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But agriculturally, it’s historically been most notable for its olive oil and bulk wine production, which has been used to blend and bolster wine from more established regions, primarily northern Italy. With US prices ranging in the $10 to $20 range, it’s easy to see why savvy consumers are finding Primitivo di Manduria’s combination of quality and value a compelling proposition. Primitivo di Manduria is just one DOC, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata, within Italy’s Puglia region. We tasted a diverse selection of wines from a total of 9 producers, and the following were standouts from our tastings: The best examples of Primitivo du Manduria possess a mineral-inflected, wild underbrush quality that’s lifted by delicate floral aromatics.

The other issue, is that I haven’t tasted many wines priced under $30 that have managed to win me over as much as the 2013 Zaca Mesa Syrah recently has time and time again. I featured them in my coverage, so for the sake of brevity – let’s just say that Zaca Mesa’s history of pioneering the cultivation of Syrah in Santa Barbara may have some bearing on their ability to produce such an expressive, well-balanced, varietally correct and utterly delicious Syrah from entirely estate-grown fruit at just $28. But when Last Bottle serendipitously offered this quaffable, character-laden Syrah at a generously discounted price I couldn’t help but purchase two cases. but I just kept reaching for the succulent Zaca Mesa Syrah time after time.

Even one of Australia’s most iconic winemakers, John Duval, who arguably put Australian wine on the map with his big, bold wines, has dialed back his approach to winemaking. But as Chief Winemaker, I did have the opportunity to develop some new wines for Penfolds; wines like the RWT Barossa Shiraz, Bin 407 Cabernet, and Bin 138 GSM blend. Certainly it was very important for Penfolds, but also for the Australian wine industry, as it was the first time that an Australian wine had been named No1. Although I have travelled extensively to many of the Australian and international wine regions, and have made wine in other regions, I have lived and worked in the Barossa for 45 years.

The Rothschild family, who owns Château Clerc Milon, has long been a patron of the arts. In fact, it was Bordeaux visionary Baron Philippe de Rothschild who rather shockingly broke from long-standing tradition by commissioning artists to create his own labels from original artwork. Today, the Rothschild Foundation continues to build on that tradition with the semi-annual Prix Clerc Milon de la Danse, a ceremony which recognizes and celebrates the talents of the prestigious  Bordeaux Opera Ballet and honors the memory of the late Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who had forged a deep connection to the Ballet during her lifetime. esteemed Prix Clerc Milon de la Danse prize was Alice Leloup and Marc-Emmanuel Zanoli, both of whom trained at the Paris National Opera ballet school.