Press

While it is not exactly rare to have premium white wines being made on Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain district, the rough east valley terrain is better known for its quality big reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.

Rheinhessen! I’m so glad you could make it today. Won’t you join us? Feel free to grab something to eat before you sit. There’s coffee, tea, and water.

The Germans have consistently held the global top spot in guzzling bubbles (OIV, April 2020): the per capita consumption in 2021 was 3.2 litres of fizz (Statista Research Department, April 2022) which means more than four bottles or 32 flutes per adult of Champagne, Prosecco, Cava and other sparkling wines – and Sekt of course, the surprisingly pronounceable and simple term for German sparkling wine.

Sparkling wine will be called on to make many a Valentine’s Day dinner romantic, but the bubbles needn’t burst the budget. This week I have three moderately priced sparklers to set the mood. Two are made from riesling, one from Germany’s Mosel region, the other from New York’s Finger Lakes. The third is a charming Italian spumante from Campania that takes us on time travel back to an ancient era.

If you haven’t had a good Riesling in a while, take a good look at the wine lists of some of your favorite restaurants. Riesling is definitely on the rise and more and more sommeliers are including their favorites on wine lists. We have seen quality offerings in the most unlikely places, such as New York City steakhouses, Atlanta rib joints, Vancouver dim sum restaurants and Michelin starred temples of fine dining in Paris.

Dry January is in full swing, and while there are more and more nonalcoholic options on the market, from canned cocktails to nonalcoholic spirits, sometimes all you want is to pour yourself a nice glass of wine — alcohol-free wine, that is. Whether you’re hanging out at home bingeing on Real Housewives or heading to a dinner party at a friend’s, we’ve found plenty of wines that will please those on the detox train or are sobering up for the month. These are so delicious that even those that aren’t doing Dry January will want a sip.

Every service professional has that one item they wish guests would be more open to trying. For some, it’s an obscure cut of beef or a special type of stinky cheese. Among sommeliers, whose job is to tempt their guests away from the familiar grapes and regions, many have a pet region or grape that they spend years convincing guests to try.

When it comes to popping the cork and ringing in the New Year, swap Champagne for Sekt—German sparkling wine—and save some dollars.