Category: Cooking, Food & Wine

Two weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle devastated the North Island of New Zealand, residents are still assessing the destruction. The storm is already considered the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere, with damages estimated to be upward of $8 billion. The cyclone, which killed at least 11 people, hit the farming and winegrowing regions of the North Island particularly hard.

For winemakers in areas such as Hawkes Bay and Gisborne, the timing could hardly be worse. Harvest is just weeks away. Some vineyards were flooded, and in certain areas, tons of mud carried by the waters buried vines and pushed into buildings, leaving bottles and equipment trapped under heavy muck.

But many New Zealand winemakers aren’t eager to put the spotlight on their losses. “We feel that the loss of life and destruction to homes and personal businesses is so much bigger than the wine story,” said Warren Gibson, winemaker at Trinity Hill in Hawkes Bay. His somber tone is consistent among the island’s winegrowing community—some winemakers are reluctant to go on the record to report damage, focusing instead on the loss of human life and damages to their communities.

Buried

A tropical cyclone is an organized, rotating storm system that originates over warm tropical or subtropical waters. Known as hurricanes in the northern Atlantic and typhoons in the northwestern Pacific, the storms are cyclones in the Indian and southwestern Pacific oceans and are just as deadly. New Zealand is no stranger to storms, but Gabrielle was especially dangerous.

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While vintners were aware the cyclone was en route, no one could have predicted the volume of water that came with Gabrielle—all days before harvest was expected to begin. The total rainfall was between 14 and 18 inches, which included a 24-hour period of downpours, from Feb. 13 to 14, that saw more than three times as much rain as the February average.

The cyclone comes after a January storm that caused widespread flooding. Gabrielle’s high winds and waters washed away coastal roads and destroyed bridges, while landslides created more damage. On Feb. 14, the country declared a national state of emergency for just the third time in its history. Early estimates are that 10,000 New Zealand residents were left homeless in the wake of Gabrielle. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called the cyclone the country’s “biggest natural disaster” of the 21st century.

Nick Picone, chief winemaker at Sacred Hill in Hawkes Bay, reports that approximately 200 acres of Sacred Hill’s vines were “catastrophically affected.” He says it’s unknown how much of those grapes will be harvestable.

“Some vineyards have been lost completely under silt, like our Dartmoor vineyard,” explained Picone. “Approximately 37 acres there have gone completely under and will not be recoverable. This was Sacred Hill’s first vineyard, which was planted in the 1980s. The costs and benefits of trying to recover versus replanting must be carefully considered.”

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The New Zealand Herald reports that winemaker Philip Barber, using a shovel, dug out 12,000 bottles of wine at Petane Wines in Esk Valley. The wine was stuck in a storage room behind nearly 10 feet of silt and mud. The bottles will be tested to make sure the wine is ok and hopefully auctioned off to recoup costs.

Harvest in a disaster zone

The surrounding devastation is another factor, with winemakers unable to reach some vineyards or move equipment. “We are also currently cut off from our Rifleman’s vineyard farther up the valley, with no bridge access across the river,” said Picone. “We are working on scenarios for how to get this fruit out of the vineyard in the next week or two. Vineyards that were flooded but not up to the fruit zone should still be harvestable, but any vineyard that was flooded up to the fruit (evident by silt deposits in the bunch zone) will need careful testing to ensure the fruit is safe to harvest. We don’t have any vineyards in this position.”

Despite worst-case scenarios, Kiwi winemakers are careful to not discount the vintage entirely. The region’s largest wine region of Marlborough, on the South Island, wasn’t affected dramatically. As for the North Island, “This week, those who are able are assessing vineyards, fruit and looking to the upcoming harvest, while assisting those who are less well off,” said Gibson. “For many, there is still good fruit out there. The vintage will be difficult, but it will not be impossible. Hawkes Bay wine folk will rally and there will be good wines produced.”

Julian Grounds, chief winemaker at Craggy Range in Havelock North, is counting his blessings. “From a Craggy Range perspective, we escaped with no damage to vineyards and buildings and consider ourselves very lucky,” Grounds said. “This was also the case for the wider Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa wine regions, as the river protecting the area held its bank but burst farther down.”

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“Unfortunately, around some of the areas located within 15 to 30 minutes [from us], flooding has caused significant damage,” he added. “And that’s an absolutely devastating outcome, as [it] will likely mean replanting. The region of Esk Valley was one of the hardest hit, so our thoughts are with them.”

Grounds adds that Craggy Range is approximately one week from harvesting Chardonnay, and he is hopeful the current dry, sunny weather will continue. Picking dates were already pushed back by a few weeks compared to 2019–2021 harvests, due to a cold and wet growing year.

Paul Brajkovich of Chardonnay powerhouse Kumeu River reported, “We are relatively unscathed in Kumeu. The cyclone came through last week; the flooding did not reach the winery, but the winds blew over a few trees and at least helped dry things out a bit. Coastal areas close to us, such as Muriwai, Piha and Bethells, have suffered quite a bit of damage, with slips and a number of houses now uninhabitable.” Brajkovich said a Dartmoor grower, whom the winery typically purchases grapes from, had to escape floodwaters of up to 13 feet. It’s believed their crop was destroyed.

He adds that Kumeu River started harvesting Pinot Gris and will begin picking Chardonnay next week. “This is not the fabulous vintages of 2019 and 2020, but at least the weather is fine and we are getting some decent stuff.”

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The world of prestige rosé is consolidating. Moët-Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of LVMH, has purchased a majority stake in the fast-growing Provence estate Château Minuty.

Fourth-generation owners Jean-Etienne and François Matton will remain at the helm of the winery their family founded in Saint-Tropez in 1936. Minuty is credited with helping establish the classic pale pink, aromatic style of Provençal rosé that has become the gold standard, and with fueling the explosive popularity of dry pink wine. Today, Minuty is the best-selling premium rosé in France (premium is classified at more than €15 per bottle).

In the Moët Hennessy portfolio of luxury wine labels, Minuty joins rosé winery Château d’Esclans, producer of Whispering Angel. The French conglomerate became the majority owner of that estate back in 2019, joining forces with founder Sacha Lichine, and the alliance has proven highly successful.

“Since we entered into the partnership with Sacha Lichine on Chateau d’Esclans, the business has literally doubled, and we have no doubt that the growth will continue and that we can expand this success to Minuty,” Philippe Schaus, chairman and CEO of Moët Hennessy, told Wine Spectator.

How does Minuty’s Matton family feel about being under the same umbrella as another leading prestige rosé? “We do not see ourselves as direct competitors because we serve different customer bases,” said François Matton. “Château d’Esclans is the leading Provence wine brand in the United States, while Minuty holds the leading position in Europe, the Caribbean, and Dubai.” The wine styles are also different, he explains, with Minuty especially focused on lightness and freshness.

American wine drinkers can expect to see more wines from Minuty, including whites and reds, reports Schaus, as well as an increased focus on the luxury wines from the estate, namely the Château Minuty 281 ($85) and Rosé et Or ($55), a price jump from Minuty’s Prestige ($30) and M ($27) bottlings.

Schaus believes the Côtes de Provence will increasingly become synonymous with the world’s most elite rosé and top producers will continue to see growth. “Provence is increasingly becoming to rosé wines what Champagne is to sparkling wines.” And by leveraging the charms of Provençal lifestyle and heritage, he added, “these wines have found their place not only in the apéritif consumption moment, but also in fine dining and high energy bars and clubs.”

The Champagne comparison is not lost on Matton, either. While Minuty has seen impressive growth, especially in the last five years, he believes the synergies between LVMH’s Champagne brands, including Krug, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart, will build a wider audience for his rosés. “We share many of the same customers,” he said.

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Chile’s firefighting efforts continue, nearly three weeks after hundreds of fires erupted in several Southern provinces, burning more than one million acres, destroying more than 2,100 homes and businesses, and killing at least 25 people. According to officials, dozens of uncontrolled fires are still burning in and around Concepicon province, which lies 350 miles south of Santiago. The majority are ablaze in the Ñuble and Bío Bío regions within the Itata Valley, home to some of the country’s oldest vineyards. Additional fires are spreading north into parts of Maule and south into Araucanía.

“The consequences of the fires have been terrible,” Eduardo Jordán Villalobos, technical director for Miguel Torres, told Wine Spectator. “Many acres of forests burned, and this time, unlike the 2017 fire, I have seen a greater number of vineyards, houses and even wine cellars [burn].”

Vineyards often act as buffers against fires, but these intense blazes have left many vines with significant damage. Many of the grapes slated for the 2023 vintage are all but ruined by smoke exposure or heat damage.

Villalobos said fires reached one of Torres’ estate vineyards in Bío Bío Valley, near the city of Nacimiento. “We have 10 acres of País vineyards over 150 years old that we managed to save an important portion of, thanks to the fire walls we had made.” Villalobos added that during the fire period, several vineyards that Torres works with in the affected valleys had endured fire and intense smoke damage. Yet, only one of its growers, Ernestorina Gonzales, suffered the loss of vines.

The 2022 to 2023 growing season in southern Chile, especially from December onward, has been marked by intense heat and gusty winds that help spark and spread wildfires. The absence of summer rains this year has increased the risk of wildfires. Villalobos said rainfall totals are the lowest southern Chile has seen over the last four years.

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In the hills of the Chilean Coast Range, Andrés Sánchez, winemaker for both the Gillmore and Dakél wineries, had a close call at Dakél’s Maricerro Vineyard. “When we saw the cloud created by the fire, we dedicated ourselves for two intense days to prevent the fire from reaching the vineyards, house and bodega,” he said. Dakél is made in partnership with Kendall-Jackson’s Don Hartford and Randy Ullom. Sánchez and his small, dedicated team managed to prevent the fire from reaching any of the property’s assets: “We slept in the cars, so as not to leave the place.”

In Guarilihue, Sebastián De Martino of De Martino has been assessing the damage to his estate vineyard. “It’s been quite shocking. I never experienced something like this,” he said. But like Sánchez, De Martino considers himself among the lucky: “The soils were horse-plowed and acted like fire stoppers. We estimate that 3,000 vines burned around the edges of the property. Other friends’ vineyards, wineries and houses burned.” De Martino noted that while the fire risk has diminished near his vineyard, there is still significant smoke in the air.

Preserving History

Chilean vineyards such as Torres’, De Martino’s and those in the surrounding Itata Valley have become pillars of the country’s identity—a way to preserve and rejuvenate ancient vines and old winemaking traditions. In Itata, grapegrowing dates back to 1551, when Spanish missionaries planted the first vines of Moscatel and País, also known as Listán Prieto or Mission. The area is home to dense concentrations of old vines, including 100-plus-year-old Carignan and País that are planted on their own roots. These head-trained, or goblet, vineyards are often tended by hand and dry-farmed.

While Chile’s wine production in and around its capital of Santiago swelled during the 1970s and ’80s, many of Itata’s vineyards were demoted for use in bulk wine and overlooked. Any new plantings favored fine wine grapes. But a small fraction of vintners never abandoned their prized heritage vines. Within the last two decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in these vineyards and the wines made here, as well as a sustained effort to preserve its winemaking traditions.

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For De Martino, Torres and others, terroir isn’t just about farming. They not only revived old vineyards but also embraced local winemaking customs. De Martino naturally ferments some wines in amphora (viejas tinajas). This tradition began in Chile when the first vineyards were planted in the 15th century, using indigenous clay. Torres destems grapes from these old vineyards using a bamboo mat called a zaranda and ferments in open wood containers made from raulí, a tree native to southern Chile.

Perhaps more devastating than the sheer destruction of vineyards is how these wildfires have affected the livelihoods of locals. As for the wineries, it’s unclear whether any of the affected wines will reach the market.

“Undoubtedly, a year of great challenge for our technical team,” said Villalobos, noting that going through the 2017 fires helped prepare his team for this harvest, which began last week. “Another thing we experienced this season, and in 2017, is the importance of the design of forest plantations that allow greater security, the use of firebreaks and the earlier reaction of the government entities responsible for attacking the fires.”

The loss of the vintage and the damage done to vineyards and facilities could be financially catastrophic for small wineries and growers, perhaps handicapping them for years. They face an uncertain future, but many Chileans are united in the idea of protecting and aiding their neighbors. The extreme heat and winds have subsided for now, but as De Martino noted, there are still fires burning throughout Itata and beyond: “It’s not over yet. We are now figuring out ways to help.”

Local donations and fundraisers are underway. Julio Alonso, executive director of Wines of Chile’s USA office, says the organization has started a GoFundMe effort to raise money to support winemaking families in Itata and preserve the region’s vines.

“We are organizing various areas of help,” said Alonso, noting a collaboration with Chile’s Talca University to provide advice and resources to rescue the impacted vineyards. “We know that old vines are the key asset of these small producers, so we are focusing on helping on that aspect.”

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If you’re looking for a fine wine pit stop during your travels, Best of Award of Excellence winner Wine Bar George—owned and led by Master Sommelier George Miliotes—now has a second location in Florida, at Orlando International Airport, in the Palm Court area of the new Terminal C.

“[On our first day], five guys walked up to the bar and their international flight had been delayed a little bit,” recounted Miliotes, who has spent decades in the restaurant business. “They sat down, ordered a bottle of Cabernet Franc, got a big old cheese and charcuterie board and ended up having three bottles of Cabernet Franc before their flight eventually took off. That’s exactly what I expected to have happen at the airport.”

Miliotes—who helped launch Disney World’s the California Grill before becoming director of beverage and hospitality for Darden Restaurant’s Seasons 52 and the Capital Grille—jokes that he gets every sort of clientele at the new restaurant, from frazzled passengers looking for respite during a layover to others looking to start their vacation after a long flight. “You have to be able to read [each guest experience],” he said. “If it is just a quick transactional experience, then it’s a transactional experience, but at the highest level that we can [offer]. If they do want to know a little bit about their wine, then we’re there.”

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With 75 offerings covering a range of varieties, regions, styles and prices, the new wine list is shorter than that at the original location in Disney Springs. Aside from a handful of wines on tap, each label is available by the glass or by the bottle, with around 18 selections also available in 1-ounce and 3-ounce pours, even more exclusive wines such as vintage Champagne, red and white Burgundy, classified-growth Bordeaux, Napa Cabernets and super Tuscans. Per Miliotes, a flexible beverage program is necessary to help his team find the right selection for each guest’s particular needs. Along with cheese and charcuterie, the wine bar also serves small plates such as warm crab dip and house-made hummus, sandwiches and salads.

Miliotes observed that fans of the original Wine Bar George have said they were happily surprised to see the restaurant at Orlando International, while those who first encountered the airport location have expressed their excitement at finding it in Disney Springs. “We want to continue to build that kind of cross-pollination,” said Miliotes.

The new outpost is a collaboration with Master ConcessionAir (MCA), an airport restaurant-retail group that only recently expanded into Orlando International. Miliotes notes that MCA helped him keep true to his original vision, while still developing a practical plan for an airport location. But there was one thing that stumped him: breakfast service. “A lot of people do early flights, particularly out of Orlando,” Miliotes explained. “MCA doesn’t choose my wine list—that’s what I do. So, at some point in time, I had to look in my heart and say, ‘You know what, they know much more about breakfast in the airport than I do.’ We took their ideas wholeheartedly and have really let them guide that part of the experience. And you know what? People want to get breakfast and a glass of wine, so we’re good with that.”—J.L

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The Capital Grille Opens a New Illinois Location

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Fresh off the debut of its new location in Louisville, Ky., the Capital Grille will be opening a restaurant in Skokie, Ill., on March 10. The new location, in the Westfield Old Orchard center, joins the Capital Grille’s widespread portfolio, which includes 61 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners.

“We have had our eye on the Skokie community for years and were excited to have found a location that suits our needs,” Keith Moore, senior director of real estate development for the Darden Restaurants group, told Wine Spectator via email.

Like its sibling locations, the Skokie Capital Grille will focus on steaks dry-aged on location and prepared daily by an in-house butcher. This includes a bone-in New York Strip, a porcini-rubbed Delmonico cut with aged balsamic vinegar and a filet mignon with cipollini onions. Chef and location partner Nick Santangelo, originally from Chicago, will also prepare dishes like calamari with hot cherry peppers, crab cakes and lobster mac and cheese, which are joined by a range of desserts. “Our team looks forward to joining the community as the destination of choice for family celebrations and business meetings alike,” said Santangelo.

Manager and location partner Thomas Dierking—previously the beverage manager at the Capital Grille in Lombard, Ill.—oversees a list of more than 300 wines, with plenty of steak-friendly reds throughout: Napa Cabernets, Rhône reds, super Tuscans and Washington state reds, for instance. This includes leading names like Paul Hobbs and Château de Beaucastel. A number of wines not often served by the glass are offered to guests using a Coravin system. “The dining scene in Skokie is already fabulous,” said Dierking. “We are honored to add to that and look forward to exceeding the community’s expectations.”

The 2,500-bottle, floor-to-ceiling cellar is on display for guests in the contemporary-design dining room, complemented by large chandeliers, original art pieces and photographs of Skokie. As at other Capital Grille locations, guests can store their wine in private wine lockers, and locker holders have first access to special wine tastings and events. The restaurant’s second floor serves as a private dining area.—C.D.

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BLT Steak Closes in New York City

BLT Restaurant Group has closed its New York flagship, the Best of Award of Excellence–winning BLT Steak in the luxury Dorchester building on East 57th Street in Manhattan. True to its name, the restaurant had served up choice cuts—including filet mignon, porterhouse and New York strip steaks—alongside a 115-label wine list focused heavily on California, France and Italy. Fans will still be able to enjoy BLT Steak’s menu and wine list at sibling locations across the U.S., including Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners in Washington, D.C., Charlotte, N.C. and Honolulu. BLT Restaurant Group also holds awards for its BLT Prime and BLT Prime by David Burke restaurants. The Manhattan BLT Steak’s wine collection will live on just a bit farther uptown at BLT Prime New York.—C.D.

Chef Charlie Palmer is closing his Aureole restaurant in Las Vegas, known for its Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list and its four-story wine tower, where “wine angels” sailed on wires to retrieve bottles. A centerpiece of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino since it opened in 1999, Aureole has been a training ground for many young chefs and sommeliers.

But after 24 years, Palmer is ready to focus on other projects. “It really doesn’t make sense for me to continue with it,” Palmer, 63, said. New ownership of Mandalay Bay and the addition of a convention center, “really changed the DNA of the hotel,” he added.

His company, the Charlie Palmer Collective, has been in transition in recent years. (Read our Aug. 31, 2022, cover story, “The Palmer Principle.”) In 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, the chef closed the original Aureole in New York after 34 years and rebranded the space as Charlie Palmer Steak, which holds a Best of Award of Excellence. That same year, Palmer’s steakhouse in The Four Seasons, Las Vegas, shut its doors because of COVID-19, and its future is uncertain. He still maintains numerous other venues, including Best of Award of Excellence–winning Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, Calif., other Charlie Palmer Steak locations and his newest dining concept, AperiBar, in New York’s Times Square.

Palmer’s attention has turned to a collection of upscale resorts, named Appellation, in the western United States. Four resorts are now in the works: Pacific Grove, Healdsburg and Petaluma in California’s Sonoma County, and Idaho’s Sun Valley.

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Appellation Healdsburg has already broken ground north of town. The plan includes a restaurant, mixed-use retail space, a high-end senior living community, residences, a large event center and intimate spaces for local artisans to teach their crafts. The Petaluma hotel is in the center of the historic river town, while the Pacific Grove facility will be a few steps from Monterey Aquarium, and the Sun Valley hotel is on Ketchum’s Main Street. “They’re all in places that I love,” Palmer said.

Aureole’s massive, impressive wine cellar—which has 26,000 bottles in inventory and holds deep collections of Burgundy, California, Italy and Bordeaux gems—is among the largest in Las Vegas and has held its Grand Award since 2000. But its future is out of Palmer’s hands. “Mandalay Bay owns the collection,” he said. Nor is he certain about the fate of the wine tower and wine angels.

Replacing Aureole, for a one-year culinary residency, is Retro by Voltaggio, from Top Chef stars and brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio. That restaurant will feature American family-style dining and a 1980s to 1990s pop-culture atmosphere that will extend from the cocktails and menu (think Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, pot roast and lobster thermidor) to the soundtrack, art on display and entertainment. The brothers have previously partnered with MGM Resorts at their MGM National Harbor restaurant Voltaggio Brothers Steak House in Maryland, which holds a Best of Award of Excellence. But for Bryan Voltaggio, the new project is something like a homecoming. He got his start at Aureole in New York under Palmer’s mentorship.

Aureole’s final service, Palmer said, will be sometime in April.

Where would we be without coffee and tea? Our favorite sources of caffeine spur productivity, social connection and pleasure, and their ritual importance makes them central to many cultures. Even better, they may be fueling longer lives and reduced disease risks for people who enjoy them.

New research has linked coffee and tea to increased life spans, especially when both beverages are consumed together in moderate amounts. Past studies have linked coffee and tea, separately, to improved health, including reduced cognitive decline, stronger hearts and more. The new study, published late last year in BMC Medicine, broadens our understanding of how coffee and tea work together in the body to affect health in the long term. It also adds to the evidence that the caffeinated beverages, which have a long history of being demonized as unhealthy, can be part of a healthy lifestyle when consumed in moderation.

The researchers, from China’s Tianjin Medical University, evaluated nearly 500,000 people ages 37 to 73 by analyzing roughly 12 years of data from the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database. By comparing amounts of coffee and tea consumed (both separately and together) with specific causes of death (including cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive diseases) and all-cause mortality, they were able to determine the drinking patterns that tend to be linked to the lowest rates of disease and the longest life spans.

The authors found that people who drank coffee and tea, both separately and combined, were less likely to have died during the study period, both due to specific diseases and other reported factors. For people who drank only coffee or tea, but not both, the lowest risk of overall mortality was found in those who drank around 1 cup of coffee or 3 cups of tea per day.

The interactive effects of coffee and tea together were especially strong on overall and digestive disease–related mortality. The strongest boost to life span was found with daily consumption of 2 to 4 cups of tea as well as up to 2 cups of coffee. Compared to drinking neither coffee nor tea, this daily consumption was associated with a 22 percent lower risk of death overall, plus reduced risks of death from cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease—24 percent and 31 percent lower, respectively. In people who drank 2 or fewer cups of coffee as well as at least 5 cups of tea per day, a 58 percent reduced risk of death from digestive disease was reported.

Coffee and tea drinkers who also consumed moderate amounts of alcohol experienced improved health outcomes, when compared to coffee and tea drinkers who rarely or never consumed alcohol and those who consumed high amounts of alcohol.

What explains the observed health benefits of tea and coffee? The researchers hypothesize that caffeine and chlorogenic acid may “play a crucial role in antioxidants, anti-inflammation, lowering blood pressure [and] insulin resistance and improving endothelial function,” the latter of which benefits blood flow. These effects may, in turn, prevent disease and improve overall health. Given that other studies have linked both decaffeinated and caffeinated coffee to improved health outcomes, the researchers say that other “bioactive substances in coffee and tea [may] also play a protective role.” They point to multiple antioxidant compounds in coffee as well as “epicatechin, catechin … and other flavonoids” in tea, some of which are also found in wine.

The UK Biobank questionnaire did not differentiate between types of coffee or tea, so it’s unclear if there are health differences between caffeinated and decaf, drip and espresso, or green and black teas. The study also relied on self-reported data, which is prone to bias—people don’t always accurately remember how much they drank, and they might change their answers to reflect how much they think they should, or shouldn’t, have drank. Moreover, many of the participants in the UK Biobank are of European descent; they also tend to be more health-conscious than the general population, so it’s unclear how the results apply to other demographics.

The researchers used standard statistical methods to control for potentially confounding variables: other aspects of coffee and tea drinkers’ lifestyles that could explain the results, including diet, exercise, alcohol intake, smoking and more. Nevertheless, since this was an observational study, they concede the possibility that confounding or chance interactions could have skewed results, and they acknowledge that coffee and tea drinkers tend to have better baseline health to begin with.

The authors call for further study, especially to investigate the full scope of the interactions between tea and coffee when consumed together.

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Donald Hess, a businessman, art collector and a vintner on four continents, died at the age of 86 in Bern, Switzerland, on Jan. 30.

Born in Switzerland in a family of brewers, Hess built a successful mineral water company before entering the wine industry in 1978 by purchasing 700 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley’s Mt. Veeder appellation. Originally intending to only sell grapes, Hess started making wine of his own in 1983. Three years later, he opened the Hess Collection winery in a restored building originally built for the Christian Brothers winery in the 1930s.

Hess began amassing a large modern art collection to display as part of the Hess Collection, hoping to attract visitors up to Mt. Veeder. At that time, most Napa wineries offered simple tasting rooms, and the Hess art collection served as a draw. The museum still operates to this day, showcasing a wide range of artists. By the 1990s the Hess Collection had gained notoriety for powerful expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon. Hess also helped with the effort for the establishment of the Mt. Veeder appellation in 1993 and became an advocate for sustainable agriculture.

Hess also began buying other winery properties starting in the 1990s, most notably in South America. By the end of 1996 he had purchased or founded Mont Gras in Chile; Bodega Norton in Argentina; Chateau Tahbilk, Geoff Merrill and Peter Lehmann Wines in Australia and Glen Carlou in South Africa.

In Argentina, he took a particular interest in the lesser known region of Salta, acquiring Bodega Colomè in the late 1990s. Colomè’s first vintage under his leadership, a Malbec and Cabernet blend, was in 2002. The grapes for Colomè were sourced from a 150-year-old vineyard in the Calchaqui Valley in Salta, one of the highest growing regions on the planet, with vineyards planted at elevations up to 9,000 feet. It’s a very arid region, and Hess purchased an additional 96,000 acres of land to capture runoff water from the Andes Mountains to supply the site.

Argentina became the focus of Hess’s life after he stepped down as chairman of the Hess Collection in 2002, handing over the company to his stepdaughter and her husband. By the mid 2000s he was spending up to 11 months a year living at Colomè. He built another art museum there in 2009, this time solely dedicated to the works of James Turrell. In 2010 he purchased 380 acres in Cafayate, a town about 2 hours’ drive south of the Colomé site.

Hess is survived by his wife Ursula, daughter Alessandra, stepdaughters Sabrina and Larissa, and five grandchildren.

Christian Moueix is the kind of man who has annual rainfall statistics memorized. “In Bordeaux, the average is 38 inches, with much less variation than Napa,” he detailed. “The past 25 years in Napa range from 8 to 63 inches.” It’s important for vintners—and not just Moueix, whose 134-acre Napa Valley property Napanook Vineyard is dry farmed—to keep track of rain because early precipitation can set the stage for an excellent vintage. At the same time, too much rain can have negative consequences. “Vintages with heavy rain, above 50 inches, were 2011, 2017 and 2019,” Moueix said. “What does that mean? Vegetation is so strong that even if we reach full ripeness, there is still some herbal character.”

California’s three weeks of storms dumped a tremendous amount of rain on the state. While the weather led to at least 22 deaths and scores of washed-out roads, mudslides and flooded neighborhoods, many farmers couldn’t help but welcome the wet weather after years of being strapped for water resources. Many areas have already attained their average rainfall for the entire year. As a result, aquifers are recharged and reservoirs are full.

And for the state as a whole, according to the California Department of Water Resources, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range currently holds more than twice the water content than in an average year. Melt from the snowpack provides approximately 30 percent of the water supply to the state each year.

The series of atmospheric rivers that carried warm moisture from the Pacific to the West Coast shifted with each storm, ensuring that almost every part of the state saw heavy rainfall at some point. Most parts of Napa and Sonoma experienced more than 25 inches of rain. Paso Robles rainfall estimates were around 20 inches. But rainfall also varied within each appellation—the western part of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley usually gets more rain than the Alexander Valley, and that was the case during these storms.

The season’s rain has brought much of the state out of severe drought risk but, as a whole, California remains moderately or abnormally dry. “We’ll take all the rain we can get,” said Hanzell president and director of winemaking Jason Jardine. “A rainy day is never a disappointing day!”

Harnessing the rain

Of course, rain has to fall at the right time for vintners. Winter months are the best time for rain in the vineyard. The grapevines are dormant up until budbreak. And a big drink, thanks to Mother Nature, helps fill reservoirs and ponds, allowing vintners to use water at will for frost protection or irrigation throughout the season. On the other hand, too much rain, in rare cases where vineyards become flooded for extended periods, can waterlog vines and prevent oxygen from reaching the roots, impeding the vines from gathering water and nutrients.

How vintners use the rain depends a lot on their specific approach in the vineyards. At Hanzell in Sonoma, Jardine farms biodynamically, and early rains in October and November helped establish cover crops, which are now flourishing thanks to the rain in December and January. Moisture also activates microorganisms, which help break down organic matter and liberate minerals for the vines.

Erosion is a big concern for Jardine because of Hanzell’s hillside vineyards. Erosion can wash away those key minerals and nutrients. Many growers combat the problem with hay bales, but cover crops, grasses and herbs planted between the rows, can also prevent soil from washing away. They also help vintners control moisture levels year round.

Jardine uses cover crops and a no-till strategy to create a sponge layer to soak up the rain. Later in the season, he crimps cover crops to avoid disrupting topsoil. That layer then acts as a buffer against the sun, aiding in retaining moisture in the soil for extended periods. This also keeps the soil temperatures cooler, which can, depending on the subsequent weather conditions, translate to later budbreak than usual, ideally reducing the threat of frost damage.

“Getting moisture around roots, at a depth many vines haven’t seen in a long time, is advantageous,” said Jardine. However, he noted that this strategy isn’t for everyone. “Farming should be about adapting to local conditions and terroir rather than being dogmatic.”

A refill and cleanse

Over in Napa, Moueix’s dry-farmed Napanook vines rely upon groundwater and underwater springs to provide water. As a result, the vines have become better at self-regulating over the years, adapting to seasonal conditions and reaching deeper for water in some years, and thus more resistant to drought conditions.

Flooding is a different challenge. Moueix and winemaker Tod Mostero mitigate excess groundwater via underground drains. “We want to see the saturation [in the soil] drop, so that vines aren’t swimming and have to go deeper to find water,” explained Mostero, noting that when vineyards irrigate, they’re correcting for natural conditions. “Dry farming allows the vine to adapt naturally and conserve in cases where there isn’t as much water.”

To the south, growers in Santa Barbara County, which typically doesn’t see as much rainfall as Northern California, are rejoicing. “We exist on somewhat of a feast or famine cycle,” said Dragonette co-founder and winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis. “On the heels of essentially five years of drought conditions, the county is at 112 percent of normal. So being significantly ahead of the curve is money in the bank.”

One of the region’s biggest problems, which drought conditions have exacerbated, is sodium levels in the soils. The region’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and breezy conditions bring salty air off the coast, which builds up in the soil, causing sodium toxicity that can lead to poor canopy growth and reduced yields over time. Sparks-Gillis said these heavy rains have cleansed the soils.

He joked that farmers are nervous about everything, and that they’ll sleep easier knowing there are some water reserves this year. But, of course, there are still many months left, and both Jardine and Moueix were quick to point out that untimely spring rains could impact the flowering and fruit set or bring unwanted vegetative growth. “For us, the rain was very welcomed,” said Moueix. “Average rain on the ranch for the past 25 years is 30.7 inches per season. As we speak today, we’re at 31.4 inches. We wish to have more, as long as it falls early in the season.”

But Mostero amended Moueix’s thoughts: “If it doesn’t rain again, the spring will be dry. The game has only just begun.”

Straight Talk kicks off 2023 with a star-studded trip to France’s Rhône Valley, a closer look at Port with two of the region’s biggest names, and Wine Spectator’s Value Wine of the Year for 2022.

Host James Molesworth and senior editor Kristen Bieler share tales of their recent trip to France’s Rhône Valley, and we’re joined in the studio by Philippe Guigal to talk recent vintages and a new addition to Guigal’s famous La-La lineup of Côte-Rôtie Syrahs.

We also speak with Port stars and friendly rivals Adrian Bridge of the Fladgate Partnership and Rupert Symington of Symington Family Estates. Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us how flooding is impacting the California wine industry, we check in with Dr. Vinny, and much more.

Wine Spectator’s Straight Talk podcast is available exclusively—and for free—at WineSpectator.com/podcast. Hosted by senior editor and special projects director James Molesworth, each episode spotlights subjects featured in the most recent issues of Wine Spectator magazine, with episode 5 taking its cue from the Jan. 31 – Feb. 28, 2023, issue.

Episode 5 of Straight Talk also features a visit from Wine Spectator‘s mysterious and beloved wine advice expert Dr. Vinny (senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec), joined by podcast director Robert Taylor. Listeners can email their questions and comments to [email protected],

The next episode of Straight Talk will spotlight the March 31, 2023, issue, and features an exclusive sit-down with Pichon Lalande’s Nicolas Glumineau—only at WineSpectator.com/podcast.

With the opening of MaMou near New Orleans’ historic Louis Armstrong Park, wine lovers have a new go-to spot in the Lower French Quarter’s vibrant dining scene. Since November, the restaurant has been serving classic continental cuisine with local flair, true to executive chef Tom Branighan’s southern Louisiana roots. Branighan looks to provide a taste of the charm, sophistication and verve of the Crescent City with his food, which is paired with a wine program from his business partner, sommelier Molly Wismeier, whose prior experience includes Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and R’Evolution in New Orleans.

Branighan’s menu highlights Louisiana ingredients with a limited number of dishes: seven starters, five mains and a trio each of sides and desserts. Standouts among the small plates include a cassoulet, braised celery hearts with beef tongue and an escargot tartlet with suet and romesco sauce. Entrées highlight fresh fish with dishes like poisson à la Florentine with caviar beurre blanc and Gulf fish court-bouillon with oyster dressing. Chicken, pork and beef each get a single, classic preparation.

The compact but heavy-hitting wine list focuses on France, especially Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, with a healthy dose of Italy and the occasional New World gem. Enophiles will relish mature offerings from Domaine Leroy, Château Monbousquet, Château Pavie and Château Léoville Las Cases. Rounding out the 80-bottle list are just over a handful of wines poured using a Coravin system, including two mature Vintage Ports: Croft 1963 and Warre 1970. Beyond the main list, 18 affordable by-the-glass offerings join eight whimsical cocktails fit for a range of palates.

Wismeier told Wine Spectator that her goal “is to create a list that is both exciting and approachable with wines from the classic regions.” Her philosophy considers both the focus of the cuisine and the atmosphere of the restaurant, and she says her role as sommelier is to be “a translator [who] strives to bridge great food with great wine in a warm and gracious environment.”

MaMou is open Thursday through Sunday from 5–10 p.m. The corkage fee is $25, with a two-bottle limit, and reservations are highly recommended.—K.M.

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Capital Grille Arrives in Louisville, Gaining Its First Foothold in Kentucky

With 61 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners spanning 26 states and Washington, D.C., the Capital Grille has helped set the bar for wine programs at American steak houses. On Feb. 3, the group is finally coming to Kentucky, opening its first Bluegrass State outpost in Louisville.

Executive chef–partner (and Louisville native) Chris McIntosh leads the restaurant alongside managing partner Petru Bester, who has been with the Capital Grille for six years, most recently as manager of the Cherry Hill, N.J., location. “We are thrilled about the excitement we have received from Louisville so far,” Bester told Wine Spectator. “We look forward to introducing guests to our hand-cut, dry-aged steaks, world-class wine list and an overall exceptional fine-dining experience.” As at the sibling restaurants, the menu centers around steak, carved each day by an on-site butcher. This includes a bone-in New York strip, filet mignon with cipollinis and porcini-rubbed Delmonico steak with 15-year-aged balsamic. Diners can also expect dishes such as lobster mac and cheese, pan-fried calamari and coconut cream pie.

“I am proud to be a chef in this exceptional food city, and our team looks forward to bringing a passion for food and personalized service to our already thriving culinary scene,” said McIntosh. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead a culinary team at a restaurant I believe in and am passionate about.”

Under the direction of Bester and corporate director of beverage strategy Gabriel Valle, the Louisville restaurant maintains the Capital Grille brand’s wine pedigree, with more than 300 selections available from a 2,500-bottle inventory on display for guests. This includes Champagnes, Sonoma Chardonnays, Napa Cabernets and much more. “Our world-class wine list is an integral part of our dining experience,” said Valle (indeed, all Capital Grille staff are able to go through training with the Court of Master Sommeliers). “We are a classic American fine-dining restaurant with a commitment and focus on Cabernet and proprietary reds from California, as well as unique offerings from around the world.”

Indeed, from California’s Paul Hobbs label to the Southern Rhône’s Château de Beaucastel, leading names, older vintages and rarer gems stud the collection and the by-the-glass list of 30 wines. (A Coravin system adds rarer options to that list.) Regulars can enhance their experience by obtaining a private wine locker. Alternatively, Louisville guests can explore the restaurant’s wine offerings through the Capital Grille’s summer Generous Pour program, a curated seven-wine pairing option with dinner.

Looking into the open kitchen, the Capital Grille’s contemporary-design dining room is lined with photographs of the city and other art. But this isn’t the only nod to local culture. The restaurant boasts a wide collection of Bourbons from acclaimed distilleries, including Eagle Rare, Elijah Craig, Michter’s and Woodford Reserve. It will also be working with distilleries to host special Bourbon dinners and events.

Looking ahead, the Capital Grille plans to open about two to four restaurants per year, with new locations debuting in Skokie, Ill., and in Dedham, Mass., in spring 2023.—C.D.