator</i> via email. “We tried to stick to [Rito and Tacinelli’s] ethos in creating the list, with natural adjustments for San Sabino's more seafood-focused dishes.”</p>
  277.  
  278. <p>[article-img-container][src=/2024-03/restaurant-news-san-sabino-interior-031324_1600.jpg] [caption=Butter-yellow in the sun, the dining room at San Sabino turns golden at nighttime.] [credit= (Alice Gao)] [alt= The dining room at San Sabino at night][end: article-img-container]</p>
  279.  
  280. <p>The 55-seat restaurant (named after Tacinelli’s grandfather, Sabino) is located on 113 Greenwich Avenue, on the intersection with Jane street. <a href="https://www.grtarchitects.com/" target="_blank">GRT Architects</a> (who also designed Don Angie) styled the dining room in a butter-yellow hue that glows under warm evening light. The space is mid-century modern with a mix of Italian design elements like glossy handmade tiles, lacquered mahogany tables and natural stone accents.</p>
  281.  
  282. <h2>Don Angie Goes Out to Sea</h2>
  283.  
  284. <p>While Don Angie elevates and harkens back to traditional East Coast Italian dining (meaning white tablecloths and red-sauce dishes), San Sabino’s primary focus is seafood, drawing inspiration from Italian American coastal communities in the U.S., like those of New Orleans, San Francisco, New Jersey and New York. (That is, San Sabino does not serve the cuisine of coastal Italy.) The menu takes a tongue-in-cheek approach: Guests start the meal with the likes of a terrazzo-patterned octopus with spicy capocollo, or a 1950s-style crab and mortadella dip dressed with pistachios and dill over <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/crossing-the-cheese-aisle">Ritz crackers</a>.</p>
  285.  
  286. <p>As at Don Angie, Rito and Tacinelli feature a roster of handmade pastas like lobster triangoli with a black garlic–laced white vodka sauce and a spin on spaghetti alle vongole with Manila clams and fruity Peruvian <i>aji amarillo</i> chiles. With their seafood entrées, the chefs offer bold presentations, including the photo-worthy “Parm”, a dish of three large Ecuadorian U5 prawns blanketed in arrabbiata sauce and stracchino cheese. Even the restaurant’s “turf” features a bit of “surf”, as with a lightly breaded steak “Magazzino” topped with anchovy chili crisp and pine nuts.</p>
  287.  
  288. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/restaurant-news-san-sabino-wild-langoustines-031324_1600.jpg] [caption=San Sabino takes inspiration from the United States' coasts, like in these wild langoustines with "New Orleans" scampi butter.] [credit= (Evan Sung)] [alt= Plate of wild langoustines with New Orleans scampi butter at San Sabino, next to a glass of white wine][end: article-img-container]</p>
  289.  
  290. <h2>Making an “Italian American” Wine List</h2>
  291.  
  292. <p>Chiang’s motive with the wine list was to approach “familiar grapes and producers in new and unexpected directions,” focusing entirely on the wines of Italy and America (not counting three Champagnes). Expect West Coast wines made from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/italian-grapes-to-know">lesser-known Italian varieties</a>, with bottlings such as the Ribolla Gialla-Friulano blend, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine-detail/id/1300570/name/massican-annia-california-2022">Massican Annia California 2022</a>. While the list features leading Italian wineries, Chiang represents them with lesser-known labels; this includes <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=G.D.+Vajra&amp;text_search_flag=everything&amp;search_by=all&amp;scorelow=-1&amp;scorehigh=-1&amp;pricelow=-1&amp;pricehigh=-1&amp;case_prod=null_case_prod&amp;accolade%5B%5D=&amp;taste_date=&amp;issue_date=&amp;issue_year=&amp;varietal%5B%5D=null_varietal&amp;regions%5B%5D=null_regions&amp;vintage%5B%5D=&amp;size=15&amp;sort_by=date&amp;sort_dir=desc">G.D. Vajra</a>’s Langhe Freisa and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=G.B.+Burlotto">G.B. Burlotto</a>’s Verduno Pelaverga.</p>
  293.  
  294. <p>With more than 120 selections, the wine list at San Sabino is balanced between blue-chip bottles and wines at lower prices: Guests can find rarer bottlings like <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine-detail/id/135486/name/gaja-barbaresco-2000">Gaja Barbaresco 2000</a> or <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine-detail/id/288263/name/giuseppe-rinaldi-barolo-brunate-le-coste-1999">Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate-Le Coste Barolo 1999</a>, but around 40 wines are priced less than $100. “San Sabino, above all else, is a neighborhood restaurant, and a neighborhood restaurant should have something for everyone,” said Chiang. Meanwhile, the by-the-glass list features well-known names like Italy’s <a href="http://Roagna">Roagna</a>, and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Nino+Negri">Nino Negri</a> (including a white <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/nebbiolo-57810">Nebbiolo</a> wine) and California’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=stolpman">Stolpman</a>.</p>
  295.  
  296. <p>“[Building] a wine list that comes close to, let alone matches, the amazing quality of Angie and Scott's food was quite daunting,” said Chiang. “Once we tasted the food and found the right tone to complement … the selections that made sense came relatively easily as if they'd always been there.”</p>
  297.  
  298. <p>Rito has also put together a program of Italian-accented cocktails, including “the Sabinooch”, a mix of Mezcal, house-made Moscato Chinato and grapefruit, as well as “the Benny”, a prickly pear margarita with bergamot and chiles.</p>
  299.  
  300. <p>San Sabino is open from Tuesday through Sunday for dinner, and it will offer lunch service at a later date. Reservations can be found on Resy.</p>
  301. ]]></content:encoded>
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  303.    </item>
  304.    <item>
  305.      <title>Burgundy by the Barrel: Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges Raises Nearly $2.5 Million for Charity</title>
  306.      <description><![CDATA[<p>The annual charity auction of Côtes de Nuits wines helps fund medical care and research in Burgundy</p>
  307. ]]></description>
  308.      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  309.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/burgundys-2024-hospices-de-nuits-st-georges-auction</link>
  310.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/burgundys-2024-hospices-de-nuits-st-georges-auction</guid>
  311.      <author>Suzanne Mustacich</author>
  312.      <dc:creator>Suzanne Mustacich</dc:creator>
  313.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Barrels of Burgundy were up for grabs. Encouraged by <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/with-thirst-for-burgundy-growing-a-barrel-auction-is-gaining-attention">last year's impressive sale</a>, Burgundy’s Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges hosted its 63rd barrel auction March 10 using an online, live streaming format. The charity event raised nearly $2.5 million (€2,281,500) for the medical facility. The overall auction total declined by 36 percent compared with 2023, partially due to the lower volume—there were 10 fewer barrels up for sale this year. The total is still the third-best result in the history of the auction.</p>
  314.  
  315. <h2>The Hospices Has Healed the Community Since 1270</h2>
  316.  
  317. <p>The Hospices was founded in 1270 to care for lepers. Today it's a modern health care facility that caters primarily to the elderly. It also owns a prime Burgundian wine estate with 31.4 acres around the town of Nuits-St.-Georges, made up of donated plots in the Nuits-St.-Georges villages, Nuits-St.-Georges <em>premier cru</em> and Gevrey-Chambertin villages appellations.</p>
  318.  
  319. <p>Since Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges switched to a classic bidding format, the auction, while less widely known than the annual sale for <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/sothebys-hospices-de-beaune-2023-charity-wine-auction">Hospices de Beaune</a>, has gained visibility and momentum. Participants are more diverse, with new interest from Asian bidders. Auction totals have increased 123 percent over four years. Last year, the auction attained a record $3.9 million.</p>
  320.  
  321. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-04/ns_hospices-de-nuits-chateau-cellar-031124_1600.jpg] [caption= Barrels of Burgundy age in the cellars of the Domaine de Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges until ready for bottling.] [credit= (Courtesy Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges)] [alt= Barrels of Burgundy in the cellars of the Domaine de Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  322.  
  323. <p>Cuvées are sold by the barrel, equal to 288 bottles. Typically consumers put in their order via a négociant or other wine merchant, who buys the entire barrel. However, a private individual or group can buy the entire barrel themselves during the online auction and then connect with a merchant after their successful bid. The wines must be aged and bottled by a merchant in the designated Burgundy region of production in order to claim the appellation.</p>
  324.  
  325. <h2>147 Barrels of Pinot Noir and Three Barrels of Chardonnay</h2>
  326.  
  327. <p>This year’s sale at the Château du Clos de Vougeot featured 150 barrels from 19 different cuvées, with 147 barrels of Pinot Noir and three of Chardonnay. Jean-Marc Moron, technical manager at the Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges, said that 2023 is "a year that is exceptional in terms of identity, without comparison with its predecessors, which will delight both those in a hurry, and those who have the patience to wait until the wines reach their peak in 10 or 20 years' time."</p>
  328.  
  329. <p>The extraordinary climatic conditions for the 2023 vintage, including chaotic weather, caused stress for the winegrowers, but happily it was warm and dry at harvest, producing a healthy yield.</p>
  330.  
  331. <h2>Special Wines Made from Special Vines Drew the Biggest Bids</h2>
  332.  
  333. <p>The first person to donate vineyards to the Hospices was Hugues Perdrizet, who gave the organization two plots in 1688. Last year, the managers created a special cuvée named after him, and fittingly it's produced from the oldest vines on the estate. "We're going back to the history of the Hospices," said Moron. Now in its second vintage, the cuvée is a special selection of the famous Les St.-Georges <em>premier cru</em> climat, which gave its name to the village St.-Georges. One barrel of the cuvée was for sale and fetched $65,500, up from $44,000 last year.</p>
  334.  
  335. <p>"We own two parcels very close to one another, with one-third very old vines and two-thirds vines that are 40 years old," said Moron. "And from the 60-year-old vines, we make a selection of vines <em>au pied</em>, a separate harvest of about 400 vines, to produce a third cuvée, the Cuvée St.-Georges Hugues Perdrizet, which is a unique barrel, to mark the excellence of our <em>terroir</em> in the appellation."</p>
  336.  
  337. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-04/ns_hospices-de-nuits-031124_1600.jpg] [caption= The auction is held at Château de Vougeot in the Côtes de Nuits.] [credit= (Courtesy Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges)] [alt= Château de Vougeot in Burgundy’s Côtes de Nuits.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  338.  
  339. <p>Another recent invention, the Cuvée des Bienfaiteurs, was back for its third vintage, as the charity barrel. This year it sold for $74,655, its highest price yet. Every year, in keeping with the ethos of the Hospices, the proceeds from one barrel are given to a humanitarian or medical charity. This year the donation will go to Fondation Clément-Drevon, which provides financial support for young medical researchers’ training costs in Burgundy.</p>
  340.  
  341. <p>The wine is a unique blend of the estate’s nine <em>premier cru terroirs</em>, expressing the vintage as well as the subtle blend of old and very old vines, northern and southern <em>crus</em>, high and low hillsides. It's sold differently than the other wines: by the bottle at a fixed price in advance by subscription. It will be aged for one year at the Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges and then either handed over at next year's auction or shipped.</p>
  342.  
  343. <hr>
  344. <p><i><b>Want to get the latest news on collectible wines and the auction market?</b> <a href="http://www.winespectator.com/newsletters">Sign up</a> for </i>Wine Spectator<i>'s free Collecting e-mail newsletter and get a new top-rated wine review, collecting Q&amp;As and more, delivered straight to your inbox every other week!</i></p>
  345. ]]></content:encoded>
  346.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  347.    </item>
  348.    <item>
  349.      <title>Thomas Keller Plans to Revive an Iconic South Florida Restaurant</title>
  350.      <description><![CDATA[<p>The world-renowned chef and restaurateur behind Napa’s French Laundry is returning to his roots to revive Ta-boo in Palm Beach</p>
  351. ]]></description>
  352.      <pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 22:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  353.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/thomas-keller-palm-beach-plans</link>
  354.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/thomas-keller-palm-beach-plans</guid>
  355.      <author>Cassia Schifter</author>
  356.      <dc:creator>Cassia Schifter</dc:creator>
  357.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/cook-it-like-keller-healthy-dinner-menu-recipes-083123">Thomas Keller</a> is set to open a new restaurant in Palm Beach, Fla. When is still unclear. What we do know is that it will be located at 221 Worth Ave., the former address of the locally beloved restaurant Ta-boo. Based on documents filed by the property owners, we also know that there are plans for interior remodeling, but, outside of repairs, no plans for any major exterior changes—including the signage.</p>
  358.  
  359. <p>A letter of intent drafted by Dailey Janssen Architects says of the project: “The Ta-boo restaurant is a landmark on Worth Avenue serving the town and residents since the 1940’s. It is deserving of preserving and restoring.”</p>
  360.  
  361. <h2>Ta-boo: An Icon that Drew Frank Sinatra and John F. Kennedy</h2>
  362.  
  363. <p>In May 2023, Ta-boo was forced to close due to an eviction suit after 82 years in business. The bar and restaurant had been a popular local hot spot, drawing celebrities visiting South Florida and local regulars. But it needed renovations, and when a new owner purchased the building in 2019, it did not renew the lease.</p>
  364.  
  365. <p>Less than a week after owner Franklyn DeMarco shuttered the doors, it was confirmed that Thomas Keller took over the lease and would be opening a new restaurant in its place.</p>
  366.  
  367. <p>The Palm Beach town council is set to meet next week to review a business development proposal that includes expanding the current space into the neighboring building. 219 Worth Avenue Holdings, LLC, which filed the eviction complaint that led to Ta-boo’s closing, is cited as the applicant on the new development proposal that seeks to use the added space as, “BOH kitchen office space and … ancillary cooking and storage area,” according to a Planning, Zoning and Building Department staff memorandum.</p>
  368.  
  369. <p>Further details of the interior remodel promise to reflect the past: using similar materials and colors, restoring existing murals with the help of the original artist and even proposing the new bar in the same location as the current one, all “in keeping with the restaurant’s historic ambience.”</p>
  370.  
  371. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_taboo-palm-beach-030824_1600.jpg] [caption= Ta-boo has been a must-dine spot in Palm Beach since 1941.] [credit= (Lucien Capehart Photography/Getty Images)] [alt= The front of Ta-boo in Palm Beach.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  372.  
  373. <h2>Keller: A Global Culinary Name with Florida Roots</h2>
  374.  
  375. <p>Keller was born in California, but his family moved to Palm Beach in his youth. As a teen, he worked his first restaurant job as a dishwasher at the Palm Beach Yacht Club, where he eventually worked his way up to cook. Keller also attended local Lake Worth Community High School and Palm Beach Junior College.</p>
  376.  
  377. <p>Last December he visited his high school alma mater and spoke to students in the culinary program about a restaurant’s legacy. “My aspiration today in my life is to make sure my restaurants are generational restaurants.” With over 80 years behind the name, a new Ta-boo could be just that. As with any project seeking government approval, there are no guarantees on how long the project will take. </p>
  378.  
  379. <p>Keller owns several restaurants across the country, including five <em>Wine Spectator</em> Restaurant Award winners, most notably <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/1154/per-se">Per Se</a> in New York and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/346/the-french-laundry">the French Laundry</a> in Yountville, Calif., both of which have earned the prestigious Grand Award.</p>
  380.  
  381. <hr>
  382. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  383. ]]></content:encoded>
  384.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  385.    </item>
  386.    <item>
  387.      <title>Ukraine’s Fine Wine Industry Endures and Grows in Wartime</title>
  388.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Three Ukrainian producers are selling wine in the U.S. for the first time—an act of defiance in uncertain times</p>
  389. ]]></description>
  390.      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 23:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  391.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/ukraine-wineries-endure-during-war</link>
  392.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/ukraine-wineries-endure-during-war</guid>
  393.      <author>Kristen Bieler</author>
  394.      <dc:creator>Kristen Bieler</dc:creator>
  395.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sergiy Stakhovsky’s post-tennis retirement plan was to focus entirely on his winery in Western Ukraine. The former professional player—whose defeat of Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013 is considered one of the tennis world’s great upsets—launched Stakhovsky Wines with the 2018 vintage to prove to his countrymen that delicious wine could be made in Ukraine.</p>
  396.  
  397. <p>But when Russia launched its full-scale invasion Feb. 24, 2022, his plans were derailed. He headed to the front lines. “For me it was simple,” he said. “I was born in Ukraine and played on the national team and saw the flag raised for us at the Olympics. I had to fight.”</p>
  398.  
  399. <p>Speaking to <em>Wine Spectator</em> from the basement of a military compound in Kiev, Stakhovsky reported that morale was low in his division. After weeks of relentless shelling, the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk fell to the Russians Feb. 17, making it the first major territory to be captured in more than nine months. Ukrainian units are running low on ammunition.</p>
  400.  
  401. <p>“We are tired. We don’t rest, and we feel the world’s support is slowing down,” he confessed. “But we keep fighting because we have no choice—if we stop, we crumble.”</p>
  402.  
  403. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_stakhovsky-vineyard-030624_1600.jpg] [caption= Stakhovsky Wines’ vineyards are located in the Zakarpattia region in Western Ukraine.] [credit= (Courtesy of Stakhovsky Wines)] [alt= Stakhovsky Wines’ vineyards in the Zakarpattia region in Western Ukraine.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  404.  
  405. <h2>Winemaking as an Act of Resistance</h2>
  406.  
  407. <p>As Ukrainians brace for an uncertain future, an unlikely and somewhat miraculous bright spot in dark times has been the country’s flourishing craft wine movement, which seems to have taken on greater cultural significance in the midst of the war. Since the Russian invasion, 35 new wineries have popped up (some having relocated out of conflict zones), making for a total of 160 producers throughout the country.</p>
  408.  
  409. <p>Powered by defiance and resolve, Ukrainian producers have become increasingly reliant on international markets to stay afloat. Stakhovsky Wines, along with two other notable estates, Beykush Winery and Château Chizay, are now available in the U.S. with the launch of a new importer, <a href="https://vynoukrainy.com" target="blank">Vyno Ukrainy</a>.</p>
  410.  
  411. <p>“I’m amazed by the courage and determination of Ukrainian producers,” said Vyno Ukrainy founder Bruce Schneider, a longtime wine industry veteran based in New York. Schneider traveled to Ukraine in 2019 to visit Pereiaslav, south of Kiev, where his maternal grandparents were born. There he discovered many dynamic wine producers. “The country’s wine industry is entering a new chapter of diverse <i>terroirs</i> and rediscovery of local grapes. And right now, there are so many people who want to show support for the Ukrainian people.”</p>
  412.  
  413. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_beykush-amphora-030624_1600.jpg] [caption= Beykush employs a range of grapes and uses both amphora and barriques.] [credit= (Courtesy of Beykush)] [alt= A winemaker at Beykush works with amphora.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  414.  
  415. <h2>Ukrainian Wines Are a Reclaimed Tradition</h2>
  416.  
  417. <p>Evidence dates winemaking in Ukraine back 2,800 years ago in the Odessa region. The industry stagnated under Soviet rule, and during former president Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1980s campaign to reduce alcoholism, many of Ukraine’s most historic vineyards were ripped out. As with many former Soviet republics that gained independence in 1991, Ukraine had to resurrect its wine industry from scratch. The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 was another blow, as half the nation’s wineries were located there, in soils where ancient Greeks once cultivated vines.</p>
  418.  
  419. <p>Beykush Winery is located along the Black Sea coastline in the Mykolaiv region near Odessa, which was attacked in the first days of the war. The area is still under Ukrainian control but sits near the border of Russian-occupied territory and suffers regular bombardment.</p>
  420.  
  421. <p>Svitlana Tsybak, CEO of Beykush and head of the Ukrainian Craft Winemaker Association, said that it was too dangerous to leave the winery for the first few months of the war. They have since resumed work in the vineyards and adjusted to the new normal. “There is still a lot of shelling, but our vineyards are just out of the range of the rockets, so they can’t be hit,” she explained.</p>
  422.  
  423. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_trubetskoi-after-bombing-030624_1600.jpg] [caption= One of Ukraine’s oldest wineries, Prince Trubetskoi, was bombed; its vineyards are littered with landmines.] [credit= ] [alt= The bombed château-like home of Prince Trubetskoi Winery.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  424.  
  425. <p>The historic Prince Trubetskoi Winery in the nearby Kherson region was not as lucky: The famous 128-year-old winery was heavily damaged by Russian bombs, and the vineyards remain full of landmines, so they sit neglected. (There is a project underway to fund its future reconstruction, reported Schneider.)</p>
  426.  
  427. <p>Founded more than a decade ago by Ukrainian tech entrepreneur Eugene Shneyderis, Beykush is on a peninsula surrounded by water and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/italy-most-exciting-white-wine-story-spreads-to-unexpected-places">crafts blends from a myriad of imported and regional grape varieties</a>—Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines from France, Tempranillo and Albariño from Spain, as well as Saperavi and Rkatsiteli and the somewhat-native-to-Ukraine Telti-Kuruk.</p>
  428.  
  429. <p>“We are not sure where the grape came from,” says Tsybak. “Possibly Turkey?” Historical accounts suggest it came from Armenia and was planted here by Turks during Ottoman times.</p>
  430.  
  431. <p>Thanks to strong domestic demand, Beykush’s owners did not export their wines before the war, but Tsybak now sends 40 percent of production to outside markets—a critical lifeline to stay afloat. “Many people want to support us, but when they place their fifth order, we know it’s because our wines are good.” Ukraine’s wines can serve as an ambassador, too, she believes. “Wine can play a very important role—it is a tool to communicate that we stay strong.”</p>
  432.  
  433. <h2>A Blend of Western and Eastern Grapes and Techniques</h2>
  434.  
  435. <p>Situated at a safer distance from the intensity of the fighting, Stakhovsky Wines and Chizay are located in the Zakarpattia region in Western Ukraine, near the border of Hungary and Slovakia. A longtime teetotaler, Stakhovsky acquired a taste for wine during the 12 years he played for the Bordeaux tennis club team, Villa Primrose, in the French Team Championship. The team is sponsored by top châteaus including Mouton Rothschild, Haut-Brion and d’Yquem, and when he founded his estate in the limestone soils in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains he still had “one foot in Bordeaux.”</p>
  436.  
  437. <p>The inclusion of French oak barrels from a top producer in St.-Julien boosted quality in his second vintage, the ACE Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, a polished and elegant wine which will appeal to fans of Napa reds. He’s also trying his hand at orange wine with the lightly honeyed Traminer OW 2022 (OW stands for “walkover”—all his wines are named for tennis terms).</p>
  438.  
  439. <p>Since Stakhovsky rejoined the military in 2022, his brother has run the winery. “We survive through exports,” he said. Exports accounted for 60 percent of his sales last year. He’s encouraged by the support of the outside world, including a group of Estonians who tried to smuggle out a truck full of wine to sell back home on their return from delivering humanitarian aid.</p>
  440.  
  441. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_beykush-vineyard-030624_1600.jpg] [caption= The vineyards of Beykush are planted on a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea, not far from Odessa.] [credit= (Courtesy of Beykush)] [alt= The vineyards of Beykush are planted on a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  442.  
  443. <h2>Wine Made in Ukraine</h2>
  444.  
  445. <p>As part of the elite National Guard division, Stakhovsky rotates in and out of the front lines and has done everything from ground combat and street patrols in Eastern Ukraine to serving in a mortar unit and conducting anti-terrorism missions. He has been a firsthand witness to the destruction of several Ukrainian cities. “At this point, we are just trying to slow them down.”</p>
  446.  
  447. <p>It depresses him to think of what will become of his winery if Ukraine loses the war, he said. “The whole point would be meaningless—I created this project for Ukrainians to see the possibility of quality wine our country can create, so it makes no sense if we lose the war.”</p>
  448.  
  449. <p>In that grim scenario, he sees his career as a soldier extending indefinitely, as he’s convinced the fight will move elsewhere. “Ukraine is not the target. [Russia] wants to go back to the old borders, so that means Poland, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/russia-gets-georgias-wines-on-my-mind-47258">Georgia</a>, the Baltic states—all of it,” he said, in reference to what he believes are Putin’s true imperialistic ambitions. “If I’m not fighting them here, I’ll be fighting them in Budapest.”</p>
  450.  
  451. <p>Still, the wine produced at his and other Ukrainian wineries remains more important than ever, he asserts. “We still carry much hope that we will win. But if we don’t, these bottles will be proof that we existed. They will carry wine that was made in Ukraine by Ukrainian people with Ukrainian grapes. Even after we drink them, the empty bottles will still say ‘Made in Ukraine.’”</p>
  452.  
  453. <hr>
  454. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  455. ]]></content:encoded>
  456.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  457.    </item>
  458.    <item>
  459.      <title>Turning Tables: Michel Mina Debuts Orla at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas</title>
  460.      <description><![CDATA[<p>The chef’s newest restaurant draws from his roots; plus, a French brasserie lands in West Hollywood, and Nice Matin's owners embrace Levantine flavors in Manhattan</p>
  461. ]]></description>
  462.      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 21:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  463.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/michel-mina-debuts-orla-at-mandalay-bay-in-las-vegas</link>
  464.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/michel-mina-debuts-orla-at-mandalay-bay-in-las-vegas</guid>
  465.      <author>Aaron Romano, Collin Dreizen</author>
  466.      <dc:creator>Aaron Romano, Collin Dreizen</dc:creator>
  467.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>Who’s behind it:</b> Orla is the latest Las Vegas restaurant from chef <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/at-home-with-michael-mina-45844">Michael Mina</a> and his Mina Group, the culinary force behind a dozen <i>Wine Spectator</i> Restaurant Award winners, including <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6581/the-bungalow-kitchen-by-michael-mina">his Bungalow Kitchen</a> in Tiburon, Calif., <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6131/estiatorio-ornos">Estiatorio Ornos</a> in San Francisco and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/search/q/criterion=restaurant_name%253A%2522Bourbon%2520Steak%2522&amp;criterionDisplay=Bourbon%2520Steak&amp;searchLat=0&amp;searchLng=0&amp;searchRadius=10&amp;sortOrder=distance&amp;page=1">seven Bourbon Steak locations</a> across the United States. Mina is partnering with the <a href="https://mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com/en.html" target="_blank">Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino</a>, and the restaurant is taking over the space formerly occupied by <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/hubert-keller-45482">Hubert Keller</a>’s Fleur at the resort.</p>
  468.  
  469. <p><b>Why you should know about it:</b> Mina—who was born in Cairo, Egypt, but raised in the U.S.—oversees <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-michael-mina-opens-sorelle-in-south-carolina">a range of restaurant concepts</a>, including four others <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-michael-mina-unveils-revamped-stripsteak-in-las-vegas">in Las Vegas</a>. But Orla stands out for the chef’s deep exploration of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors, calling back to his ancestry. Corporate wine director and Master Sommelier Jeremy Shanker has created an impressively large wine list focused primarily on Mediterranean wineries, including lesser-known producers across Lebanon, Santorini, Croatia, Sicily and Corsica.</p>
  470.  
  471. <p><b>When it opened:</b> Orla opened Jan. 16, 2024.</p>
  472.  
  473. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-orla-interior-030724_1600.jpg] [caption=Two large olive trees canopy the dining room at Orla.] [credit= (Anthony Mair)] [alt= The interior of Orla by Michael Mina, with dark blue walls, warm lighting, and greenery][end: article-img-container]</p>
  474.  
  475. <p><b>The culinary approach:</b> A three-course prix-fixe menu is available for the table at $97 per person; it includes a handful of starters and entrées, with sides to share and two shareable desserts. The à la carte menu is also designed for sharing and is broken into several sections: cold and hot mezze dishes, grains and pastas, fish and grilled meats and accompaniments.</p>
  476.  
  477. <p>Many dishes tap into Mina’s heritage and have been years in the making, according to Shanker. “When I see the food come out, I’m reminded of the dishes that the chef was coming up with in 2018 and 2019,” Shanker told <i>Wine Spectator</i>, pointing to the evolution of one dish in particular, Mina's Egyptian-influenced stew of <i>mulukhiyah</i> (jute mallow) with tomato-shellfish and leeks.</p>
  478.  
  479. <p>Shanker also highlighted the New York strip prepared with <i>hawaij</i> (a Yemenite spice blend) and served with <i>matbucha</i> (a Moroccan dish of cooked tomatoes and red bell peppers), charred scallions and white yam—a new take on steak and potatoes.</p>
  480.  
  481. <p><b>What’s on the wine list:</b> Orla opened with 1,600 labels on the wine list assembled by Shanker, who has worked with Mina Group since 2015 when he joined the team at the now-closed RN74 in San Francisco. (In 2017, Shanker became lead sommelier at Mina’s flagship San Francisco restaurant, Michael Mina, which closed in 2021.) Shanker’s program is a treasure trove for wine lovers, with vertical depth and regional breadth, especially from countries around the Mediterranean, including the Levant.</p>
  482.  
  483. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-orla-dishes-030724_1600.jpg] [caption=The menu at Orla features dishes like macaroni béchamel with mushroom duxelle (right) and crab fregula.] [credit= (Anthony Mair)] [alt= Plates with macaroni Béchamel with mushroom duxelle and crab fregula alongside a glass of red wine][end: article-img-container]</p>
  484.  
  485. <p>In addition, California is well represented, particularly Napa Valley. These wines range from newer vintages made by <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Shafer">Shafer</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Caymus">Caymus</a> to older and rarer bottlings such as 1980s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Grace+Family">Grace Family</a> Cabernets.</p>
  486.  
  487. <p>Aficionados of aged wines can find an extensive library of Montrachet from Burgundy and older Bordeauxs like a 1947 from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Pichon+Comtesse">Pichon Longueville Lalande</a> and 1949s from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Chateau+Cheval+Blanc">Cheval Blanc</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Chateau+Latour">Latour</a>. Shanker’s list also features older bottles from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Musar">Chateau Musar</a> in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, including 1997 and 1975 blends of the Obaideh and Merwah grapes. “In the right vintage, it's one of the great wines of the world,” said Shanker.</p>
  488.  
  489. <p><b>The design:</b> New York firm Parts and Labor Design created an inviting and earthy space at Orla. The dining room features white, pink, blue, gold and orange accents. Two large olive trees tower over the center of the room, while vaulted ceilings and woven chandeliers lend a Mediterranean vibe. A private dining room, dubbed the Odyssey, can accommodate groups of up to 22 in an area partially separated from the main space.<em>—Aaron Romano</em></p>
  490.  
  491. <p><a name="amour"></a></p>
  492.  
  493. <h2>New French Restaurant Amour Comes to West Hollywood</h2>
  494.  
  495. <p><b>Who’s behind it:</b> Located along Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, Amour is a new endeavor from restaurateur Thomas Fuks, who owns nearby restaurant and nightclub Members; Fuks is also a co-founder of 111 Agency, a marketing agency operating in Los Angeles and Paris. The restaurant’s executive chef is Dani Chavez-Bello, formerly of Spain’s famed <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/el-bulli-wine-cellar-auction-nets-18-million-48285">El Bulli</a> and New York’s Bouley (both now closed). Thibaud Duccini, formerly of <i>Wine Spectator</i> Grand Award winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/2500/wally's">Wally’s</a> in Beverly Hills, is the general manager and wine director.</p>
  496.  
  497. <p><b>When it opened:</b> Amour opened its doors on Dec. 22, 2023.</p>
  498.  
  499. <p><b>Why you should know about it:</b> Amour offers an elevated French brasserie atmosphere with a combination of French culinary classics and Japanese influences across its two tasting menus and à la carte menu. The concise wine list is a Francophile’s dream, and guests can also enjoy a lively bar area and a lounge with a fireplace.</p>
  500.  
  501. <p>The restaurant is located within the space formerly occupied by Dominik’s, an iconic West Hollywood eatery that shuttered in 2015; the space has largely remained empty since 2018, when successor restaurant Verlaine closed.</p>
  502.  
  503. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-amour-fireplace-03072024_1600.jpg] [caption= Cozy up by the hearth with a great glass of wine at Amour.] [credit= (111agency)] [alt= Two leather chairs next to a fireplace, surrounded by wine bottles.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  504.  
  505. <p><b>The culinary approach:</b> Fuks described Amour’s cuisine as classic French dining with lighter and more approachable options. “The Los Angeles consumer can be tricky,” he explained, noting that Angelenos are known for following <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/restaurants-focused-on-health-and-wellness">healthful dieting trends</a>. “We wanted to accommodate [them] but still offer a full experience.”</p>
  506.  
  507. <p>For example, the à la carte menu offers two tartare dishes: One is based around beets and the other, more traditional, features steak and a quail egg. A carpaccio made from celery root also leans toward the lighter side. Alongside the five- and eight-course tasting menus are separate vegetarian and vegan tasting menus, which include dishes like vegan <i>chawanmushi</i> (traditionally an egg-based custard) and a kohlrabi “steak” with mushrooms in a truffle glaze.</p>
  508.  
  509. <p>Diners seeking French fare can find dishes such as sole meunière, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/valentines-day-steak-au-poivre-recipe-red-wine-pairings">steak au poivre</a> and boeuf Bourguignon.</p>
  510.  
  511. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-amour-carpaccio-de-gambas-03072024_1600.jpg] [caption= Some dishes at Amour have an Italian influence, like this blue prawn carpaccio.] [credit= (111agency)] [alt= Plate of shrimp carpaccio, dotted with green herb oils][end: article-img-container]</p>
  512.  
  513. <p><b>What’s on the wine list:</b> Duccini has compiled a list of about 100 selections, 80 percent of which are French. “There’s little California and Italian, but it made more sense, [considering the food], to focus on French,” he said. The by-the-glass program’s two dozen offerings give attention to smaller wineries and lesser-known regions such as Saumur in France’s Loire Valley. “It allows for more curiosity and education,” explained Duccini. Meanwhile, the bottle list explores primarily Burgundy and Bordeaux, with aged bottles such as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine-detail/id/360788/name/ch%C3%A2teau-cheval-blanc-st.-emilion-le-petit-cheval-2011">Château Cheval Blanc St.-Emilion Le Petit Cheval 2011</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine-detail/id/387403/name/ch%C3%A2teau-palmer-margaux-2012">Château Palmer Margaux 2012</a>.</p>
  514.  
  515. <p><strong>The neighborhood and design: </strong>West Hollywood is known for its lively atmosphere and buzzy restaurant scene. Fuks’ wife, Abbie, designed the restaurant, which drips Parisian elegance with 18th-century French wood floors, antique lights and tapestry chairs in a candlelit space featuring gold, emerald and earth tones. “We really wanted it to look authentic and feel like you’re in a French house,” said Fuks. Outside, the restaurant’s brick-lined, garden-like courtyard offers a chic yet cozy vibe.<i>—A.R.</i></p>
  516.  
  517. <p><a name="acadia"></a></p>
  518.  
  519. <h2>Award-Winning Restaurant Group Opens Acadia in New York</h2>
  520.  
  521. <p><b>Who’s behind it:</b> Acadia is a new restaurant from leading New York City restaurateur Simon Oren and his Chef Driven Hospitality group.</p>
  522.  
  523. <p><b>Why you should know about it:</b> Acadia is the fifteenth restaurant in the Chef Driven Hospitality portfolio, which includes Grand Award winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/913/nice-matin">Nice Matin</a>, Best of Award of Excellence winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/1228/barbounia">Barbounia</a> and Award of Excellence winners <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5960/dagon">Dagon</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5962/isabelles-osteria">Isabelle’s Osteria</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/823/Marseille">Marseille</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/1599/nizza">Nizza</a>.</p>
  524.  
  525. <p><b>When it opened:</b> Acadia opened Dec. 13, 2023, on West 57th Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.</p>
  526.  
  527. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-acadia-vegetables-030724_1600.jpg] [caption= Acadia's menu is filled with veggie-forward mezzes.] [credit= (Acadia/Chef Driven Hospitality)] [alt= Different Israeli mezze dishes with glasses of wine.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  528.  
  529. <p><b>The culinary approach:</b> Acadia draws its menu ideas from the open-air markets and the spices of the Levant region of the Eastern Mediterranean. “[It] was inspired by my memories of growing up in Haifa in Israel,” Oren told <i>Wine Spectator</i> via email. “I wanted to bring something from my roots into New York, the city that I love and live in now.” Chef and restaurant partner Ari Bokovza offers mezze options like chicken liver mousse and hummus with braised leeks, along with smaller plates like eggplant carpaccio, pastas like squid ink tagliatelle and entrées such as duck-merguez cassoulet and black bass tagine. “I hope Acadia will provide a space for Levantine cuisine to grow and flourish in the city,” Oren added.</p>
  530.  
  531. <p><b>What’s on the wine list:</b> As at Oren’s other restaurants, beverage director <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-chats-with-restaurant-industry-stars">Aviram Turgeman</a> leads the wine program at Acadia. The roughly 175 selections on the list (representing a 2,000-bottle inventory) include 20 Champagnes and sparkling wines, plus more than 20 wines served by the glass. France is a main strength, with options from leading wineries in Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Languedoc-Roussillon and the Rhône Valley. Those picks include bottles from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Beaucastel">Château de Beaucastel</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Chandon+de+Briailles">Chandon de Briailles</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Chateau+Gloria">Château Gloria</a> and more.</p>
  532.  
  533. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/turning-tables-acadia-interior-03072024_1600.jpg] [caption= Acadia's dining room features an open kitchen.] [credit= (Acadia/Chef Driven Hospitality)] [alt= The interior of Acadia, decorated with green and orange tiles, plants, and spherical lights.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  534.  
  535. <p>Selections from other Mediterranean countries cover Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel and Lebanon, while California choices touch on Sonoma Chardonnay (<a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Kistler">Kistler</a>), Napa Cabernet (<a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Mount+Eden+Vineyards">Mount Eden Vineyards</a> and more.)</p>
  536.  
  537. <p>“I think we are bringing [Levantine] flavors with a translation to the people who are new to it or not familiar with it,” said Turgeman, who came to New York from Israel in 2001. “One can try a Moroccan Syrah with a shawarma-spiced lamb neck; I think it is a first for many!” Turgeman hopes the wine experience at Acadia will be “the easiest-going and friendly,” with selections fit for all guest preferences.</p>
  538.  
  539. <p><b>The design:</b> Scott Kester designed the two-floor, 100-seat restaurant, which boasts an open kitchen, a brass rotisserie and a tabun oven for making bread. The space also features a 2,500-square-foot mezzanine, two bar areas and three private dining rooms.<em>—Collin Dreizen</em></p>
  540.  
  541. <hr>
  542. <p><em>Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/">Private Guide to Dining</a> newsletter!</em></p>
  543. ]]></content:encoded>
  544.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  545.    </item>
  546.    <item>
  547.      <title>Famed French Bordeaux Château Finally Changes Hands After Legal Dispute</title>
  548.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Complete ownership of Château Giscours now belongs to the Albada Jelgersma family</p>
  549. ]]></description>
  550.      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2024 18:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  551.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/chateau-giscours-ownership-change</link>
  552.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/chateau-giscours-ownership-change</guid>
  553.      <author>Suzanne Mustacich</author>
  554.      <dc:creator>Suzanne Mustacich</dc:creator>
  555.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>At Bordeaux’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;search_by=exact&amp;text_search_flag=winery&amp;winery=Ch%C3%A2teau+Giscours">Château Giscours</a>, the Albada Jelgersma family has finally concluded a long-running, complicated dispute with the heirs of the former owner, who had retained considerable shares in the Margaux estate. Going forward, Giscours will be completely in the hands of the Dutch family.</p>
  556.  
  557. <h2>Ownership of a Brand, But A Dispute Over Vineyards</h2>
  558.  
  559. <p>When Dutch real-estate and food tycoon Eric Albada Jelgersma <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/battle-of-bordeaux-11635">bought control of Château Giscours</a>, a classified growth in Margaux, from Nicolas Tari in 1995, he didn’t buy the actual winery. He paid $31 million to acquire a 51 percent stake in the company that held a farming lease for Giscours’ vineyards and the right to sell its wines. That original deal gave him the right to use the land and make the wine—but it didn't give him ownership of the buildings and most of the vineyards.</p>
  560.  
  561. <p>Following Tari's death in 2001, legal battles ensued as Albada became entangled in disputes with Tari's son and daughter. Albada Jelgersma’s company, Société d’Exploitation du Château Giscours SAS, controlled the brand and sales rights, but another company, GFA du Château Giscours, owned the buildings and vines.</p>
  562.  
  563. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-03/ns_chateau-giscours-030424b_1600.jpg] [caption= One of the larger châteaus in Margaux, Giscours has shown dramatic improvement in the past decade, but has also been the site of legal fights.] [credit= (Courtesy of Château Giscours)] [alt= The exterior of the main house at Château Giscours, in Margaux, Bordeaux.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  564.  
  565. <p>Albada Jelgersma <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/giscours-owner-eric-albada-jelgersma-dies">died in 2018 at the age of 79</a>, and his children, Dennis, Derk and Valérie Albada Jelgersma, inherited the enterprise. General manager Alexander van Beek has been running Giscours since 1995, when he visited as a 24-year-old fresh out of business school, planning to just stay for a harvest internship. While Van Beek has been able to rebuild Giscours’ wine quality and business reputation, the divided ownership of the enterprise has always been a challenge.</p>
  566.  
  567. <p>At the end of 2023, Van Beek and the Albada Jelgersma siblings announced that they had succeeded in gaining control of the entire estate.</p>
  568.  
  569. <p>"The GFA du Château Giscours went into liquidation and the liquidators representing the Tari Family sold all their assets to the Société d’Exploitation du Château Giscours SAS," said Van Beek to <em>Wine Spectator</em>. "It has always been the will of the Albada Jelgersma family to acquire all the lands of Giscours. This new chapter opens new development perspectives for the property. Giscours is one of the very few estates planted in a single stretch, at the heart of an unspoiled ecosystem."</p>
  570.  
  571. <h2>An Impressive Médoc Estate</h2>
  572.  
  573. <p>That spectacular ecosystem includes 395 acres of vineyards—247 acres in the Margaux appellation and 148 acres in the Haut-Médoc appellation. There are also more than 494 acres of forest, meadows, lakes and a river. The winery makes three wines: both a <em>grand vin</em> from the Margaux AOC and a second wine labelled La Sirène, along with a Haut-Médoc bottling.</p>
  574.  
  575. <p>For wine consumers, the deal likely means <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/2022-bordeaux-barrels-a-new-benchmark-in-the-wings-at-chateau-giscours">quality will continue to improve</a>. Van Beek and his team often needed either legal approval or dramatic workarounds to make improvements at the estate.</p>
  576.  
  577. <p>The family also owns—and Van Beek manages—<a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;search_by=exact&amp;text_search_flag=winery&amp;winery=Caiarossa">Caiarossa</a> in Tuscany, where they have 271 acres of land. Asked if there are any further plans for acquisitions, Van Beek said, "No direct plans for the moment, but we are looking into different regions.”</p>
  578.  
  579. <hr>
  580. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  581. ]]></content:encoded>
  582.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  583.    </item>
  584.    <item>
  585.      <title>Enrico Scavino, One of Piedmont’s Winemaking Greats, Dies at 82</title>
  586.      <description><![CDATA[<p>A member of the Barolo Boys, Scavino was unafraid to mix tradition with modernity in the name of outstanding wine</p>
  587. ]]></description>
  588.      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:02:00 +0000</pubDate>
  589.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/barolo-winemaking-great-enrico-scavino-dies</link>
  590.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/barolo-winemaking-great-enrico-scavino-dies</guid>
  591.      <author>Bruce Sanderson</author>
  592.      <dc:creator>Bruce Sanderson</dc:creator>
  593.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Piedmont has lost an acclaimed winegrower. Enrico Scavino, 82, the proprietor of the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Paolo%20Scavino">Paolo Scavino winery</a>, died Feb. 25, after apparent complications from surgery.</p>
  594.  
  595. <p>Scavino was one of the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/barolo-icon-luciano-sandrone-dies">“Barolo Boys,”</a> a group of vintners whose vision of Barolo produced with modern techniques shook up the region in the 1990s. Their contemporary interpretations of Piedmont’s iconic red grabbed global attention. However, unlike some wines produced in those days, Scavino’s Barolos never relied on the heavy use of new French oak during aging. He also always kept a firm eye on the vineyard. He sought balance and elegance, and those are hallmarks of his wines to this day.</p>
  596.  
  597. <p>“So many things could be said about Enrico Scavino. [He was] a tireless worker and at the same time a true gentleman,” said Luca Currado and Elena Penna-Currado, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/vietti-winery-sold-to-kyle-krause">former owners of Vietti</a>, in an email to <em>Wine Spectator</em>. “We have fantastic memories of him, but the first thing that comes to mind was his always positive and smiling face.”</p>
  598.  
  599. <h2>A Winery with History and Innovation</h2>
  600.  
  601. <p>The family’s estate in Castiglione Falletto was founded in 1921 by Lorenzo Scavino. It was split between two branches of the family in 1943, with Enrico’s father establishing Paolo Scavino. Enrico, the grandson of the founder, was only 10 years old when he began working full time at the winery. Passionate about his vineyards and always seeking to improve his wines, he would work more than 70 harvests. With his father, he vinified and bottled their first single-<em>cru</em> wine, the Bric dël Fiasc, in 1978. He also led an expansion of their vineyard holdings.</p>
  602.  
  603. <p>Scavino began using rotofermentors in 1993. This increased the rate and efficiency of the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/show/id/maceration">maceration</a> of his <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/nebbiolo-57810">Nebbiolo grapes</a>, allowing for the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/show/id/extraction">extraction</a> of color and tannins in a shorter period of time (6 to 12 days instead of the usual 20 to 30). The idea was to extract the correct types of tannins—those from the skins but not the seeds.</p>
  604.  
  605. <p>Yields were kept low, with an eye on the balance of the grapes to keep freshness. The grapes from vines less than 15 years old were sold. After the fermentation, his Barolos spent a year in French oak <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/show/id/barrique"><em>barriques</em></a>, 35 to 40 percent new, the rest a year old. The wines were racked after a year into large wooden casks. Scavino felt that two years in <em>barriques</em> would dry out the wines. “This is our philosophy,” he said during a visit to the cellar a few years ago. “We want to have the best from our vineyards and show the character of each <em>cru</em> and not too much oak.”</p>
  606.  
  607. <p>Paolo Scavino is now run by the fourth generation: <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/piedmonts-women-take-charge-56919">Enrico’s daughters, Enrica and Elisa</a>.</p>
  608.  
  609. <p>“His passion for vineyards was boundless and led him to put together for his family a heritage of historical Barolo vineyards unique in the Langa,” said Luca Currado. “He always challenged himself not only in the winery but also in the vineyard. Today, he leaves to his two daughters, Elisa and Enrica, a true brand and a fantastic company that never sought compromise but only the highest quality possible.”</p>
  610.  
  611. <hr>
  612. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  613. ]]></content:encoded>
  614.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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  616.    <item>
  617.      <title>Winery Vandals Strike Again</title>
  618.      <description><![CDATA[<p>An intruder spilled an estimated $2.7 million worth of wine in the cellars of Spain’s Cepa 21; in Washington state, police arrested a suspect accused of striking Sparkman Cellars</p>
  619. ]]></description>
  620.      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2024 21:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  621.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/more-winery-vandalism-attacks-in-spain-and-washington</link>
  622.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/more-winery-vandalism-attacks-in-spain-and-washington</guid>
  623.      <author>Alison Napjus, Tim Fish</author>
  624.      <dc:creator>Alison Napjus, Tim Fish</dc:creator>
  625.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>An intruder spilled $2.7 million worth of wine in the cellars of Spain’s Cepa 21, opening the valves on three tanks full of wine from the 2023 vintage. It's another disturbing example of winery vandalism.</p>
  626.  
  627. <p>Meanwhile, in Washington state, police arrested a suspect accused of striking Sparkman Cellars. Who is believed to be behind the crime?</p>
  628.  
  629. <h2>$2.7 Million Down the Drain in Ribera del Duero</h2>
  630.  
  631. <p>An intruder broke into <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Bodegas%20Cepa%2021">Bodegas Cepa 21</a>, a leading winery located in Spain’s Ribera del Duero appellation, during the early morning hours of Feb. 18. The suspect destroyed wine valued at approximately $2.7 million—more than 6,600 cases.</p>
  632.  
  633. <p>Security cameras recorded the entry of the unidentified individual to the winery’s tank room early Sunday morning, bypassing Cepa 21’s security system. The intruder then opened valves on three tanks, spilling more than 60,000 liters of wine from the 2023 vintage. This included the entire 2023 production of the winery’s top bottling, Horcajo, as well as portions of other cuvées.</p>
  634.  
  635. <p>[videoPlayerTag videoId="l2ChqIDn"]</p>
  636.  
  637. <p>“I consider what happened to be not only an attack against Cepa 21, but also against the wine sector and a way of life, regardless of the economic value,” José Moro, president of the winery, told <em>Wine Spectator</em>. “I am sure that we will overcome any obstacle and continue to reap success. We are backed by the quality of all our wines.”</p>
  638.  
  639. <p>Spanish authorities are currently investigating. Although the winery cannot comment on the details of the ongoing investigation, a winery representative says that they have “100 percent confidence in the work [of these officials]” and believe that the culprit will be identified soon. They will also look at ways to improve the already robust security at the winery. While the incident is a significant loss of wine and revenue, the winery is already pivoting to meet market demands.</p>
  640.  
  641. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/ns_bodegas-cepas-21-022724_1600.jpg] [caption= Bodega Cepa 21 lies in the heart of Ribera del Duero, not far from Peñafiel.] [credit= (Courtesy Cepa 21)] [alt= The winery at Cepa 21 among the vines in the heart of Spain’s Ribera del Duero appellation.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  642.  
  643. <h2>Masked Wine Vandal Arrested in Washington State</h2>
  644.  
  645. <p>The footage at Cepas 21 shows someone who knew how to enter the winery and open the valves, despite sophisticated security systems on both, suggesting this was someone familiar with the winery. That was also <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/masked-intruder-destroys-thousands-of-gallons-of-wine-at-sparkman-cellars">the case at Sparkman Cellars</a> in Washington state on Nov. 22, 2023. An intruder was able to enter using a keypad on one of the entrances and opened several tanks, spilling 4,800 gallons—or 1,800 cases—of Sauvignon Blanc.</p>
  646.  
  647. <p>On Feb. 21, local police arrested a former employee of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Sparkman">Sparkman</a> for the break-in. The suspect, a male in his 60s, faces second-degree burglary charges. “As formal charges have not been filed by the King County prosecutor’s office, I am not able to name the suspect in the case,” said Eric White, a spokesman for the county sheriff.</p>
  648.  
  649. <p>Surveillance cameras at the winery recorded the masked intruder entering the building at about 10:30 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving. The trespasser entered through a locked side door, then moved into the room where fermentation vats are housed before disappearing from view. Moments later, a gush of wine could be seen spilling all over the floor. Two full fermenters with wine, worth an estimated $600,000, were emptied.</p>
  650.  
  651. <p>Chris Sparkman, who owns the winery with wife, Kelly, declined to comment, referring all queries to the King County Sheriff’s Department. “Woodinville is wine country; I’m glad that [the] Woodinville Police Department was able to help Sparkman Cellars after this incredible loss,” said police chief B.J. Myers in a statement. “Our investigators took this seriously and turned over every bit of evidence possible in order to identify and apprehend this person.”</p>
  652.  
  653. <hr>
  654. <p><em>Stay on top of important wine stories with <i>Wine Spectator</i>s free <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/" target="blank">Breaking News Alerts</a>.</em></p>
  655. ]]></content:encoded>
  656.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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  658.    <item>
  659.      <title>Season 2 of Wine Spectator's ‘Straight Talk’ Podcast Debuts with Guest Paul Hobbs</title>
  660.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Host James Molesworth interviews the international winemaking star on his New York and Mondavi roots, his South American (mis)adventures and more. Plus, our editors discuss a controversial government report buried by state officials in Oregon</p>
  661. ]]></description>
  662.      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:27:00 +0000</pubDate>
  663.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-straight-talk-podcast-season-2-debuts-with-paul-hobbs</link>
  664.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-straight-talk-podcast-season-2-debuts-with-paul-hobbs</guid>
  665.      <author>Robert Taylor</author>
  666.      <dc:creator>Robert Taylor</dc:creator>
  667.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>From his teetotaling childhood home to Opus One's debut vintage to putting Argentine Malbec on the map, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/hillick-hobbs-the-newest-rising-star-in-the-finger-lakes">winemaker Paul Hobbs</a> talks about his career-defining moments with candid humor and insightful analysis on the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/straighttalk">season 2 premiere of <em>Wine Spectator</em>'s <em>Straight Talk</em> podcast</a>.</p>
  668.  
  669. <p>"I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off our second season than with Paul Hobbs," says host James Molesworth, senior editor and special projects director for <em>Wine Spectator</em>. "I’ve been fortunate enough to cover his work for more than 20 years—which is still just barely half of his career—from growing up on an apple farm in upstate New York to becoming one of California’s most prominent winemakers."</p>
  670.  
  671. <p>Now available on Apple, Google, Spotify and more, including at <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/straighttalk">WineSpectator.com/podcast</a>, episode 19 of <em>Straight Talk</em> also takes a deep dive into a government study that recently surfaced in Oregon, and the controversy over why it had been buried.</p>
  672.  
  673. <p>Molesworth also reports that the newest episode represents a format shift for the second season of <em>Straight Talk with Wine Spectator</em>. Each monthly episode of season 2 spotlights a single in-depth interview with intriguing and accomplished guests making unique impacts on the wine and service industries. Molesworth will continue to be joined by podcast director Rob Taylor and senior editor for news Mitch Frank to catch up on the biggest stories, trends and upcoming events, and advice columnist <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine-iq/ask-dr-vinny">Dr. Vinny</a> (senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec) will once again share from her deep well of wine education and etiquette experience.</p>
  674.  
  675. <p><em>Straight Talk</em> debuted in October 2022 and has attracted some of the wine industry's biggest stars for honest, probing, revelatory and sometimes hilarious conversations. Season 1 guests included winemakers Aubert de Villaine, Tim Mondavi, Tony Soter, Mark Aubert, Helen Keplinger, Thomas Rivers Brown, Greg Brewer and many more, as well as chefs Thomas Keller and Marcus Samuelsson, NBA Hall of Famer and winery investor Tony Parker and film, TV and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc star Sarah Jessica Parker.</p>
  676.  
  677. <p>“The <em>Straight Talk</em> podcast is a must-listen for anyone in the wine industry, and gives consumers a personal connection with our expert staff of tasters that no other format—or podcast—can offer,” said <em>Wine Spectator</em> editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken, who himself made several guest appearances in <em>Straight Talk</em>'s first season.</p>
  678.  
  679. <p><em>Wine Spectator</em>'s <em>Straight Talk</em> podcast is available for free on all major podcasting platforms, as well as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/straighttalk">right here at WineSpectator.com/podcast</a>; listeners can email their questions and comments to StraightTalk@WineSpectator.com. The next episode, starring <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/gallo-buys-napa-boutique-winery-massican">Massican</a> founder <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/modern-craftsman">Dan Petroski</a>, will debut March 22.</p>
  680. ]]></content:encoded>
  681.      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  682.    </item>
  683.    <item>
  684.      <title>Turning Tables: The Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai Opens with New Restaurants</title>
  685.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Tomás Bermúdez and Paco Ruano opened Ki'is and So'ol at the new Riviera Maya Edition; plus, San Francisco's Avery moves to Scotland, and a Los Angeles closing</p>
  686. ]]></description>
  687.      <pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 17:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  688.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-the-riviera-maya-edition-at-kanai-opens-with-new-restaurants</link>
  689.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-the-riviera-maya-edition-at-kanai-opens-with-new-restaurants</guid>
  690.      <author>Collin Dreizen, Aaron Romano, Chris Cardoso</author>
  691.      <dc:creator>Collin Dreizen, Aaron Romano, Chris Cardoso</dc:creator>
  692.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Who’s behind it:</strong> Located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai is the first Caribbean property within the Edition Hotels portfolio (a partnership between hotelier and entrepreneur Ian Schrager and Marriott International). The “lifestyle hotel” group’s restaurants include three <i>Wine Spectator</i> Restaurant Award winners in New York: <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/4602/the-clocktower">the Clocktower</a> at the New York Edition and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5490/701west">701West</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6325/the-terrace">the Terrace</a> at the Times Square Edition.</p>
  693.  
  694. <p>Chefs Tomás Bermúdez and Francisco “Paco” Ruano oversee the food and beverage programs at the Riviera Maya hotel. Ruano previously worked at <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6099/el-celler-de-can-roca">El Celler de Can Roca</a> in Spain, and is the chef and co-owner of Alcade in Guadalajara, Mexico; Bermúdez is the chef and co-owner of La Docena, also in Guadalajara.</p>
  695.  
  696. <p><b>The opening:</b> The 182-room Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai began its preview opening in November 2023 and opens fully this month.</p>
  697.  
  698. <h2>Ki’is: A Nature-Inspired Restaurant</h2>
  699.  
  700. <p><strong>The culinary approach:</strong> The Riviera Maya’s centerpiece restaurant is Ki’is (“zest” in Mayan), whose main inspirations lie in “natural elements,” the ocean and the local produce of the Yucatan Peninsula and Riviera Maya. Ruano’s contemporary Mexican tasting menu includes dishes such as tuna toro <i>tlayuda</i> (an Oaxacan dish with a toasted tortilla as its base) with chicatana ant salsa macha and avocado, as well as totoaba fish with white beans, clam velouté and <i>chintextle</i> (a smoked chile paste). “We strive for all dishes to reflect a contemporary and flavorful Mexico that speaks of the journeys I have taken and the traditions of the peninsula,” Ruano told <i>Wine Spectator</i> via email, highlighting a salad of pumpkin, vegan ricotta (made from grated macadamia) and the local huauzontle plant.</p>
  701.  
  702. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/restaurant-news-riviera-maya-tuna-b-022224_1600.jpg] [caption= A dish of tuna toro <i>tlayuda</i> at Ki'is] [credit= (Courtesy of The Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai)] [alt= A table with one tumbler and one wine glass both with cocktails, next to three plates of different salads, clockwise from top: Caribbean lobster salad, burrata and heirloom tomatoes, chlorophyll and heart of palm tartar.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  703.  
  704. <p><strong>What’s on the wine list:</strong> Ruano selected about 100 labels, with spotlights on Mexico (with wineries like Henri Lurton, Mogor-Badán and Ícaro), California, Spain, France, Austria and Italy. There are about 10 sparkling wine choices, including Cava and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Margaine">A. Margaine Champagne</a>. Cabernet choices come from wineries such as Argentina’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=alta+vista">Alta Vista</a> and Napa Valley’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Schrader+Cellars">Schrader Cellars</a>. Much of the list emphasizes wineries practicing environmentally sustainable techniques, with several <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/tags/natural-wine">natural</a> wines. Guests can also pick from mixologist Fabian Lepe’s cocktail program, which features agave-based spirits from western Mexico.</p>
  705.  
  706. <p><strong>The design:</strong> Ruano describes Ki’is as offering a “sophisticated yet relaxed” atmosphere; the space features clay, marble and wood elements and local plants.</p>
  707.  
  708. <h2>So’ol: A New Beach Club</h2>
  709.  
  710. <p><strong>The culinary approach:</strong> Bermúdez created the menu for So’ol (“oyster” in Mayan), a more casual beachside restaurant that infuses Mexican influences with those of Mediterranean beach clubs and southern France. Seafood is at the center of the menu, which features fresh clams, oysters and other raw bar items from Mexican waters. “So’ol's food is completely honest, respecting the best-quality raw materials that are found in Mexico and specifically [this] area, with little intervention in their natural flavors,” Bermúdez said. Expect dishes like aguachile with shrimp, tomatillo <i>tatemada</i> salsa, guacamole, aioli and coriander, prepared in the style of La Docena. Fresh oysters are grilled over charcoals and dressed with clarified butter, parsley, shallots and lemon.</p>
  711.  
  712. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/restaurant-news-riviera-maya-oysters-b-022224_1600.jpg] [caption= Fresh raw bar orders come right from local waters to your plate at So'ol.] [credit= (Courtesy of The Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai)] [alt= A plate of fresh oysters and other assorted shellfish on ice.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  713.  
  714. <p><strong>What’s on the wine list:</strong> Like Ki’is, So’ol features about 100 wines on its list overseen by Bermúdez and his partner Alejandro de la Peña. It is based largely on their worldwide travels (Bermúdez and de la Peña have personal experience with much of the list), with wines from Mexico, Argentina, California, Spain, France, Austria, Germany, Italy and farther afield. Fittingly for an oceanside restaurant, white wines are a focal point, including Vinho Verde, white Burgundy, Albariño from Rías Baixas, Mexican Chardonnay and Sicilian Grillo. So’ol’s beverage program also includes tequilas, mezcals and aguas frescas.</p>
  715.  
  716. <p><strong>The design:</strong> So’ol matches its beach setting with bright colors and a terrace area that surrounds a pool. Diners have views of both the Caribbean and, thanks to the open kitchen, the restaurant team at work.</p>
  717.  
  718. <p><strong>There’s even more:</strong> In addition to Ki’is and So’ol, the Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai is also home to Kitchen at Edition, an all-day restaurant with local culinary influences, as well as the Pool Bar (which focuses on sustainable cuisine) and the hotel’s Lobby Bar, which features smaller plates and regional wines.—<i>C.D.</i></p>
  719.  
  720. <hr>
  721. <p><a name="avery"></a></p>
  722.  
  723. <h2>As Avery Moves to Scotland, Its Team Opens a New San Francisco Wine Lounge</h2>
  724.  
  725. <p><b>A new Avery:</b> You may need a passport for your next dinner from the team behind Avery, a former <i>Wine Spectator</i> Award of Excellence winner in San Francisco. While the fine-dining restaurant closed its doors in November 2023, a new iteration of Avery is opening in Edinburgh, Scotland, this year.</p>
  726.  
  727. <p>Avery chef and owner Rodney Wages’ wife is from the U.K., and the couple has been planning to start a family there when the time is right, explained Sean Widger, general manager and head of beverage. Wages decided to transplant Avery to Edinburgh after falling in love with the city, finding it an exciting and burgeoning place for restaurants. "Fine dining is budding, and tourism is on the rise,” said Widger. “And there’s a greater demand than we expected for new things in food and wine.”</p>
  728.  
  729. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/restaurant-news-rtb-san-francisco-b-022224_1600.jpg] [caption= In San Francisco, Avery is now RTB Wine Lounge, where small bites are paired with premium bottles.] [credit= (Joseph Weaver)] [alt= A table with red and white wine, displayed in bottles and poured in two glasses, alongside cocktails, finger sandwhiches and charcuterie boards.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  730.  
  731. <p><b>When it will open:</b> The team is aiming for summer 2024. Widger said they’re currently in a fundraising period, and Wages has been opening pop-ups to generate interest and awareness.</p>
  732.  
  733. <p><b>What happened to the San Francisco space:</b> Meanwhile, with four years left on the lease for Avery’s Fillmore District location, Wages planned to sublease the space to a fellow restaurateur for a pop-up concept. When that fell through, Widger found a way to keep the Avery legacy alive while delivering something new—a type of establishment he wished were more common in San Francisco.</p>
  734.  
  735. <p>In mid-December, Avery became RTB Wine Lounge, which Widger described as a comfortable place with midcentury modern furnishings, velvet sofas and lounge tables where guests can have a glass of wine, enjoy a meal or even respond to emails. "We wanted to make it accessible and fun, to serve the community that supported us so long and let them still enjoy a piece of Avery," said Widger.</p>
  736.  
  737. <p><b>What’s on the wine list:</b> Although wine is at the center of the new lounge, Widger—who had a nearly full, 1,500-bottle cellar to play with—didn’t make significant additions to the bottle list. Instead, he expanded the by-the-glass program: The 30 selections include everything from a $14 Corbières Boutenac red (from France’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/france-s-southern-frontier-083121">Languedoc-Roussillon</a> region) to a $40 glass of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Failla+Sonoma+Pinot+Noir">Sonoma Pinot Noir made by Failla</a>. Using a <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/show/id/coravin">Coravin preservation system</a>, RTB also offers cellar-aged pours such as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Dante+Rivetti">Dante Rivetti</a> Barbaresco Bricco Riserva 1998. Carrying over from Avery, the bottle list includes a heavy dose of Champagne and other options from France and California, as well as a sizable selection of sake.</p>
  738.  
  739. <p><b>The culinary approach:</b> Widger described RTB’s dishes as "fine dining bites." The concise menu includes shareable plates like popcorn with <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/jamon-spain-s-sure-cure-101521">jamón</a> fat, <i>aonori</i> (green laver seaweed) and onion; and aebleskiver (Danish fried batter balls) with pickled peppers, roasted garlic and prawns. For guests looking for a full meal, the restaurant team can plan a coursed menu.—<i>A.R.</i></p>
  740.  
  741. <hr>
  742. <p><a name="manzke"></a></p>
  743.  
  744. <h2>Los Angeles’ Manzke and Its Downstairs Bistro, Bicyclette, Will Close</h2>
  745.  
  746. <p><b>When are the restaurants closing:</b> Chefs Margarita and Walter Manzke are closing their West Los Angeles fine-dining restaurant Manzke and the adjoining bistro, Bicyclette, on March 1. With a wine program of more than 450 labels, Manzke earned a <i>Wine Spectator</i> Best of Award of Excellence in 2023. Working with their partner, hospitality group Sprout LA, the Manzkes opened their namesake restaurant in March 2022 above Bicyclette, which opened in June 2021.</p>
  747.  
  748. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/restaurant-news-manzke-closing-los-angeles-b-022224_1600.jpg] [caption= Manzke and its adjoining bistro, Bicyclette, will close on March 1, 2024.] [credit= (Kristin Teig)] [alt= The exterior of Manzke restuarant and Bicyclette bistro in Los Angeles][end: article-img-container]</p>
  749.  
  750. <p>This follows the fall 2023 closings of two other restaurants from the Manzkes and their Manzke Hospitality Group: Petty Cash Taquería and Sari Sari Store. In a statement, the Manzkes explained that the closures were due to “financial losses.” Their flagship, Best of Award of Excellence winner <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5265/r%C3%A9publique">République</a>, will remain open in Los Angeles.</p>
  751.  
  752. <p><b>The menus:</b> For those who want to try it before it’s gone, Manzke’s cuisine embodies its chefs’ decades of fine-dining experience. Its seasonal tasting menu ($165 per person, with optional reserve wine pairings for an additional $295) spotlights Southern Californian ingredients and Asian, European and Latin American culinary influences. Dishes have included Dungeness crab in green Thai curry, white asparagus with Kaluga caviar and Wagyu beef with potato mousseline. Meanwhile, Bicyclette builds off the Manzkes’ passion for French cuisine; it offers Parisian-style bistro dining, with baguettes, cheeses and dishes like cassoulet and Bourguignon short ribs.</p>
  753.  
  754. <p><b>What will happen to the wine:</b> France, especially Burgundy and Champagne, are the main strengths of the cellar at Manzke, which includes more than 2,000 bottles. The shorter wine list at Bicyclette is exclusively French. Wine director Sarah Clarke will bring the Manzke and Bicyclette collections to République, where she also oversees the wine program. This will expand the restaurant’s nearly 2,000-label list, which focuses primarily on France, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-restaurants-for-burgundy-fans">particularly Burgundy</a>.—<i>C.C.</i></p>
  755.  
  756. <hr>
  757. <p><em>Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: <a href="http://newsletters.winespectator.com/">Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining</a> newsletter!</em></p>
  758. ]]></content:encoded>
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  761.    <item>
  762.      <title>David Bouley, Talented and Forward-Thinking Chef, Dies at 70</title>
  763.      <description><![CDATA[<p>With French roots but a fresh perspective, the hand behind Montrachet, Bouley, Danube and more helped push fine dining into the modern age</p>
  764. ]]></description>
  765.      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2024 22:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
  766.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/remembering-chef-david-bouley</link>
  767.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/remembering-chef-david-bouley</guid>
  768.      <author>Owen Dugan</author>
  769.      <dc:creator>Owen Dugan</dc:creator>
  770.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The first thing guests would notice at the restaurant Bouley in Manhattan’s Tribeca was a wall of fragrant apples in the entryway. Whereas other restaurants might display dry aging sides of beef or mounds of exotic fish on ice, chef and owner David Bouley, who died Monday at the age of 70 from a heart attack, was making a very different point: Even apparently humble, pastoral ingredients deserve to be exalted.</p>
  771.  
  772. <p>Bouley spent decades at the top level of New York restaurants: first, beginning in 1985, at Montrachet in Tribeca with owner Drew Nieporent. He was an early American progenitor of nouvelle cuisine, sometimes with an Asian-inflected inclusivity. Later he would open Bouley, Danube and Brushstroke nearby (all <em>Wine Spectator</em> Restaurant Award winners), as well as other venues.</p>
  773.  
  774. <p>His grandparents were French and had settled in Rhode Island, so his command of the language gave him a leg up when he devoted himself to cooking and went to France, where he worked for leading chefs such as Paul Bocuse and Joël Robuchon, both of whom had led the move away from heaviness in French cuisine. On his return to New York he worked in top French kitchens there, including Le Cirque.</p>
  775.  
  776. <p>Montrachet helped shift the idea of luxury in New York. It opened on a fairly desolate block in <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/downtown-reborn-55322">a not-marquee neighborhood</a> and served very fine, forward-thinking food at a time when luxury usually meant steak or lobster on the Upper East Side. Today the neighborhood is the epitome of luxury, and the influences of Bouley’s cuisine can be found across the country.</p>
  777.  
  778. <p>In person Bouley was intense and engaging; he had strong feelings about seemingly everything and ideas ranging from all over. His food could be that way, too. Much of it read on paper as French, belying his family and career background, but then that dish called mushroom flan actually turned out to be the Japanese custard chawanmushi dosed with dashi, ginger, yuzu and soy. It might be thickened with arrowroot or powdered kudzu. But don’t use the f word—fusion—as I did <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/mushroom-flan-with-cru-beaujolais-47464">in conversation with him in 2012</a>. "I try not to do con-fusion cooking,” he retorted.</p>
  779.  
  780. <p>His energy and curiosity were boundless. When I asked him where he got the hay that he packed into a Dutch oven with a chicken before sealing the lid with dough and roasting it, I got a good 10 minute lecture on where the hay came from, how old it was—basically everything but the farmer’s mother’s maiden name.</p>
  781.  
  782. <p>Bouley’s great talent was executing all of this perfectly and having it make perfect sense both in the particulars and as a whole. You could just eat the chicken or an apple dessert, but on his watch every detail was considered. In a sense, he was thinking about it so you wouldn’t have to: "Cravings are for flavor,” he said. “Intellectual cooking is a blast, but what people want without thinking comes from the physical sensation of flavor."</p>
  783. ]]></content:encoded>
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  786.    <item>
  787.      <title>Naples Winter Wine Festival Raises over $33 Million for Children’s Charities</title>
  788.      <description><![CDATA[<p>The Southwest Florida event maintains its place as the nation’s top wine charity auction</p>
  789. ]]></description>
  790.      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
  791.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/naples-winter-wine-festival-charity-auction-2024</link>
  792.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/naples-winter-wine-festival-charity-auction-2024</guid>
  793.      <author>Kenny Martin</author>
  794.      <dc:creator>Kenny Martin</dc:creator>
  795.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>America’s top charity wine event, the Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF), has pushed the bar even higher, raising $33 million—its highest total yet—for children’s charities at its annual gathering on the last weekend of January. The event brought together approximately 650 wine lovers in a tent outside the <a href="https://www.guestreservations.com/the-ritz-carlton-naples/booking?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA5rGuBhCnARIsAN11vgRKlGsFrCHaS8N29qI_qUx7qIhwUaGj1uxnAbVSK_JLvwaG4lADu1waAjZvEALw_wcB" target="blank">Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón,</a> to compete for lots combining travel and culinary experiences with rare wines, including many large-format bottles.</p>
  796.  
  797. <p>This was the 24th iteration of the auction, which benefits the <a href="https://www.napleswinefestival.com" target="blank">Naples Children and Education Foundation (NCEF)</a>. “We are extremely thankful to everyone who contributed this year, which will allow us to further achieve our mission of improving the educational, emotional and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children in our community,” Ralph Stayer, this year’s festival chair, told <em>Wine Spectator</em>.</p>
  798.  
  799. <h2>Top Auction Lots Combine Luxury Travel with Elite Wines</h2>
  800.  
  801. <p>The Naples event is distinguished not only by the impressive amounts of money it raises but also by the chefs and winemakers it attracts from the world’s most prestigious restaurants and wine regions. This year, notable wineries supporting the auction included <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=+Ch%C3%A2teau+Cheval+Blanc">Château Cheval Blanc</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Staglin">Staglin Family Vineyard</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Antinori">Marchesi Antinori</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Caymus">Caymus</a> and many more.</p>
  802.  
  803. <p>The weekend included a fund-a-need campaign, which raised over $7.8 million to support early learning and mental health initiatives, as well as an online component, which raised over $1 million. Online lots included a VIP experience at an Andrea Bocelli concert, bottles of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/trophy-whiskeys-our-guide-to-limited-edition-bottles-101522">Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon</a> and a four-bottle collection of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Screaming+Eagle">Screaming Eagle</a>.</p>
  804.  
  805. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/ns_naples-auctioneer-021224_1600.jpg] [caption= Auctioneer Humphrey Butler encouraged the crowd to bid on lots ranging from a deluxe Mediterranean cruise to a stay at Château d'Yquem.] [alt= Auctioneer Humphrey Butler at the Naples Winter Wine Festival] [credit= (Lane Wilkinson)][end: article-img-container]</p>
  806.  
  807. <p>The culminating live auction took place on Saturday, Jan. 27 and raised over $25 million from 50 lots, 46 of which included wine. The top lot, “Sailing the Turquoise Waters of the Mediterranean,” sold for $2.7 million—the highest amount for a single live-auction lot in the event’s history. The lucky bidders will enjoy a 7-night cruise for six couples aboard a 312-foot super-yacht, complete with a crew of 27.</p>
  808.  
  809. <p>As in recent years, other lots featured deluxe travel packages, exquisite dining experiences and rare wines—often all three. Vinous highlights included a collection of 39 <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/44726">large-format bottles</a> from each of the auction’s participating vintners (including <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Ch%C3%A2teau%20Pontet-Canet">Château Pontet-Canet</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Opus+one">Opus One</a>), magnums of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Antinori+Toscana+Solaia">Antinori Toscana Solaia</a>, magnums of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Piper-Heidsieck">Piper-Heidsieck</a> Brut Champagne Rare (paired with a private tasting with <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/rose-vintage-champagne-ny-wine-experience-2023">chef de cave Émilien Boutillat</a>), double magnums of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Ovid">Ovid Napa Valley</a>, methuselahs (six liters) of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Harlan+Estate">Harlan Estate Napa Valley</a>, and more.</p>
  810.  
  811. <p>For the speed demons in the crowd, there were even singular automobiles up for grabs—a custom 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre, the maker’s inaugural all-electric vehicle, earned a winning bid of $1.4 million, while a 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante convertible went for $650,000.</p>
  812.  
  813. <h2>Auction Supports Southwest Florida Children in Need</h2>
  814.  
  815. <p>The weekend began on Thursday afternoon with a pre-festival lunch and tasting for 40 guests at <em>Wine Spectator</em> <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/grand-award-winner-bleu-provence-will-remain-with-original-owners">Grand Award winner Bleu Provence</a>. The tasting was led by Pierre Lurton, of <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=d%27Yquem">Château d’Yquem</a>, and featured a 10-vintage vertical of the legendary Sauternes dating to 1962. That evening, guests enjoyed a kick-off party at Naples’ Campiello restaurant, where <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/2022-new-york-wine-experience-dynamic-2019-oregon-pinot-noirs">vintner Véronique Boss-Drouhin</a> (of Oregon’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Domaine+Drouhin">Domaine Drouhin</a> and Burgundy’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Joseph+Drouhin">Maison Joseph Drouhin</a>) and chef <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/a-sicilian-family-treasure-083123">Paul Bartolotta</a> were honored.</p>
  816.  
  817. <p>On Friday morning, attendees learned about NWWF’s impact on local children during the annual “Meet the Kids Day.” That evening, guests enjoyed meals prepared by celebrity chefs—complete with wine pairings by a team of participating vintners and sommeliers—in the private homes of festival trustees and at other exclusive locations.</p>
  818.  
  819. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/ns_naples-auction-crowd-021224_1600.jpg] [caption= Festival proceeds support a range of children’s charities in Southwest Florida.] [alt= The crowd cheers the results at the Naples Winter Wine Festival] [credit= (Lane Wilkinson)][end: article-img-container]</p>
  820.  
  821. <p>Funds raised by NWWF support close to 90 nonprofit organizations focused on enriching the lives of at-risk and underprivileged children in Collier County, which includes Naples and Marco Island. Over 300,000 local children have been served to date.</p>
  822.  
  823. <p>This year’s auction brings the total amount raised for NCEF since 2001 to almost $302 million. Next year’s festival, which will mark 25 years of the event, will again take place at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón from Jan. 24–26, 2025.</p>
  824.  
  825. <hr>
  826. <p><i><b>Want to get the latest news on collectible wines and the auction market?</b> <a href="http://www.winespectator.com/newsletters">Sign up</a> for </i>Wine Spectator<i>'s free Collecting e-mail newsletter and get a new top-rated wine review, collecting Q&amp;As and more, delivered straight to your inbox every other week!</i></p>
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  830.    <item>
  831.      <title>Wine Spectator's 2024 Grand Tour Is Coming to New Orleans, Las Vegas and Denver</title>
  832.      <description><![CDATA[<p>Wine lovers can taste more than 200 wines from some of the world's top producers this spring</p>
  833. ]]></description>
  834.      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Feb 2024 21:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  835.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-2024-grand-tour-heading-to-new-orleans-las-vegas-and-denver</link>
  836.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-2024-grand-tour-heading-to-new-orleans-las-vegas-and-denver</guid>
  837.      <author>Olivia Nolan</author>
  838.      <dc:creator>Olivia Nolan</dc:creator>
  839.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Wine Spectator</em>’s annual <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/a-grand-night-out-of-wine-and-fun">Grand Tour</a> is known for bringing some of the best wines from around the globe to three top food and wine destinations every year, and 2024 is no different. With two new cities added to the itinerary, over 200 of the world's best wines will land in New Orleans, Las Vegas and Denver this spring. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the cities and taste incredible wines, all rated 90+ points on <em>Wine Spectator</em>’s 100-point scale.</p>
  840.  
  841. <p>2024 will be the first year the Grand Tour comes to New Orleans and Denver, two cities known for their food and wine scenes. Each city is home to over 20 <em>Wine Spectator</em> <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants">Restaurant Award winners</a>, with some of the top wine lists and menus in the country. “We wanted to bring the event and the exceptional wineries that participate to new cities and wine lovers across the country,” said Liz Mott, <em>Wine Spectator</em>’s vice president of events.</p>
  842.  
  843. <p>A ticket provides unlimited tasting, allowing consumers to experience wines from top regions around the world, from France, Italy, Portugal, California and beyond.</p>
  844.  
  845. <p><a href="https://grandtour.winespectator.com" target="blank">2024’s Grand Tour dates and venues are:</a></p>
  846.  
  847. <p>April 26th: New Orleans, LA, at the <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/msyla-new-orleans-marriott/overview/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4NT7h4aLhAMVSSzUAR3GawF3EAAYAiAAEgIhq_D_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;cid=PAI_GLB0004YXD_GLE000BIM5_GLF000OETA" target="blank">New Orleans Marriott</a></p>
  848.  
  849. <p>May 4th: Las Vegas, NV, at <a href="https://www.rwlasvegas.com" target="blank">Resorts World Las Vegas</a></p>
  850.  
  851. <p>May 11th: Denver, CO, at the <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dends-sheraton-denver-downtown-hotel/overview/" target="blank">Sheraton Denver Downtown</a></p>
  852.  
  853. <p>Grand Tour New Orleans will kick off on April 26, as the Crescent City celebrates the annual <a href="https://www.nojazzfest.com" target="blank">New Orleans Jazz &amp; Heritage Festival</a>—aka Jazz Fest—two weeks of musical, cultural and culinary revelry. “Jazz Fest is over by early evening, so the Grand Tour is the perfect place to go for an awesome evening of wine,” said Mott. “We're excited to offer locals and visitors an exceptional wine experience to enjoy during one of New Orleans' most beloved weekends.”</p>
  854.  
  855. <p>New Orleans is home to one of the nation's <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/search/q/searchLocation=New%2520Orleans%252C%2520LA%252C%2520USA&amp;searchLat=29.95106579999999&amp;searchLng=-90.0715323&amp;searchRadius=10&amp;sortOrder=distance&amp;page1">most memorable dining scenes</a>, and guests will have three Grand Award winning restaurants to choose from—<a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/81/emeril's">Emeril's</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/33/commander's-palace">Commander's Palace</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/5/brennan's-restaurant">Brennan's</a>.</p>
  856.  
  857. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/ns_grand041923g_1600.jpg] [caption= Alessandra Angelini of Altesino poured her family’s Brunello di Montalcino at the 2023 Grand Tour.] [credit= (Zak Bennett)] [alt= Alessandra Angelini of Altesino holds a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino.][end: article-img-container]</p>
  858.  
  859. <p>The Las Vegas and Denver stops, on May 4 and May 11, respectively, will be equally sought after. All three events are hosting top wineries such as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Argiano">Argiano</a>, the producer of 2023’s <a href="https://top100.winespectator.com/2023/wine/wine-no-1-argiano/">Wine of the Year</a>, as well as many Top 100 honorees from 2023 and years past, such as <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Antinori">Antinori</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Massolino">Massolino</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=frescobaldi">Marchesi Frescobaldi</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Resonance">Résonance</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Caymus">Caymus</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Trimbach">Trimbach</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=E.+Guigal">E. Guigal</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;page=1&amp;winery=Taylor+Fladgate">Taylor Fladgate</a> and many more.</p>
  860.  
  861. <p>While wine is center stage on the night of the Grand Tour, the locations for each stop have been carefully chosen for guests to make the most of each host city’s dining scenes as well. The Sheraton Denver Downtown is ideally located to access <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/search/q/searchLocation=Denver%252C%2520CO%252C%2520USA&amp;searchLat=39.7392358&amp;searchLng=-104.990251&amp;searchRadius=10&amp;sortOrder=distance&amp;page=1">Denver’s 24 Restaurant Award winners</a>, including long-time Grand Award recipient <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/298/barolo-grill%20">Barolo Grill</a>. Meanwhile, with over <a href="">60 award winners to choose from in Las Vegas</a>, Resorts World is the perfect home base to plan your gastronomic adventure around the City of Lights.</p>
  862.  
  863. <p>Grand Tour tickets for each city are available now. For more information, tickets and hotel information, visit <a href="https://grandtour.winespectator.com" target="blank">GrandTour.WineSpectator.com</a>.</p>
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  867.    <item>
  868.      <title>Turning Tables: The Ritz-Carlton Opens a New Hotel and Restaurant in Oregon</title>
  869.      <description><![CDATA[<p>The luxury hotel company makes its Pacific Northwest debut in Portland; plus, San Francisco restaurateur Shelley Lindgren brings a new wine program to Anguilla’s Malliouhana Resort</p>
  870. ]]></description>
  871.      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  872.      <link>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/the-ritz-carltons-bellpine-debuts-in-portland-oregon</link>
  873.      <guid>https://www.winespectator.com/articles/the-ritz-carltons-bellpine-debuts-in-portland-oregon</guid>
  874.      <author>Aaron Romano, Collin Dreizen</author>
  875.      <dc:creator>Aaron Romano, Collin Dreizen</dc:creator>
  876.      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Note: Following the publishing of this article, Bellpine chef Lauro Romero died on Feb. 16, 2024, at the age of 42.</em></p>
  877.  
  878. <p><b>Who's behind it:</b> Bellpine is within the newly opened <a href="https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/pdxrz-the-ritz-carlton-portland/overview/" target="_blank">The Ritz-Carlton, Portland</a>, in Portland, Ore. Helming the kitchen is executive chef Pedro Almeida, the chef behind Midori inside the Ritz-Carlton Penha Longa Resort in Sintra, Portugal. There he blends Portuguese cuisine with the traditions of Japanese cooking. Almeida will oversee the Portland hotel's entire culinary program. Joining him in the kitchen is Portland chef Lauro Romero, formerly of restaurants Clandestino and República; at the latter, opened in 2020, he garnered acclaim for his modern Mexican cuisine.</p>
  879.  
  880. <p><b>When it opened:</b> Both the hotel and restaurant debuted Oct. 31, 2023.</p>
  881.  
  882. <p><b>Why you should know about it:</b> The addition of the 35-story Ritz-Carlton to downtown Portland indicates that the hospitality landscape in the Rose City, within driving distance of Oregon’s renowned <a href="https://winespectator.com/articles/abcs-of-oregon-57575">Willamette Valley wine region</a> is continuing to grow.</p>
  883.  
  884. <p>Bellpine aptly fits into Portland's culinary hodgepodge of exciting restaurants while bringing a measure of luxury and tapping into the finest that the Pacific Northwest offers. “Lauro is someone who can speak to the people of Portland,” said John Roussin, Bellpine's restaurant manager and sommelier, who explained this is key for drawing both locals and hotel guests to the restaurant.</p>
  885.  
  886. <p><b>The culinary approach:</b> Roussin said the menu subtly highlights Romero’s experience with Latin American flavors while playing to Almeida’s background. The result is a multicultural and modern American menu with plenty of whimsy, one that taps local ingredients such as geoduck, mushrooms and truffles. One recent dish that showcases Bellpine’s culinary ethos is a savory take on a traditional buñuelo (a type of dough fritter), which is filled with avocado mousse and topped with shaved geoduck, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/jamon-spain-s-sure-cure-101521">serrano ham</a> and Fresno chiles; Bellpine’s culinary team finishes the dish with guajillo chile oil, a dollop of caviar and puffed amaranth.</p>
  887.  
  888. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-01/restaurant-news-bellpine-portland-oregon-chefs-table-b-020824_1600.jpg] [caption= Bellpine's contemporary, multicultural cuisine shines through at its chef's table.] [credit= (The Ritz-Carlton, Portland)] [alt= The white-topped chef's table at Bellpine, beneath circular glass lighting fixtures and near a tan, wood-paneled wall][end: article-img-container]</p>
  889.  
  890. <p>Another recent highlight is seared diver scallops with Rainier cherry salsa, cranberry cocoa butter and a dollop of fresh trout roe. “It takes a creative mastermind to put these ingredients together, but it’s everything I could want [from a bite],” Roussin said. “It’s got rich, sweet flavors from the scallops, and the cocoa butter coats the palate … and the tang from the cherries and pops of trout roe.”</p>
  891.  
  892. <p>While the menu is centered on sharing, it's not all small plates. Large entrées include a cedar plank salmon with potlatch seasoning and yuzu hollandaise, as well as a 32-ounce, 30-day dry-aged, smoked rib eye steak with aioli and jam.</p>
  893.  
  894. <p><b>What’s on the wine list:</b> With more than 200 labels, the wine list zeroes in on Oregon’s most celebrated wineries, including <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Argyle">Argyle</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Adelsheim">Adelsheim</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Bergstr%C3%B6m">Bergström</a> and <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Penner+Ash">Penner-Ash</a>. Roussin said Oregon and Washington wineries comprise 40 to 50 percent of the list, with a heavy dose of Champagne and little bits of everything else from around the wine world. "Since opening, I've gotten to know the chefs better and figure out what they're doing with the food, and the list has doubled," he said.</p>
  895.  
  896. <p>Roussin noted that he’s also begun bringing in lesser-known, food-friendly Oregon varieties such as Gewürztraminer and Chenin Blanc from Columbia Gorge, as well as wines from Tuscany and Piedmont as a natural fit for the heartier dishes.</p>
  897.  
  898. <p><b>The Design:</b> Bellpine is named after a type of marine sedimentary soil found in the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant embraces the name, drawing inspiration from its surroundings. Design firm Roam Interior Design conceived the space with a ruffle-textured ceiling that evokes the underside of a wild mushroom. Oregon’s dramatic coastline, dotted with tidepools and notable for its iconic Haystack Rock formation, is represented by the dining room’s sandy colors and shades of blue and green. During daylight hours, tall windows bring in light and offer a panoramic view from the 20th floor; in the evening, the 170-seat restaurant becomes moodier and takes on richer earth tones, with copper accents sparkling throughout.—<i>A.R.</i></p>
  899.  
  900. <p><a name="malliouhana"></a></p>
  901.  
  902. <h2>Anguilla’s Malliouhana Resort Unveils New Wine Program Developed by Shelley Lindgren</h2>
  903.  
  904. <p><b>Who’s behind it:</b> Located on Anguilla in the Eastern Caribbean, luxury resort <a href="https://malliouhana.com/" target="_blank">Malliouhana</a>, first owned by wine collector Leon Roydon, held a <i>Wine Spectator</i> Grand Award for many years. After a change in ownership and management, and a couple renovations, in 2023, Storey Hotel Management Group took over from Auberge Resorts. “They reached out to me—as longtime friends—and asked me to come and start steps towards revitalizing the wine program,” leading San Francisco Bay Area wine pro <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/sommelier-talk-shelley-lindgren-road-to-campania">Shelley Lindgren</a> told <i>Wine Spectator</i> via email.</p>
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  906. <p>Lindgren is the wine director and co-owner of Italian restaurants SPQR and A16 in San Francisco, as well as a second A16 restaurant in Oakland, Calif. (All three restaurants previously held <i>Wine Spectator</i> Restaurant Awards for their wine programs.) In addition, she is the co-author of <i>Italian Wine</i> and a <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/italy-s-great-little-pizza-wine-asprinio">champion for wines from Southern Italy</a>.</p>
  907.  
  908. <p><b>When things got started:</b> Malliouhana reopened its doors and premiered its new wine program in November for its 2023–2024 season.</p>
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  910. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-01/restaurant-news-malliouhana-shelley-lindgren-delroy-lake-012524_1600.jpg] [caption= Delroy Lake and Shelley Lindgren at Malliouhana Resort] [credit= (K-Sharp Media)] [alt= Delroy Lake and Shelley Lindgren at Malliouhana Resort][end: article-img-container]</p>
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  912. <p><b>The new wine program:</b> “[We] have about 3,300 bottles to begin,” said Lindgren of the resort-wide program, which encompasses more than 300 labels. Lindgren is working alongside Malliouhana food and beverage manager Delroy Lake and Albert Lake, the longtime sommelier who developed the original Malliouhana wine program for Roydon. “It's a wonderful legacy for [Albert Lake], as he has also spent 40 years being the island's most revered sommelier,” said Lindgren. “It's an honor to work alongside this project.”</p>
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  914. <p>More than 20 wines are served by the glass, including Chablis from <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=La+Chablisienne">La Chablisienne</a>, several Ports and more. And Lindgren expanded the sparkling list with <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/what-is-a-grower-champagne">grower Champagne</a>.</p>
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  916. <p><b>The main focuses:</b> France is key, with wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Loire Valley and the Rhône Valley. Those are joined by bottlings from Italy—including Piedmont’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=gaja">Gaja</a> and Tuscany’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Antinori">Antinori</a>—as well as California, Oregon, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. “We hope guests visiting Malliouhana can find many new wines along with styles and selections they know and enjoy,” said Lindgren, who notes that much of the list has a “coastal” element, exemplified by Txakolina from Spain and Assyrtiko from Greece.</p>
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  918. <p>[article-img-container][src=2024-02/restaurant-news-malliouhana-resort-012524_1600.jpg] [caption= Shelley Lindgren's new wine program complements Malliouhana's cuisine and prime views of the Caribbean.] [credit= (Courtesy of Malliouhana Resort)] [alt= A set table on a balcony with white walls at Malliouhana Resort, overlooking the Caribbean Sea][end: article-img-container]</p>
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  920. <p><b>Room for dessert:</b> The new dessert wine program includes about a dozen selections, with a <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/index/word/beerenauslese">beerenauslese</a> from Austria’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Kracher">Kracher</a>, <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/glossary/show/id/vendange_tardive">vendange tardive</a> from Alsace’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Leon+Beyer">Léon Beyer</a> and Tokaji Aszú from Hungary’s <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&amp;scope=ratings&amp;winery=Oremus">Oremus Tokaji</a>.</p>
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  922. <p><b>Wine-and-Dining Experiences:</b> Each Malliouhana restaurant also features “exclusive selections” from California and Europe. Signature restaurant Celeste added bottles to complement executive chef Robert Hopkin’s Caribbean- and Mediterranean-influenced menu; these include wine from Tansy, a California label that focuses on Italian varieties and Italy-inspired wines that Lindgren co-founded with business partner Kitty Oestlien in 2020. Bar Soleil, a seaside Caribbean-cuisine spot, offers wines from Mediterranean island regions like Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. And the beachside Leon’s at Meads Bay features an “All Day Rosé” selection. “The [Malliouhana] menu ranges, with mainly Mediterranean flavors, so the European influence on wine seems to be a natural fit,” said Lindgren. “The fresh seafood is the star with a local lobster unique to Anguilla, conch, tableside ceviche and pasta.”</p>
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  924. <p><b>Looking ahead:</b> Lindgren and the team plan to host wine-focused dinners quarterly; Lindgen is also opening an A16 pop-up takeaway counter this month and will soon launch an education program on cooking and wine.—<i>C.D.</i></p>
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  926. <hr>
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