Salvestrin Family winemaker Natalie Winkler struck a chord when the 2018 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon earned a spot among Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2021. But it all started with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir, she tells host James Molesworth in the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast. Winkler represents a new breed of California wine pros specializing not just in winemaking or vineyard management, but in both, and she tells us why winemakers should be in the vineyard, and much more.  Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank join ..read more

Who’s behind it: Tre Dita and the adjoining Bar Tre Dita are new endeavors from Evan Funke, the chef behind Los Angeles restaurants Felix Trattoria, Funke and Mother Wolf. Funke focuses primarily on Italian culinary traditions, particularly handmade pastas, and is the author of 2019 cookbook American Sfoglino. For the Tuscany-focused Tre Dita, he is collaborating for the first time with leading hospitality group Lettuce Entertain You, which oversees a portfolio that includes Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning RPM Steak, RPM Italian and RPM Seafood restaurants. When it opened: Tre Dita and ..read more

Marco Felluga, who made exquisite white wines that helped put the Collio area of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region on the global wine map, died April 3. He was 96. “Friuli and the Collio region have suffered a great loss,” said fellow winemaker Silvio Jermann of Jermann winery. Jermann says that Felluga, along with fellow vintners Count Douglas Attems and Mario Schiopetto, led the drive to elevate wine quality in the Collio region, to advocate for the appellation’s promotion to DOC status and to create a regional consortium of wine producers. “Together they created the modern Collio, [and ..read more

It may be hard to imagine, considering Napa's moniker as the preeminent luxury wine region in the United States, but it wasn't that long ago that the valley was a small agricultural area populated with bootstrapping farmers. Today, the valley is renowned for its premium wines and grand estates. Four million tourists visit annually. While many visit the gleaming tasting rooms and cellars of corporate-owned wine brands, plenty of small family wineries still make up the fabric of the valley. In 2015, 68 percent of Napa wineries produced fewer than 20,000 cases per year. But there is a growing con ..read more

Eleanor “Ellie” Coppola passed away April 12 at the age of 87 in her home in Rutherford, California. Eleanor was a visual artist, author and film director who was married for 61 years to filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Together with her husband, she also helped restore Napa’s legendary Inglenook winery. “Surrounded by creativity and fame, Eleanor quietly created her own galaxy of stars through her children, her documentaries, art, design and fashion, books, and her own feature films,” vintner and friend Robin Lail told Wine Spectator. “Her friendship was embracing, enhancing and treasured. Whe ..read more

China’s government has officially abolished punitively high tariffs on imported Australian wine. The Beijing government announced the removal of the duties—which ranged as high as 218 percent—March 29. Australia’s wine industry, which was China’s biggest source of imported wine before the tariffs were enacted in 2020, hopes the reversal will offer new opportunities at a time when grapegrowers are confronting an oversupply and pulling up vines. However, industry analysts caution that the Chinese market is not the same as it was four years ago. The Chinese government said it was ending the tarif ..read more

For years, the NBA has been nicknamed the “Wine League,” but now it’s officially tipping off. The National Basketball Association is embarking on a partnership with California's Jackson Family Wines establishing Kendall-Jackson as the official wine of the NBA, and K-J's sister wine La Crema as the official wine of the Women's National Basketball Association. These affiliations will also extend to Teams USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics. “We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Kendall-Jackson,” said Julie Morris, head of commercial development and media for the NBA. “It was a long time c ..read more

Who’s behind it: La Bastide by Andrea Calstier is a new endeavor from chef Andrea Calstier and his wife Elena Oliver, the restaurant’s general manager. It is located above the duo’s Cenadou Bistrot, which opened last year in North Salem, N.Y., in Westchester County. Offering a chef’s table experience, La Bastide features just six tables, each of which can seat one to six guests. Calstier and Oliver were the husband-and-wife team behind New York City restaurant Papilles, which closed in early 2022. Previously, Calstier worked at restaurant Abbaye de La Bussière in Burgundy, France, and with cel ..read more

Wine Spectator has learned that famed Napa grapegrower David Abreu and Trinchero Family Estates (TFE) have agreed to partner on a new wine brand in the TFE portfolio using grapes grown from Abreu’s four Napa Valley vineyards. The deal links one of Napa’s top names in vineyards with one of its most respected companies. Abreu is a third-generation farmer who founded Abreu Vineyards in 1980. He also consults on grapegrowing for some of the wine world’s top brands, planting and farming vineyards for names including Spottswoode, Harlan and Bryant. With Brad Grimes in charge of winemaking since 2005 ..read more

While the COVID-19 pandemic 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 headaches, severe hangover-like symptoms and other effects, including intoxication at low levels of consumption. 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 Stanford Health Care and published in the journal Cureus ..read more