December 2006
Features

Departments
• Editor’s Note

• Happenings

• Fined & Filtered:
Alan Tardi on Piedmont’s vin brulè;
Ben Canaider on Australia’s national water initiative;
Fiona Morrison MW on the new order in St-Emilion;
David Darlington on the latest brands trading hands.

• Critics’ Picks: Best Buys

• Drinks
Peter Meehan on Colin Alevras of The Tasting Room

• Books

• Spirits: Blended Scotch, by David Wondrich

• W&S Events: Seattle Hot Picks & The Top 100

• Short Finish by David Darlington
 
Tastings
• Holiday Wines
Overview by Peter Liem

• Shopper’s Guide

• American Cabernet
tasted: 226 reviewed: 61

• Champagne
tasted: 200 reviewed: 126

• American Sparkling
tasted: 44 reviewed: 14

• Piedmont
tasted: 173 reviewed: 71

• Rioja
tasted: 77 reviewed: 26

• Germany
tasted: 273 reviewed: 166

• Tokaji
tasted: 26 reviewed: 20

• American New Releases
tasted: 390 reviewed: 51

• Total
tasted: 1,409 reviewed: 535

 

• Sparkling Reds
Tara Q. Thomas tracks the sparkling red trend from New York to San Francisco, gathering tips and recipes from restaurateurs to brighten the holidays.

• The Heart of the Nahe
Though little known outside of Germany, the Nahe is producing some of the country’s finest dry rieslings. Peter Liem visits the growers who are leading the region to the pinnacle of German wine.

• Napa Valley: Mapping the Future
From the latest land rush in the cooler southeastern end of the valley to adjustments in viticulture to accommodate global warming, Heather Irwin reports on the future of Napa Valley cabernet.

• The Paris of South America
Now nearly recovered from the economic crisis of 2001, Buenos Aires is once again a destination for fine dining. Patricio Tapia highlights the best places to eat and drink.

• Dining in Rioja
Victor de la Serna reports on the vibrant gastronomic scene in Rioja, restaurants that combine the current edge of Spain’s most talented chefs with wines from the country’s vinous capital.