Wine Matters
from the February, 2009 issue
Is Wine in Half-Bottles Fully Worth It?
F&W’s Lettie Teague was half-hearted about wine in half-bottles. Then she started to wonder whether they deserved a chance—and began a full-on half-bottle experiment.
Read article
December, 2008
Champagne’s Consolation
Champagne can bring people together like no other wine can, says F&W’s Lettie Teague—both to celebrate good times (like the holidays) and provide comfort in emotionally challenging times (like the holidays).
November, 2008
Communities Near Vineyards: 3 bdrms, 2 bths, vineyard vws
Real-estate developers used to build houses around golf courses; now they’re creating communities near vineyards. F&W’s Lettie Teague wonders if she should move in.
October, 2008
Wine Scams: A Counterfeiter Confesses
F&W’s Lettie Teague—feeling glee, then guilt—explores the growing problem of wine fraud by attempting to dupe her friends with a fake bottle of 100-point Bordeaux.
September, 2008
Lettie Teague’s Buying Guide: Wine Vintages To Remember
There are quite a few places in the world where vintage matters. Here are five of those regions and a recent great vintage from each, plus bottles to look for.
September, 2008
Does Vintage Always Matter?
Knowing the best vintages is crucial in Bordeaux, but what about in the rest of the world? F&W’s Lettie Teague shares her easy-to-remember vintage wisdom.
August, 2008
Is Eco-Wine Better?
Skeptical about the “greenwashing” of the wine industry, F&W’s Lettie Teague explores the fast-growing world of natural wine to find some great bottles.
July, 2008
The Wines Sommeliers Love to Hate
One can’t stand Alsace wines; another says Cabernet “bores me.” F&W’s Lettie Teague considers the dislikes and likes of top wine pros.
July, 2008
Buying Guide: The Wines Sommeliers Love
Sommeliers hate certain wines, but there are others they adore as much, if not more. Here are the love-hate relationships of the sommeliers I spoke with, and the wines they worship from their lists.
June, 2008
Buying Guide: Five All-Season Favorite Wines
These wines are delicious and refreshing enough to drink in the summer and complex enough to enjoy all year long.
June, 2008
Hot and Bothered About Summer Wines
Why do so many people turn to cheap and simple wines in the summertime? F&W’s Lettie Teague investigates, then names her favorite all-season options.
May, 2008
Buying guide: Six Favorite Châteauneufs
In search of some of the world’s raciest reds, F&W’s Lettie Teague made a pilgrimage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Here, six of the best.
May, 2008
France’s Most Seductive Wine
Why are collectors so crazy for France’s famed red blend Châteauneuf-du-Pape? F&W’s Lettie Teague visits the producers of the most lust-inducing labels.
April, 2008
Finding Oregon’s Finest Pinots
Oregon is famous for two things: rain and Pinot Noir. F&W’s Lettie Teague endures drizzles and downpours to taste the state’s best wines.
March, 2008
Why It Pays to Order the House Wine
Thanks to a new breed of activist sommeliers, reports F&W’s Lettie Teague, house wines (once merely cheap) now have real cachet and feature serious bottlings from first-class wineries. House wine made by Au Bon Climat, anyone?
February, 2008
The Benefits of BYOB
F&W’s Lettie Teague, who often brings her own wine to restaurants, discovers that corkage fees can be as little as $10 or as much as $250. What is it worth to BYOB?
December, 2007
The $1,000 Wine Challenge
F&W’s Lettie Teague loves nothing more than a wine bargain. So when she gets $1,000 for a spending spree, she finds herself flummoxed—and searching for advice.
November, 2007
Can Long Island Make World-Class Wines?
October, 2007
Understanding Oak: A Travelogue
Almost all great wines, red and white, are aged in oak. To truly understand oak's influence, Lettie Teague makes a pilgrimage to one of France's most elite cooperages and sees just what goes into the making of a world-class barrel.
September, 2007
Is Barolo Still Italy’s Greatest Wine?
“The King of Wines” may be in danger of losing its reputation for greatness as a growing number of winemakers create softer, more crowd-pleasing bottlings. Lettie Teague investigates.
August, 2007
A Taste of terroir on the Cheap
Bored by expensive wines that all taste the same, F&W's Lettie Teague finds that the wines with the most character can be the most affordable.
July, 2007
A Cheapskate’s Critique of Wine List Prices
Confronted by ballooning restaurant wine prices, F&W’s Lettie Teague assesses lists across the country and suggests at least five tricks for beating the system.
June, 2007
America’s Great Value Winery
Washington state’s Chateau Ste. Michelle produces more than a million cases of first-rate value wines a year. Lettie Teague, one of the wine world’s best bargain hunters, pays a visit.
May, 2007
A Wine Tour of Château Country
Lettie Teague, besotted with a certain Vouvray, travels to its source in France and discovers a range of unfamiliar bottles, excellent countryside restaurants (plus one dud) and historic castles.
April, 2007
Mailing List Wines & Whines
Trying to get onto a cult winery’s mailing list can be enormously frustrating. So why are they still so popular? Lettie Teague finds out.
February, 2007
In Search of Perfect Wine Storage
When you own hundreds of bottles of good wine, keeping them on a high shelf in a hot closet is not an acceptable option. Lettie Teague searches out the ideal temperature- and humidity-controlled space.
December, 2006
Are Super-Tuscans Still Super?
Super-Tuscans, once among the world’s most sought-after wines, have fallen out of fashion. Lettie Teague investigates why, and searches out the timeless bottlings.
December, 2006
Wine Gifts: An Expert’s Best Advice
November, 2006
Coppola: The Great Wine Auteur
Movie director Francis Ford Coppola is also Napa Valley’s most famous vintner. Lettie Teague learns about the wines that inspire him.
October, 2006
Secret Life of a Wine Salesman
As she trails three New York City salespeople on their rounds, F&W's Lettie Teague discovers some terrific Burgundies and one great Gavi.
September, 2006
In Search of Amazing Chardonnays
Lettie Teague heads to Chablis to find some of Burgundy's greatest wines.
August, 2006
Tongue-Tied About the World's Best Wine Values
Lettie Teague attempts to pronounce words like Xinomavro and Zweigelt as she explores the new vogue for obscure wines and searches for the best (and most underpriced) bottles.
July, 2006
Are the Wine Lists at Steak Houses Any Good?
Steak houses specialize in big red wines—almost exclusively California Cabernet. Lettie Teague takes their measure on a three-city trencherman's tour.
June, 2006
Rosé: Underrated or Overhyped?
Confounded by the recent glorification of rosé, Lettie Teague goes taste-testing to make up her own mind about the merits of the pink-hued wine.
May, 2006
What Defines a Great Chilean Wine?
Chilean wines are so good in so many ways, it's hard to emphasize just one strength. Lettie Teague analyzes the best new bottles
April, 2006
The American Grand Cru Debate
March, 2006
Is Global Warming Good for Wine?
Some climatologists are predicting dramatic changes in the world's wine map. Lettie Teague wonders if Scandinavian Merlot is in our future.
February, 2006
Wine Geeks' Dot-Com Dinners
Wine fanatics are using the Web to arrange tastings with other obsessives. Internet addict Lettie Teague investigates the world of the "offline."
January, 2006
A Wet Kiss to Wine Kitsch
Lettie Teague rails against tacky wine geegaws and other accessories—and learns that defending good taste can be a very lonely battle.
December, 2005
Wine Matters - Triumph of Small Champagne Growers
Grape growers in France are making Champagnes with big personalities, reports Lettie Teague—and challenging the grandes marques.
November, 2005
Merlot Missionary: Washington State
Lettie Teague adores Washington State Merlots. But when she travels to the source, she finds winemakers ignoring the grape in favor of Cab or Syrah. What gives?
October, 2005
Italy's Braveheart: Martin Foradori
Martin Foradori of Hofstätter champions family wineries and defies the big co-ops. Lettie Teague meets the man who calls himself Braveheart.
September, 2005
Champagne and Chopsticks
You don't have to drink beer with Chinese food, Lettie Teague learns—not when it pairs so well with everything from Pinot Noir to Champagne.
August, 2005
Drinking Pinot Grigio and Proud of It
Wine snobs scorn Pinot Grigio, but Lettie Teague ignores their withering glances on a taste-a-thon that uncovers some truly admirable bottles.
July, 2005
The Young and the Restless
A new breed of twentysomething sommelier has emerged, notes Lettie Teague: confident, ambitious and extremely fast-moving.
June, 2005
What's My Wine? | Blind Tastings
How hard is it to identify a wine if you can't see the label? Lettie Teague and her husband try to make it very hard indeed as they strive to stump one another with nightly blind tastings.
May, 2005
Sweet on Alsace
Lettie Teague discovers that Alsace is full of charm—and full of controversy about whether the wines are too sweet.
April, 2005
The Great Wine-Bargain Hunt
Lettie Teague develops tendonitis uncorking cheap bottles for a massive tasting that yields some shockingly good discoveries.
March, 2005
Glass Warfare
In the mood to be overcharged and underwhelmed? Here's a tip: Order wine by the glass, advises wine editor Lettie Teague.
February, 2005
Spain's Brilliant $8 Winemaker | Telmo Rodríguez
Why is Telmo Rodríguez as proud of his $8 bottlings as he is of his $80 ones? Wine editor Lettie Teague finds out the answer when she tags along with this star "driving winemaker" on a high-mileage road trip.
January, 2005
Machine-Age Wines | High-Tech Trends
More and more wine producers are relying on new technologies to remove alcohol or pump in oxygen. Wine editor Lettie Teague goes tasting in an industrial park.
December, 2004
Wine Auction Exposé
To find the real story behind big-money auctions, wine editor Lettie Teague visits an eccentric collector, sees a cellar that leaves her speechless, and observes a nail-biter of a sale.
November, 2004
Educating Peter, Part 3: The Rules of Pairing
In the third and final installment of our series, wine editor Lettie Teague teaches her pupil, film critic Peter Travers, the do's and don'ts of pairing wine and food—and learns she may have created a monster.
October, 2004
Educating Peter, Part 2: Geography Class
In wine, the place matters as much as the grape. Film critic Peter Travers learns why from wine editor Lettie Teague. Here, the second in a three-part series.
September, 2004
Educating Peter, Part 1
How quickly can a wine novice become an intelligent taster? Film critic Peter Travers finds out when he gets a crash course from wine editor Lettie Teague. Here, the first installment in a three-part series.
August, 2004
Viognier Goes Boom
Big and lush or lean and crisp, Viognier can be hard to categorize, but it's even harder to ignore. Wine editor Lettie Teague pays attention to California's best.
July, 2004
Molto Joe | Joe Bastianich
Joe Bastianich isn't in the limelight like his business partner, TV's "Molto Mario" Batali, but he's a wine superstar. Wine Editor Lettie Teague trails him from Manhattan to Queens to Italy.
June, 2004
The Galloping Oenophile
Wine Editor Lettie Teague grabs the reigns at three travel escapes—two inns and a spa—that promise something for both horse fanatics and wine lovers.
May, 2004
The Latest from Argentina | Malbecs from Argentina's Mendoza Region
Ignoring the risk of earthquakes, Wine Editor Lettie Teague heads to Argentina's Mendoza region to try the rich, intense Malbecs.
April, 2004
Supermarket Wine Scout
More than a third of all wines sold in America are purchased at grocery stores. Wine Editor Lettie Teague prowls the aisles in search of bargain bottles and impressive labels.
March, 2004
The Home Advantage | Home Winemakers
Using plastic tubs and secondhand barrels, the best home winemakers have passion and pluck. Wine Editor Lettie Teague visits them to taste and talk.
February, 2004
Why Labels Matter
A great wine label should stimulate a conversation. Wine Editor Lettie Teague talks back.
January, 2004
Cult Worship | The New Cult Cabernets
Napa Valley cult Cabernets epitomize the vanished days of '90s excess. Or do they? Wine Editor Lettie Teague finds the trend very much alive.
December, 2003
Magnum Opus
People who drink wine from magnums are just plain happier than the rest of us. Wine Editor Lettie Teague joins their ranks at a very special dinner.
November, 2003
Juiced About Martinelli
Wine Editor Lettie Teague admires Martinelli's Sonoma bottlings, but she's even more enamored of the unfairly perfect family behind them.
October, 2003
Routes Du Zin
A great route du vin allows you to explore a single grape in a single beautiful place. Wine Editor Lettie Teague goes to California in search of Zinfandel.
September, 2003
Pinot Noir: The World's Sexiest Grape
Pinot Noir is temperamental and high-maintenance, yet winemakers from Oregon to Switzerland to New Zealand just can't plant it fast enough. Wine Editor Lettie Teague explores its allure.
August, 2003
Let's Do the Twist
Some top winemakers are abandoning corks in favor of screw caps. Wine editor Lettie Teague investigates why.
July, 2003
Judgment Day
At a New Zealand competition, wine editor Lettie Teague makes some terrific discoveries—and learns that it's possible to taste 86 bottlings before lunch.
June, 2003
The Harvard of Wine
Every serious winemaker says the secret of great wine is great grapes. Intrigued, wine editor Lettie Teague attends a grape-growing seminar at the famed University of California, Davis.
May, 2003
Warehouse Wines
At Sam's, Chicago's legendary wine discounter, editor Lettie Teague dodges forklifts and shopping carts to find a bottle to brag about among the 10,000 choices.
April, 2003
Alfa Male | Maurizio Zanella - Ca' del Bosco Winery
Maurizio Zanella likes driving his Alfa Romeo, but he loves making wine. Wine editor Lettie Teague is wowed by his acclaimed Ca' del Bosco bottlings.
March, 2003
Washington State's Greats
Wine editor Lettie Teague discovers modest, gore-tex-garbed winemakers and exceptional, underpriced wines on a tasting trip through Washington.
February, 2003
The Cellar Confessional
Wine editor Lettie Teague's messy cellar is no cause for alarm, says critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. But all that nonvintage Champagne? Time for an intervention.
January, 2003
Everything in Moderation
Some people define moderate drinking as a glass a day; others, a bottle. Confused, wine editor Lettie Teague goes in search of guidelines she can live with.
December, 2002
Rosé Champagne Debate
Wine editor Lettie Teague knew she could make her husband love rosé champagne. But she didn't know it would take sausage and smoked salmon to do it.
November, 2002
The Secret Vineyard
Outside Santa Barbara, Bien Nacido is inconspicuously producing grapes for some of California's most celebrated bottles. wine editor Lettie Teague visits.
October, 2002
Burgundy | Beaune Voyage
Importer Daniel Johnnes takes wine editor Lettie Teague on a once-in-a-lifetime tasting tour of Burgundy's greatest domaines.
September, 2002
Germany Divided | Riesling
German winemakers just can't agree on labeling. Wine editor Lettie Teague is befuddled by the debate but clear on one thing: the Rieslings are remarkable.
August, 2002
New York State of Mind
Wine editor Lettie Teague traveled to New York's Finger Lakes hoping to find good Riesling and discovered great Gewürztraminer. Why doesn't anyone else care?
July, 2002
Secret Life of a Sommelier
Wine editor Lettie Teague goes undercover at a New York City restaurant and learns there's more to being a sommelier than small talk and sturdy shoes.
June, 2002
The White Stuff
To all the red-wine snobs, editor Lettie Teague says: get over it! here, she explains why white wine is so divine.
May, 2002
The Heart of Umbria
On a pilgrimage to the famed Lungarotti Winery, editor Lettie Teague begins to see why Umbria so confounds Americans.
April, 2002
Cheap Tricks
Wine editor Lettie Teague loves reaching into an expensive list and pulling out a bargain-priced bottle. Here's how she does it.
March, 2002
Undercover in Napa
Wine editor Lettie Teague leaves her business cards at home to experience Napa as a tourist would. Here, the lessons she surreptitiously learned.
February, 2002
Dublin Magnums | falling in love with wine in Ireland
In Ireland alcohol is measured in pints, not magnums. So how did columnist lettie teague come to fall in love with wine there?
January, 2002
Reading Between the Wines
Columnist Lettie Teague critiques the latest vintage of wine books and finds 10 well worth opening.
October, 2001
Teague Takes Stock
Some speculators are ignoring the stock market and betting their money on Bordeaux. Are they investing wisely? Our wine editor, Lettie Teague, investigates.
September, 2001
Shelf Life
Editor Lettie Teague returns to her first job, in a wine store, and learns that computers are trickier than cash registers and merlot and chardonnay sell themselves.
June, 2001
A Fad, Fad, Fad, Fad World
Wine editor Lettie Teague attempts to relive the days when Mateus and Lancers ruled and everyone preferred drinking wine to thinking about it.
MARKETPLACE
