Details are few, but Copia, the Robert Mondavi-inspired food, wine and arts centre in Napa that is a reported $78 million in debt, announced 1 Dec that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy...

Copia, the downtown Napa food and wine showcase built with $20 million in seed money from Robert Mondavi, yet now mired in deep debt, will build a second campus in San Francisco in an attempt to...

Here is a palate-whetter for my massive set of Argentine tasting notes to be published tomorrow - among them some extremely exciting wines. I recently saw Nicolas Catena of Argentina,...

Those of us at the outer spokes rather than at the world’s financial hubs are understandably keen to know how the current economic turmoil will affect our particular sphere. Early reports...

See related thread in Members' forum   In this collection of 77 wines offered this autumn by Sainsbury’s, one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains locked in mortal combat with the...

From $4.99 and £7. Find this wine Have I gone mad? Choosing a California Chardonnay made by the world’s biggest wine company that can be found in the US for as little as $4.99...

In a nutshell : Some very fine wine indeed but relatively few bargains. Main grapes : Chardonnay, (French) Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc (white); Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot...

Please note that italics refer to grape varieties that have their own entries in this guide to hundreds of the most significant grapes currently grown around the world to produce white...

Chardonnay's a funny grape. It is arguably the most popular in the world, and yet most of those who love it would find it difficult to describe exactly what it tastes of. The truth, I suspect,...

Find this wine  Yes, there is more to Argentina than Malbec from Mendoza. This exotically aromatic dry white is a bargain way to meet the country’s second great gift to the...

Quite a ruckus was raised in Napa Valley last week. First, there was the shock announcement that Chateau Montelena is being purchased by Château Cos d’Estournel’s...

In a move that should send a shiver down the spine of any wine writer, the Los Angeles Times , reportedly losing money hand over fist, is laying off 150 editorial staff including its wine...

One of the most difficult questions for a wine writer to answer is “which wineries should I visit?” As in so many aspects of our professional lives, we are spoilt. We scarcely notice...

The reason I'm in California is that on Saturday night I had the great honour of chairing a panel of old friends of the late Robert Mondavi at a celebration of his life at Copia in Napa. The...

If you haven’t been to Napa Valley lately, there are surprises in store.   The landmark wineries still draw crowds, The French Laundry in Yountville is still the place to...