Previous issue: Aug. 31, 2008

 

The World of Cheese  As with wine, each major cheese-producing region has its own style and taste. We help you find your way to some of the best with our list of 100 great cheeses that are available in the United States today. You’ll also find wine-matching advice, delicious recipes, detailed information on five major cheese categories, and answers to your questions on cheese.

Cheese’s Coming of Age   An increasingly sophisticated American palate is hungry for fine cheese and more variety

100 Great Cheeses   From Old World classics to new stars developed by artisanal American dairies, these cheeses make the cut

Surefire Wine Matches   Take the guesswork out of wine-and-cheese pairing with these suggestions for white, red, sweet and Port bottlings

• WineSpectator.com BONUS VIDEO:  Harvey Steiman presents a lesson on pairing red wine with cheese. Watch as he tastes two cheeses featured in Wine Spectator's 100 Great Cheeses issue with a Napa Valley Cabernet.

• WineSpectator.com BONUS VIDEO:  Join Wine Spectator on an expedition to a cheese shop to learn all about shopping, serving and storing one of the world's most traditional and delicious foods.

Features

Tasting Reports

White Burgundy’s Triple Crown 2006 makes it three excellent vintages in a row, but prices continue to rise

• WineSpectator.com:  An alphabetical chart of all wines tasted for this report is available.

• WineSpectator.com BONUS VIDEO:  Bruce Sanderson recently spent a week in one of his favorite wine regions, Burgundy. There he visited the village of Vosne-Romanée, which is home to six grand cru vineyards, each of which makes delicious, but distinctly different Pinot Noirs. Take a tour and learn why.

Tricky 2006 for California Pinot   A challenging vintage delivers quality, but plenty of green and herbal wines as well

• WineSpectator.com:  An alphabetical chart of all wines tasted for this report is available.

• WineSpectator.com  Pinot Pairing: Members can use our online Recipe Search to find great dishes to serve with Pinot Noir, such as grilled salmon steaks with leeks and couscous-perfect for an end-of-summer cookout.

New Faces

People

The Quiet Men of Chablis   Bernard and Jean-Marie Raveneau let their terroir-driven whites do the talking for them

Departments

This Issue

This Issue Marvin R. Shanken

Upfront

  

Château Cos-d’Estournel buys Chateau Montelena; 2007 Bordeaux futures fail to sell; Brunello di Montalcino wines are cleared for U.S. import; Wildfire Smoke Descends on California Vineyards; Red-Wine Chemical May Help Fight Ravages of Age; GrapeVine

• WineSpectator.com  Keep up with breaking news as well as the people, places and happenings that wine lovers are talking about.

Tastes

  

Essential cheese tools; a shatterproof wineglass; coffee-shop grinders; The Rabbit 2.0

• WineSpectator.com  Get tips on all types of kitchen essentials, from blenders to knives to toaster ovens, in our online Food Encyclopedia.

Dining Out

Dining Out   Los Angeles

Savvy Shopper

The Savvy Shopper   The hunt for values: Albariño to Zinfandel

Columns

James Laube   If you rebuild it, they will come

• WineSpectator.com  In recent blog posts, James Laube says Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is making the right decisions for the future, finds a shortage of great wines in a tasting of Dry Creek Valley reds, visits a new center for cult wines in Napa and sizes up a possible sale of Chateau Montelena. Join the conversation with other members.

Matt Kramer   Today’s wine cellars

James Suckling   Diplomacy by the slice

• WineSpectator.com  In recent blog posts, James Suckling relives a TCA moment, shares an evening in Tuscany that makes him feel like a lucky man and enjoys a lineup of high-quality Italian whites during an alfresco dinner.

James Molesworth   Châteauneuf’s new wave

Letters

Letters

In-Depth

In Depth   Beaujolais land rush

Collecting

  

Lafite leads 1982 Bordeaux performance; California Winemasters charity auction answers record high heat with high bidding; Jackson Hole charity auction wins big with impressive lots

• WineSpectator.com:  Manage your cellar: Our improved Personal Wine List allows members to organize the bottles in their collection in a personal database. The new My Cellar companion tool tracks the value of your individual collectibles and of your cellar's total worth.

Wine Talk

Wine Talk   Restaurateur Joseph Bastianich and Pope Benedict XVI

The Buying Guide

View a list of all tasting notes from this issue. Or for more than 203,000 tasting notes, use WineSpectator.com's Wine Ratings Search, where you can sort by region, variety, vintage, price, score and tasting date.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FOOD:  Learn how to select, store, prepare and enjoy everything from poultry to produce and beyond. Our searchable reference guide comes with expert tips and wine-matching advice. RECIPE SEARCH:  Inspired to try some new dishes that incorporate cheese? Find hundreds of delicious recipes on our Web site, searchable by ingredient, food type and matching wine type. RESTAURANT RATINGS:  Let us know what you think about the award winners in our 2008 Dining Guide. Our Restaurant Search ratings system lets you hand out stars and comment on places where you've dined.

RESTAURANT SEARCH:  Our complete 2008 Dining Guide, with more than 4,000 award-winning restaurants, is searchable in our free online database—now with photos and more information. VIDEOS:  We have hundreds of free videos that are available for viewing on our Web site. Recent ones include: Shopping for Cheese:  Join Wine Spectator on an expedition to the cheese shop, to learn all about shopping, serving and storing your favorite cheeses. Burgundy Field Trip:  Bruce Sanderson recently spent a week in one of his favorite wine regions, Burgundy. There he visited the village of Vosne-Romanée, which is home to six grand cru vineyards, each of which makes delicious, but distinctly different Pinot Noirs. Take a tour and learn why. Great Wine Service:  At any restaurant, wine service can make or break the dining experience. Get the inside scoop on the key aspects of wine service from top sommeliers and wine directors. Summer Idyll:  On a warm afternoon, there's nothing like sitting outside and sipping a crisp, refreshing wine. Join senior editor James Suckling in his Tuscan garden as he describes some of his favorite Italian whites. NEW FREE E-MAIL NEWSLETTER:  Don't miss New at Wine Spectator, our latest free newsletter, which alerts you to the cover story and other articles in the most recent issue of the magazine, with links to related content available free on our Web site. Sign up for it today! HARVEST REPORTS: Coming Soon:  Once crush gets under way, we'll be providing updates on what to expect in terms of quality from the Northern Hemisphere's top wine regions.