The Vintner Project

Vineyards at Maison Cardinale in Saint-Emilion, where Caroline and Ludovic Decoster have added white wines to an estate rooted in one of Bordeaux’s most famous red wine regions. | Photo Credit: Katie Melchior When Taylor Swift inadvertently featured a Sancerre in her Disney+ docuseries, Swifties across the country descended like bees to honey. Domaine des Terres Blanches Sancerre was sold out at major retailers across the country within a couple of weeks.

Cana Ranch Wines founders Tyler and Kelly Mullman are pairing their inaugural Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with a mission to support training and employment opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. | Photo Credit: Cana Ranch Wines Wine has always had a remarkable ability to gather people around a table.

An emerging, lees-aged style called Patience is revealing a more textured side of Picpoul. | Photo Credit: Vitinova I have a saying I trot out with alarming frequency: Patience is a virtue…that I don’t have. It’s less a joke than a character reference. So it is deeply, cosmically ironic that the thing that restored my passion for wine is called Patience. For years, wine was my obsession, my career, and my lens through which I understood the world.

Research blocks give wineries a place to test new grape varieties, farming methods and other ideas on a smaller scale before making bigger bets across the vineyard. Larkmead Vineyards’ Research Block in Calistoga. | Photo Credit: Bob McClenahan These days, wine regions are very good at theorizing about the future. Warmer vintages. Increasingly erratic weather. Changing consumer behavior. New farming methods. Grape revivals.

The view from the top of the hill at Clos Madeleine, a new vineyard project from Yann Chave. | Photo Credit: Katie Melchior Lush, verdant hillsides, a breeze perfumed with acacia flowers, and organic vineyards interspersed with vibrant plots of fruit trees: the messy, chaotic beauty of the landscapes in the Northern Rhône caught me by surprise.

A THC seltzer, a cooler, and zero corks required. | Photo Credit: High Spirits Though still a small category compared with beer or wine, THC seltzers are one of the fastest-growing segments for the cannabis industry. According to Grand View Research, THC beverages are thriving, with cannabis beverage sales up 15% year over year in Q1 2025, and forecasts suggest the global market growth from $1.16 billion in 2023 to $3.86 billion by 2030. Is this a long-term shift or just the latest “buzz”?

Cabo Ortegal in Galicia. | Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons Somewhere between almost faceplanting into a tower of empanadas on the bar and being greeted by the event host with a hearty “Hey, party people!”, complete with air-horn noises, I understood that the messaging from the Consejo Regulador of DO Rías Baixas at their recent Albariño roadshow in Boston was focused on fun. At first blush, it seemed reasonable enough to me.

A view of the Regenerative Organic Certified MAHA Estate. | Photo Credit: O’Neill Vintners and Distillers Of the 22 wineries worldwide that are Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC), 6 are based in Paso Robles: Tablas Creek Vineyard, Booker Vineyard, Halter Ranch Vineyard, MAHA Estate, Robert Hall Winery, and Le Cuvier Winery. Some were early adopters; others joined more recently.

Grower Champagne has its place in the wine world, but that shouldn’t come at the death of Big Champagne. | Photo Credit: Moët & Chandon For most of my wine career, grower Champagne – that is, wines made by producers who farm their own vineyards and bottle under their own labels, rather than blending broadly-sourced fruit in the grande marque model – has been the darling of the sparkling wine world. It’s what sommeliers pour when they want to display their certifications.

Sheep graze among the vines at Weingut Schönhals, where organic, biodynamic, and regenerative farming practices reflect Germany’s evolving approach to wine. | Photo Credit: Weingut Schönhals Johannes Leitz in the Vineyard | Photo Credit: Weingut Leitz Germany has long been regarded as a guardian of wine tradition, defined by rigorous standards and historic styles.