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Wine Spectator Magazine - September 30, 2025

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In this issue

Discover the rich culinary heritage of Italy through its 20 diverse regions in this guide to iconic food and wine.

Lawsuit May Stymie Trump’s Trade War

A federal court ruled May 28 that President Donald J. Trump had overstepped his authority when he imposed sweeping tariffs of 10% on nearly every nation in the world, potentially raising the price of every imported bottle of wine in American stores and restaurants.

2 mins

Auction Napa Valley Raises $6.5 Million for Local Youth

By the time the final gavel fell at the 45th edition of Auction Napa Valley, the event had raised $6.5 million for Napa nonprofits that support after-school and summer programs for children. It was a dramatic finish to a weekend of celebration involving dinners with vintners, tastings of yet-to-be-released wines and bidding on unique bottles and lavish travel experiences.

2 mins

Counterfeit Crusader Auctions Cellar

William “Bill” Koch, who amassed a 43,000-bottle cellar of rare wines and launched a crusade of litigation to stamp out sales of counterfeits, consigned nearly 7,800 bottles from his collection to Christie’s, which conducted a three-day auction of the wines in June. The sale raised $28.8 million. The top lot was a methuselah (equal to eight 750ml bottles) of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 1999, which brought in $275,000.

3 mins

A Sharp Lookout

To those of us who harbor fond memories of Cracker Barrel on Triscuits during cocktail hour at grandma's house, the taste of sharpness is quite familiar. For some (yours truly included), it's enough to trigger a Proustian madeleine moment.

4 mins

The Many Faces of Piedmont's Barbera

Barbera is one of the most historic grape varieties of Piedmont.

2 mins

Austrian Excellence

The 2023 Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners hit the sweet spot between ripeness and elegance

5 mins

Timorasso Stands the Test of Time

Five years ago I wrote about the resurgence of Timorasso (“The Return of a Piedmont Original, columns, Nov. 30, 2020), a traditional Piedmont white grape variety from the hills of the Colli Tortonesi. Thanks to the efforts of local vintner Walter Massa, along with Elisa Semino of La Colombera and others, Timorasso is not only thriving; it has attracted a number of investors from nearby Langhe.

3 mins

Frescobaldi in Oregon

Napa Valley was the first place Lamberto Frescobaldi considered when his family's wine company, Italy's Marchesi Frescobaldi, went winery shopping in the United States. Frescobaldi studied viticulture and enology at University of California, Davis, in the 1980s, just as Napa was booming. It was an exciting time in California wine and Frescobaldi wanted to be part of it.

3 mins

ICONIC FOOD & WINE OF ITALY

SIGNATURE DISHES AND WINES TO MATCH FROM 20 REGIONS

8 mins

PINOT NOIR ASCENDANT

THE LATE-RUNNING 2023 VINTAGE DELIVERS AGEWORTHY WINES AT THE HEIGHT OF QUALITY

10+ mins

AVA SPOTLIGHT: ANDERSON VALLEY

While the Sonoma Coast is currently receiving the most attention for Pinot Noir, there are other AVAs in California producing quality versions. Notable among them is Anderson Valley.

2 mins

COBB WINES: COASTLANDS VINEYARD AND BEYOND

Embracing his parents' dream, winemaker Ross Cobb has elevated their project in West Sonoma Coast

6 mins

SENSES: IN THE HEART OF WEST SONOMA COAST

A trio of childhood friends are making outstanding Pinots from top vineyards

5 mins

Nicolas Joly and His Loire Valley Wines Remain Outspoken

Nicolas Joly prescribes a simple test to determine whether a wine is “alive.” Leave the bottle open for weeks and taste it every few days or so. If the wine remains unchanged or even improves over time, it is a “true, alive” wine. If not, the wine will become oxidized in a day. “When a wine has received life properly in the vineyard, then oxidation has no power,” Joly says. “We can taste when a wine’s energy has been destroyed by bad farming and then someone used enology in the cellar to ‘create’ the wine.”

2 mins

Read all Stories from Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator Magazine Description:

Publisher: m.-shanken-communications,-inc

Category: Food-&-Beverage

Language: English

Frequency: 13 Issues/Year

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