Wine Stars

Wine Stories and News for the Young at Heart

Pairing Wine With Bugs in Mexico – Crickets and Worms

Pairing Baked Crickets and Worms with Sherry and Sparkling Wine in Mexico. C. MONTOYA Though there are many creative wine and food pairings around the world, probably one of the most distinctive can be found in Mexico. At the recent annual OIV conference (43rd World Conference of Vine & Wine), held earlier this month in Baja, Mexico, both of the ‘Bug and Wine’ pairing seminars were completely booked. “We had over 50 people in the Sparkling Wine with Baked Crickets session,” stated Carlota Montoya, a wine educator and media consultant from Mexico City. “We paired four different sparkling wines with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T16:07:57-08:00December 3, 2022|

Tantalizing Tempranillo Wine in Lodi, California

Bokisch Winery in Lodi, CA - one of the major producers of Tempranillo Wine in California. Photo Credit: Bokisch Tempranillo is often referred to as the “Cabernet” of Spain due to its widespread planting and its noble status as the backbone of Spanish reds. It is actually the 4th most planted wine grape in the world yet less than 1000 acres of Tempranillo are planted in California. Enter the Lodi Wine Region of California, where the Tempranillo grape is gaining much acclaim. In fact, there are already 10 different wineries in Lodi that specialize in making wine from the Tempranillo grape. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-11-12T15:32:33-08:00November 12, 2022|

Sonoma County Wine Auction Raises $1.8 Million For Charity – Totaling $40 Million Since Inception

Bidding at the 2022 Sonoma County Wine Auction at Chalk Hill Estate. ALEXANDER RUBIN The concept of a wine auction to raise money for charity is an ancient one – dating back to 1859 at the Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy, France. Built as a hospital in 1443, the famous medieval building with its multi-colored tiled roof started the tradition by accepting donations of wine from local domains that they sold to raise hospital funds. Eventually it turned into an annual 3-day auction, which is still held each November. This wine charity model has been an inspiration to many other [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-10-09T13:29:33-07:00October 9, 2022|

Fine Wine Investing: How Cult Wine Investment Finds The Next High Value Wine And Region

Searching for the next great wine investment. GETTY It was a pleasure to interview Tom Gearing for this article. We had nearly a 2 hour interview via Zoom. He was so interesting and so enthusiastic, it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the special world of fine wine investing. This article was originally published on Forbes.com. Republished here with permission. Tom Gearing grew up in the world of fine wine with a father who was an avid collector, so it may not seem that strange the he founded one of the first wine investment firms [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-09-19T15:55:58-07:00September 19, 2022|

The Art Of Pairing Wine With Asian Food Taken To New Heights At Eight Tables Restaurant In San Francisco

Nine Essential Flavors of Chinese Cuisine Paired with Champagne at Eight Tables Restaurant JOSEPH WEAVER Pairing wine and food is often referred to as both an art and science. Wine seems to go especially well with local cuisine from the country in which it is produced, such as French or Italian wine with French or Italian cuisine. However, matching wine to Asian food flavors is often considered to be more challenging – especially dishes that have unique herbs, spices and flavors compared to traditional western fare. Yet at Eight Tables Restaurant by George Chen, hidden at the end of a [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T16:08:30-08:00August 31, 2022|

Hot Wine Trends In the U.S. Market for 2022, Dollar Sales Up in 2021

Shopping for Wine in a Grocery Store. UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES A 2022 Gomberg & Fredrikson report, based on government tax paid data, shows that U.S. wine dollar sales in 2021 a surprising 16.8% over 2020. Total wine sales, including domestic and imported wine were $78.4 billion, compared to the previous year’s figure of $67.3 billion. Yet the reasons behind these increases suggest the wine industry still needs to focus on being more innovative and reaching out to new wine consumers. Fortunately, some of the most popular wine categories of 2021 point the ways to hot trends to consider capitalizing [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-08-11T16:47:20-07:00August 11, 2022|

Duckhorn Portfolio CEO, Alex Ryan, And Team Discuss The IPO Journey And Lessons Learned After First Year

Alex Ryan, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman for The Duckhorn Portfolio. THE DUCKHORN PORTFOLIO, WILDLY SIMPLE PRODUCTIONS Duckhorn Portfolio Inc. (NYSE: NAPA) posted its third quarter earnings today for the three months ending April 30, 2022. Since its successful IPO on March 18, 2021, with an initial stock price $15 per share, the portfolio of 10 luxury wine brands ranging from $25 to $200 per bottle, has performed admirably. Today’s financial results support this trend with net sales of $91.6 million, an increase of 1.3% versus the prior year period, and adjusted EBITDA was $32.9 million, an increase of 2.9% [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-07-02T15:23:18-07:00July 2, 2022|

Rare Video Interview With Ernest Gallo Reveals Rags To Riches Story Of The World’s Largest Wine Corporation

Marvin R. Shanken and Ernest Gallo in 1999 Interview. KENT HANSON/WINE SPECTATOR In 1933, upon the death of their father, Ernest and Julio Gallo took over the family vineyards in Modesto, California, and discovered that they had been mortgaged to the hilt. “My father left the small vineyards hopelessly in debt,…and we were on the verge of losing them,” commented Ernest Gallo, in a rare video interview with Marvin Shanken, Editor & Publisher of Wine Spectator. “We thought that by going into the wine business - taking the crop and converting it into wine - we could probably get enough to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-06-04T16:35:45-07:00June 4, 2022|

The Roots Fund & Zachys Raise Over $400,000 At First Annual Charity Auction Benefiting Diversity In The Wine Industry

The Roots Fund Charity Auction - Tahiirah Habibi, Carlton McCo…n PC: KYLE HUEY KHueyMedia The Roots Fund and Zachys wrapped up their first annual charity auction in support of The Roots Fund’s mission to address the lack of diversity in the wine industry. The gala raised over $400,000 from auction lots both available in-person and online and will help to create more education, mentorship and job placement opportunities for communities of color in the wine industry. As the first charity auction of this magnitude, the evening unveiled a large sommelier team of color, showcasing the essence of leading with change [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-05-03T13:49:50-07:00May 3, 2022|

Champagne Telmont Decreases Weight of Its Bottle to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

Champagne Telmont Bottles. Photo Credit: Telmont Champagne bottles need to be remarkably strong in order to contain the 6 atmospheres of pressure that is built up from the bubbles. This is around 2 times more pressure than a car tire! However, the weight of the glass bottle and transport of bottles is one of the largest components of the wine industry's carbon footprint. Now Champagne Telmont has found a safe way to decrease the weight of their bottle from the current weight of 835 grams to an even lighter bottle, weighing 800 grams. Though the carbon footprint of each wine [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-04-08T11:37:25-07:00April 8, 2022|

How Two Oakland Women Created A Million Dollar Wine Business During The Pandemic

When TheSipSociety.com co-founder and CEO, Erica Davis, realized that many wine marketing firms were targeting women of color as only drinking sweet wines, she became concerned. As an avid wine lover, especially of dry high-end Champagne, she wanted other women to be able to explore different sparkling wine styles in order to discover what they liked. The Sip Society Co-Founders: Erica Davis, CEO and Catherine Carter, COO, THE SIP SOCIETY & ROB WILLIAMSON “The way the wine industry was marketing didn’t work for us,” Davis reported in an online interview. “So we decided to create a space where people could [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-04-01T11:30:22-07:00April 1, 2022|

Silicon Valley Bank Report Warns U.S. Wineries Still Not Doing Enough To Attract Younger, Multi-Cultural Consumers

(First Published in Forbes.) Though more than 50% of the premium wineries surveyed in Silicon Valley Bank’s 2022 State of the Wine Industry Report, stated they had a very good financial year in 2021, report author, Rob McMillan, warns that the industry is still not doing enough to engage with new consumer segments. Group Of Friends Enjoying Night Out At Rooftop Bar. GETTY “The U.S. wine industry isn’t doing a good enough job of marketing and selling its product,” reports McMillan, EVP & Founder of the Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division,…. “often remaining wedded to successful strategies from the past while [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-02-18T14:38:11-08:00February 18, 2022|

Nine Wine Technologies That Will Transform the Global Wine Industry

Robots in the vineyards, AI wine critics, and block chain 4x4QR codes to track wine and provide transparency to consumers. These are just a few of the topics that were presented by a panel of wine technology experts as part of a recent 2021 OIV study. Entitled ‘Digital Trends in the Vine & Wine Sector’, the study included a comprehensive survey of wineries in 18 OIV member countries along with in-depth interviews with 21 wine technology experts. The results reveal 9 major technology trends that will shape the future of wine. Robots in the Vineyard. Photo Credit: Getty Images According [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-01-12T11:22:36-08:00January 12, 2022|

Sweet White Bordeaux Wine Gaining Attention From Younger Consumers And Gourmets

Young wine consumers toasting with Sweet White Bordeaux Wines. Photo Credit: Fotolia: 118526264 When most people think of Bordeaux, a big hearty red wine comes to mind. Yet semi-sweet and sweet white wines have been made in Bordeaux since the 16th century. Long considered to be only a beverage to sip after dinner, such as a sweet Sauternes or Barsac, there is another section of Bordeaux that is beginning to gain more attention for their sweet wines – especially from young consumers and gourmets. Created in 2009 by the Union des Grands Vins de Bordeaux Sweet, the 8 appellations that [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T16:09:26-08:00December 30, 2021|

Coravin Ramps Up Innovation During Covid With Increased Sales And 4 New Products

Now that we are 18 months into the Covid crisis, with new variants no doubt extending its length, it is helpful to recognize some of the positive innovation that has occurred. As John F. Kennedy said, “In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity.” Coravin - To Safely Taste Wine While Preserving the Cork. Photo Credit: Getty One wine company that has made astounding progress in sales and innovation during Covid is Coravin. With a mission to change the way the world experiences wine, Coravin technology allows wine lovers to extract a glass of wine [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-02-18T14:39:29-08:00December 6, 2021|

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