Andrea Sartori, the fourth generation to head Sartori di Verona in Italy’s Valpolicella region, paid a visit to San Francisco to tell his family's story and share their wines.
Properly aging select wines can be truly rewarding, but how can you determine which young wines will benefit from extended time in the bottle and when to pop the cork?
Allen Balik goes into his cellar for food and wine adventures.
Tastings are important for the evaluation of wines, both professionally and personally, but they only reflect the surface of wine appreciation. Much more lurks just beneath.
Is Cognac a wine or spirit? Actually it is a bit of both, which adds to its romance and the complexity of its character.
White wines are like a Queen on the chessboard as they can move in many directions and capture a broad range of attention. Thankfully, there’s plenty of room for the traditionalist who appreciates the purity and grace of whites made in a more conventional style and for the adventurers seekin…
Viewed through a variety of lenses, the wine industry represents a constantly changing landscape from vineyard to table and 2022 was no different.
Cabernet Franc may never catch on as a “mainstream” wine we see with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir. But its inimitable personality certainly piques consumer interest and will always enjoy a unique market niche.
Vintage-dated, vintage-blended, non-vintage, multi-vintage: What do all the labels mean, and how much do they matter?
We have Prosecco in Italy, Cava in Spain and Champagne in France, so why not Pefroig in Wales?
Building on the success of Last Bottle, First Bottle and In Vino, the online marketplace team is launching First Bubbles.
Allen Balik continues his tale of wining and dining at sea.
Reykjavik for wine tasting? Maybe not the first thing that comes to mind, but what an exciting adventure it was for columnist Allen Balik — and his palate.
Webster defines complexity as "the state of not being simple" and complex as "a whole made up of complicated or interrelated parts." So, how does all this work as a wine descriptor, and is it really meaningful in assessing the true quality of a wine?
Allen Balik delves into the story of winemaker Kira Ballotta and her two brands, Olivia Brion and Cantadora.
The history of grape growing in Portugal dates back several millennia, and the Port wines of the Douro have long been regarded as among the world’s finest. Since 1986 when Portugal joined the EU, however, a new generation of vintners, growers and winemakers has grown and upgraded the industr…
Generally known for its red wines, Paso Robles is also producing some remarkable white wines.
Worldwide, Sauvignon Blanc is the eighth most widely planted wine grape with 300,000 acres and the second most planted white variety in the U.S -- but it wasn't always that way. Allen Balik tells the story of the grape's resurgence.
What exactly is an old vine, and what do these old vines bring to the wine world?
Readers share their thoughts on Allen Balik's May 6 column about the 100-point rating system for wines with reasons for and against it.
The 100-point scale for judging wines — is it an easily understood concept to help consumers or an illogical experiment of attaching a subjective and individual opinion to what appears as an objective numerical value? Allen Balik shares his views.
Vintage Champagne is commonly recognized as coming from a single year . But what is a non-vintage (NV) Champagne? And isn't multi-vintage a more simple and direct way to describe wines made from the blending of various vintages?
Are you intimidated by restaurant wine lists? Allen Balik has tips for navigating the most awe-inspiring collection and coming up with what you want.
The life-long friendship of three young men from Occidental in Sonoma County led to a new wine brand, Senses.
We cannot have a serious conversation about the superb wines of Beaujolais without acknowledging the 800-pound gorilla in the room known as Beaujolais Nouveau.