Jimmy McEwan began his career at the illustrious Bowmore Distillery on the island of Islay, the southwesternmost part of Scotland, in 1963. He was an apprentice cooper. An aptitude for all things single malt whisky was one thing; a gift for communicating
A case-full of years have passed since Allen Shoup launched a highly ambitious Walla Walla project designed to catch the wine world’s imagination. Preposterous is one way to describe the idea: seven acclaimed winemakers, who didn’t need any
The son of two chemists, himself trained as a microbiologist, Joel Peterson may not be the most likely winemaker and brand marketing executive, but that’s how it all shook out. He founded, with then-partner Reed Foster, the Ravenswood winery, in
A mere moment with Michel Chapoutier is enough to change for life the way you think about wine. The northern Rhône producer and fierce defender of the notion of terroir is a veritable encyclopedia of wine knowledge and he has that rare gift
You need only meet Nicolás and Elena Catena once to sense they are as genuine as the towering Andes Mountains that frame their Mendoza vineyards. Speaking to a sold out crowd at the 2014 Wine Summit Lake Louise at the Post Hotel &
There's never a dull moment in thewine business and fresh off the heels of a week in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, I can report 2014 will be at least a good vintage for the regionthat lies about 60 km north and slightly east of Adelaide. Heavy
Telmo Rodriguez is not a physically imposing figure, but the diminutive Spanish wine grower has to be on any short list of the biggest names in wine. Born in Rioja, he's travelled Spain from one end to the other and back, and has made as many as 20 different
Jefferson Alvarez loves to travel. "Because then I can eat in a lot of different restaurants, try all the best places." He pauses, and smiles. "We get paid to cook, so you need to keep learning." Jefferson is executive chef at Fraîche,
The black currant jelly alone was worth the price of admission. As were the foie gras sauce, beurre rouge with grains of paradise (one of the aromatics in fine gin, by the way), celeriac, salsify and pumpkin seed pesto. Just another night, to absent Phil
The weather outside was frightful. Inside, however, delightful. Paul Hobbs was content, when reminded of Mark Twain's comment that the worst winter he ever had was a summer in San Francisco; he smiled and said, "There is doubt now as to whether
It was February 20, 1962 when astronaut John Glen piloted the "Friendship 7" spacecraft on the first, US manned mission completing a successful three-orbit tour around the earth. Four years later in a seemingly unrelated event the Robert Mondavi Winery
Passion is a word you hear a lot in the wine business, but finding it is quite another thing. Incredibly, I've met two growers in the last week who embrace their work with a passion and a commitment so strong it permeates everything they do. On Monday
How does an American end up in Apulia and why does he stay, asks Mark Shannon as he begins to tell his story. One need only meet this brilliant winemaker from California to be struck by his personality and professionalism. Shannon's drive, enthusiasm,
In today's super competitive wine world, it is never easy to capture the imagination of the wine drinking public. Add Chile to the mix and you compound your problem with an image more closely tied to value-for-money than outstanding quality. Enter Viña
In an era of corporate takeovers and mergers Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates (KJWE) remains one of the largest family owned wine companies in North America. Earlier this year we caught up with winemaster Randy Ullom who is responsible for the overall direction