#coteaux-champenoise

#coteaux-champenoise

Researchers analyzed the DNA of nearly 50 wild and domestic grape seeds collected at archaeological sites mostly across France. The pips dated from the Bronze Age, or around 2300 BCE, through to 1500 CE, nearly 4,000 years.

the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rules, set by the USDA, declared that importers-that's right, the firms that typically handle sales and logistics, not just the winemakers- also need to be certified organic in order for the wines to retain the label. According to a spokesperson from the USDA, the regulations are an effort to "better protect organic businesses and consumers" and "keep fraud out of the market."

I've visited California wine country several times over the past couple of years, including many trips to the iconic Napa Valley. And although I definitely recommend a trip to Napa, there's another nearby wine region that I find myself returning to even more often: Sonoma. More than just the city of Sonoma, the entire county feels like its own world. With rolling vineyards, rugged beaches, and redwood forests, it offers so much more than wine alone. Here's why this region stole my heart.

When it comes to visiting France, Paris gets most of the attention, but don't overlook the country's gorgeous small towns. In these quaint destinations, many accessible by train, you can exchange the bustle of the city for wide-open beaches, mountain trails, medieval castles, and sprawling vineyards. From the French-German border to the Mediterranean coast to the mountainous intersection of France, Italy, and Switzerland, these small towns and villages (all home to less than 15,000 people) offer a slower pace and warm French hospitality.

Visiting France is often associated with great food, beautiful cities, and a strong sense of style. But what many travelers discover quickly is that daily life in France is guided by a set of unwritten etiquette rules. These rules are not about being overly polite or friendly at all costs. They are about showing respect for others, for shared spaces, and for social boundaries.

In reality, most French people do not spend their summers chasing iconic landmarks or ticking destinations off a bucket list. Their idea of a successful vacation is quieter, slower, and often much closer to home. Rather than Paris or Saint-Tropez, they favor rural regions, discreet coastlines, forested hills, and mid-sized towns where life moves at a gentler pace, often staying in family homes, rented gîtes, camping sites, or small guesthouses.

If you've ever walked a massive trade fair floor feeling overwhelmed by endless booths and brochures, you're not alone. But ProWein Düsseldorf is changing the game, and it's about time. The world's leading wine and spirits fair just announced a major evolution for 2026: the Insights to Action (I2A) Framework. And no, this isn't another buzzword-heavy initiative. It's a data-backed, visitor-focused system designed to make B2B wine buying smarter, faster, and far more efficient.

The Brain Science Here's where neuropsychology enters the vineyard. The human brain's relationship with wine is deeply emotional and multisensory. When we taste wine, our orbitofrontal cortex integrates sensory information with memory and emotion; it's why a particular bottle might remind us of our grandmother's kitchen or that study-abroad summer in Tuscany. This neural complexity is what makes wine special, and it's also what makes AI's role in the industry controversial.

Founded in 1992 by Miguel Torres and Robert Drouhin to promote the exchange of ideas, its members include Domaine Clarence Dillon (Château Haut-Brion), Famille Perrin (Chateau de Beaucastel) and Alsace's Famille Hugel, as well as Sassicaia makers Tenuta San Guido, the Douro's Symington family, Riesling specialists Egon Müller and Tuscany's 26 th-generation winemakers Marchesi Antinori. Earlier this week, all 12 descended on the Paris's Grand Palais for the launch of the PFV Generations Case, an ultra-limited-edition case of 12 wines - one from each family. Treats in the coffret include a 2016 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a 2004 Vega Sicilia Unico, and a Champagne Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2002 (which the house's 6 th-generation ambassador Bastien Collard de Billy was pouring on the night, and I can report tasted absolutely stellar). To sweeten the deal, each case also includes a VIP visit to every estate, some of which aren't open to the public. The case is priced at €32,000 and only a dozen have been created.

Jesse Hall can't remember a time he wasn't inseparable from the sea. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Hall spent his youth surfing the Marin coast and sailing San Francisco Bay. By his early 20s, he was shaping surfboards in San Diego, where he rode the mellow waves of Pacific Beach. Winemaking is similar to surfing in that you're living moment by moment, said Hall, founder of Seawolf Wines in Mendocino County's Yorkville Highlands.

Romance and renewal are on the menu now and through February. It's a time to recharge and get moving on shaping a successful 2026. But that doesn't mean you can't slow down and enjoy an evening sip after a long day, or crack open a bottle with a loved one and celebrate the moment. These unique California reds offer an opportunity to relax and toast to finding joy in the new year.

"Five to ten years ago, sustainability was often limited to buzzwords or isolated practices," he says. "Today, it is holistic, intentional, and deeply embedded into every aspect of the visitor experience."

Instead of being dropped to a sober corner, a few nonalcoholic sparkling wines are listed right next to the German Rieslings and proper Champagnes, simply marked with an icon indicating their NA status. It's a way to give due respect, says co-owner and beverage director Jeff Vejr, and to note that these wines are delicious. They aren't necessarily cheaper than their boozy counterparts, either. "To dealcoholize wine is way more expensive than to just produce it naturally," Vejr says.

The historic Trubody Ranch, a prominent and historic Napa Valley vineyard property that has supplied premium producers for decades, has changed hands for the first time in over a century and will now be the main source for a wine venture by some of the region's most notable restaurateurs. KHK Wines - short for Keller Hall Keller - was founded as a vineyard partnership among celebrity chef Thomas Keller of

While nonalcoholic wines haven't always been a hit, many brands are challenging stereotypes with their wow-worthy wines, and such is the case with Bolle's Blanc de Blancs. Coming in at $40 for a standard 750-milliliter bottle or $90 for a magnum, this alcohol-free bubbly isn't the most budget-friendly option. It is, however, worth every penny. In a ranking of several non-alcoholic wines, Tasting Table's taste tester dubbed Bolle's Blanc de Blancs the best of the best.

Starbucks' Reserve Roasteries sell whiskey barrel-aged cold brew, some beer is aged in bourbon barrels, and wine is an obvious beneficiary of this method too. Though the practice of aging wine in bourbon barrels is contested by some consumers - naysayers say the process diminishes the flavors that come from thoughtfully growing and sourcing the grapes, thus undermining the farmers - others are staunch fans of the finished product.

Last August, on a hurried stretch of East 18th Street in Antioch, 20 acres of ancient grapevines seemed to vanish overnight. Once part of the historic Evangelho Vineyard, the parcel was sold off in the 1950s, changing hands several times before Rockefeller Construction acquired it last year. Morgan Twain-Peterson of Sonoma's Bedrock Wine Co. was crushed, but not surprised. In Contra Costa County, where rows of centuries-old grapevines are often sandwiched between gas stations and convenience stores, the sense of impending loss is palpable.

Dubai: The world's most expensive glass of champagne Luxury excess finds its natural home in Dubai, which tops Blacklane's Champagne Index as the most expensive city in the world for a glass of champagne, averaging $49 per 125ml pour - 21 per cent higher than in New York. The survey's most extravagant single pour was recorded at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai, where a glass of Veuve Clicquot costs $64.