At first glance, Israel may not seem to play an important role in today’s modern wine industry.  The country is about the size of the state of New Jersey with only about 10,000 acres of vineyards and 30 commercial wineries in the entire country.   But where Israel has played a leading role with global consequences, and the reason why it will continue to be a serious producer of quality wines, is in the area of technology.  Israel has the distinction of developing the modern form of drip irrigation in the 1960′s that is used in agriculture …

In name and in place, the Chappellets own the real Pritchard Hill. Charles Pritchard was a real man who in the 1870’s first cultivated this difficult terrain about four miles up the eastern mountains from the Oakville floor. In 1873, he reported about 2,000 vines planted and by 1881 there were 15,000 vines on 15 acres (History of Napa and Lake Counties), about the right density of planting for dry-farmed vines on well-draining and shallow slopes. Pritchard’s farmstead was known in those times as “Pritchard Hill.”    
Pritchard Hill is not in …

 Arriving at Ceja Vineyards on a cool spring morning, one is struck by the impeccable landscaping – just one of many signs that the Cejas take pride in their work. Ceja was founded by Amelia and Pedro Ceja, Pedro’s brother and winemaker Armando Ceja, and his wife Martha. Ceja produces about 10,000 cases of wine a year from 115 acres of prized vineyards in Carneros and Sonoma Coast that reflect both the cooler terroir of these appellations and their own personal styles.  
The wines are elegant, medium-bodied and show fine restraint …

Nautilus pinot gris from Marlborough

New Zealand is a new World wine region with a cool climate.  There are over 77,000 acres of vineyards in New Zealand with 2009 production of 205 million liters.  Because New Zealand has a relatively small population, over half of the wines are exported.  New Zealand covers a distance of 1,000 miles from 34th to the 47th parallel across two islands, with the South Island being generally cooler and drier than the North Island.  On the South Island, New Zealand grows  the majority of its signature aromatic white grape varieties such as …

Over fifty years ago, patriarch Donald Long began to acquire land on Pritchard Hill in the eastern mountains above Rutherford and Oakville. Today it is one of the most coveted vineyard areas in the Napa Valley with the most recent owners ranging from cult Ovid to the venerable Continuum owned by Margrit, Tim and Marsha Mondavi.  Current generation owner David Long has been making wine at namesake David Arthur Vineyards for over 25 years now and in 2008 hired Nile Zacherle as winemaker to ensure the crafting of the highest quality cabernet sauvignon …

Uber-consultant Philippe Melka and his wife Cherie, a microbiologist, have been making their own signature Metisse label and CJ wines since the 1996 vintage.  Going into their second decade with the 2007 vintage however, the couple decided to focus on the strength of Philippe’s reputation as one of the top consulting winemakers with greater emphasis on the Melka name on the label as well as by expanding their portfolio to include wines that have personal meaning for them.  
Metisse means a blend of cultures, reflecting Melka’s background in French and American winemaking.  Philippe has been making wine in the US since the early 1990′s including a position at Ridge, …

Dos Lagos Vineyards owners Tom and Marcie Dinkel

Dos Lagos Vineyards is the latest of several notable mountain cabernet sauvignon wines Foley has been making for over 25 years including Pride Mountain and Paloma from Spring Mountain and his own label Robert Foley Vineyards from Howell Mountain.  Foley has been farming on the “eastern ridge” for over twenty years and made his name as winemaker at Pride on the “western ridge” for 15 (as well as owning blocks on Mount Veeder and Diamond Mountain) so he understands the potential power and density of cabs …

This new series of guides to the world’s finest wines and producers is presented by the editorial team at The World of Fine Wine,  one of the most authoratative periodicals in wine today.  They are only ‘field guides’ in that they are concise and portable, but they are very weighty in content.  Two of the guides recently published by UC Berkeley Press are The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy by Nicolas Belfrage, MW and The Finest Wines of Champagne by Michael Edwards.  The Finest Wines of Bordeaux written by James Lawther, MW is currently expected …

After 20 years of working as consulting winemaker for several Napa Valley wineries, Celia Welch decided to make her own wines beginning with the 2004 vintage. She took on the name of Corra, the celtic goddess of prophecy, because for the first time, she would be able to communicate directly to her consumers about her wines. The goddess Corra took the form of a crane, representing Celia’s slow but certain and graceful path to the present. Celia herself is a goddess of sorts, having either consulted or made wine for over …

Iconic Bordeaux consultant and winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt introduced his small, 1,500 case production Napa Valley wines to an intimate group of wine professionals at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford today.  The wines represent the 2006 vintages of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, and 575 cases of Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Hills Vineyard.  The consumer allocations of the 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc have been pre-sold, with the 2007 vintages expected to be released sometime between September and November. 
These are not Bordeaux-style wines but …