Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.

United States

Wine has been produced in the United States since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628.

Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states but 84% of all US wine is produced in California, over 90% in the states of California, Washington, and Oregon.

The United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world.

The North American continent is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers.

Opus One

Opus One is a partnership founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, France, and renowned Napa Valley vintner, Robert Mondavi. Producing luxury wines from its Napa Valley vineyards, the partnership made its first vintage in 1979 and has made wine at Opus One since 1991. The facial profile of the two founders is visible on their iconic label.

The estate vineyards of Opus One, comprised of four parcels, sit in the western portion of the famed Oakville AVA in Napa Valley. Two parcels, totalling 100 acres, are within the renowned To Kalon Vineyard. These are complemented by the combined 70 acres of the Ballestra and River parcels.

Chile

Old or New World wine-producing country? Its first grapevines were planted as early as the 1500s. European immigrants brought more varieties, particularly from Bordeaux, to Chile in the 1800s. Until the 1990s, most of the country’s wine was consumed locally. As Chilean winemakers started exporting more wine, the world noticed both the quality and value of Chile wines.
With 4,300 kilometers of coastline along the Pacific Ocean, Chile produces wines that are both fruit-forward factor and herbaceous.
Cabernet Sauvignon might be Chile’s most important red variety, but Carmenere is the country’s niche grape (98% of the world’s Carmenère is grown there). As for white wines, Sauvignon blanc has become increasingly popular and performs well when grown close to the cool Pacific; Chardonnay is also ubiquitous in Chile.

Seña

Seña was created in 1995 as a joint venture between Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi, who shared a dream of making a wine that would show Chile’s full potential, a wine that would come to be welcomed, in time, among the world’s First Growths.

Modelled on a Bordeaux style, it would have a Chilean soul given by its Carmenere variety, grown under biodynamic farming principles in the Aconcagua Valley.

Since 2005 Seña is owned 100% by the Chadwick family, proprietors of Errázuriz, and is the personal project of Eduardo Chadwick.

Argentina

Argentina is one of the major wine countries in the world with 195,000 hectares dedicated to vineyards. It has a rich wine history, producing varieties such as Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, and Malbec. Out of all of the wines that Argentina produces, it is perhaps best known for creating outstanding Malbecs. They are representing 40% of red varieties or 23% of total cultivated area in the country.

The most highly rated Malbec wines originate from Mendoza’s high altitude wine regions of Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. These Districts are located in the foothills of the Andes mountains between 850 and 1,520 m.

A Malbec is a wine that is known for having a strong and fruity flavor and a very smooth texture and finish, allowing to enjoy an exciting flavor that is delightful to drink. It is a rich and dark wine that some say has a flavor that can be compared to a plum.

Catena Zapata

In 1902, Nicola Catena, an Italian immigrant, planted his first vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina. The winery has remained under family control — now in its fourth generation — and is one of the few family-owned wine companies in Argentina that remains in Argentine hands.

Owned today by Nicolás Catena and his daughter Laura, Catena Zapata is known as the pioneer of fine wine from Argentina, and Nicolás is recognized as the vintner who revolutionized wine quality in Argentina. His measured approach to viticulture has taken its place in wine history as the pioneer of Malbec and high-altitude viticulture.

Catena wines, first launched in 1992, set a new standard for quality in South America. The wines immediately proved the quality potential of Argentina and garnered the first outstanding reviews for Argentine wines from worldwide media.

Rioja

The Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja is located in the north of Spain, on both sides of the River Ebro. It is divided into three large zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. With more than 65,000 hectares of vineyards, each town and terroir have its own personality, making Rioja a unique land.

Rioja is the oldest Designation of Origin in Spain (1925) and the first to earn Calificada status (1991). Red grapes represent 90% and white grapes represent only 10%. Tempranillo, 88% of the red, is the most important grape and is at the heart of Rioja’s best wines. It makes abundantly fruity, light wines and has a special affinity with oak-ageing, becoming graceful, silky and perfumed with time.

Depending on the time the -red- wine remains in the barrel, it is classified as Crianza (aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum of two calendar years), Reserva (minimum of thirty-six months, with a minimum time of twelve months in oak barrels), Gran Reserva (minimum of time in barrel of twenty-four months, followed and supplemented with an aging in bottle of at least thirty-six months).

Alvaro Palacios

Born in 1964, Alvaro Palacios spent his childhood in his parents’ bodega, Palacios Remondo, in Rioja Oriental.

At a time when Spain had forged a reputation on branded wines, Alvaro Palacios had set his sights on a more ambitious, pioneering vision to make Great Classic Wines!

His search led him to Priorat, in Catalonia, where Garnacha traditionally reigns supreme. Through his world-class wine production, notably ‘l’Ermita’, Alvaro Palacios has reinstated the reputation of the wild, isolated region of Priorat into a legend in its own right.

In the late 90s, in search of a new challenge, this time joining forces with his nephew Ricardo Perez Palacios, his passion led him to Bierzo, a relatively recent appellation in the region of Castilla y Leon. Alvaro Palacios launched Descendientes de J. Palacios, where through their continued hard work and dedication, the duo has succeeded in creating top-quality wines.

On the death of his father in 2000, Alvaro Palacios took over the helm of the Palacios Remondo in Rioja. He has since brought new dynamism to the family winery. Today, Alvaro Palacios has far exceeded his vision of Making Great Classic Wines to become one of Spain’s most iconic winemakers, recognised globally for revolutionising the Spanish wine industry by the most eminent wine critics.

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Priorat

Located in Catalunya, Priorat is only one of two regions, beside Rioja, in Spain that has been qualified as Denominacio d’Origen Qualificada, the highest qualification level for a wine region in Spain.

DOQ Priorat produces full-bodied and powerful reds; Priorat began garnering international attention for their product during the 1990s, and the popularity internationally has not abated. The vineyards themselves are typically terraced between 100m and 700m above sea level encompassing an area of 19.783 hectares.

Priorat wines are known for their red Garnacha from the older vineyards. The Garnacha has been the steadiest of the varieties sold, while wines with Syrah have gained market share in the last few years at the expense of Carinena varietals. 96% of the planted vineyards are red varietals, with only 4% of the existing vineyards with white.

Alvaro Palacios

Born in 1964, Alvaro Palacios spent his childhood in his parents’ bodega, Palacios Remondo, in Rioja Oriental.

His pioneering vision to make Great Classic Wines led him to Priorat, in Catalonia. Through his world-class wine production, notably ‘l’Ermita’, Alvaro Palacios has reinstated the reputation of the wild, isolated region of Priorat into a legend in its own right.

In the late 90s, in search of a new challenge, this time joining forces with his nephew Ricardo Perez Palacios, his passion led him to Bierzo, a relatively recent appellation in the region of Castilla y Leon. Alvaro Palacios launched Descendientes de J. Palacios, where through their continued hard work and dedication, the duo has succeeded in creating top-quality wines.

On the death of his father in 2000, Alvaro Palacios took over the helm of the Palacios Remondo in Rioja. He has since brought new dynamism to the family winery.

United States

Wine has been produced in the United States since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628.

Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states but 84% of all US wine is produced in California, over 90% in the states of California, Washington, and Oregon.

The United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world.

The North American continent is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers.

Joseph Phelps

Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena in the Napa Valley, the winery now controls and farms nearly 375 acres of vines on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley.

Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year” in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.

In 2022, The winery has been bought by LVMH group.

Tuscany

Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history and artistic legacy. As the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, the region has an incredible art and architecture heritage.
Tuscany is certainly the most famous of all Italian regions for its wines. Sangiovese reigns in all its forms in the vineyards of Chianti but also Montepulciano and Montalcino.
It is also the land of the Super Tuscan, the Bordeaux blend style that laid the foundation of some of the greatest Italian wines.
As a pairing with these wines, Tuscany cuisine is based on simplicity but high quality and certainly topped with Tuscan olive oil, recognized all over the world.

Masseto

On Italy’s Tuscan Coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea near the small village of Bolgheri, sits a magical hillside. The wine made here was never meant to exist: Masseto. Humankind, the soil, and the vineyard: these are the three determining elements for its success.

Masseto is the name for a unique wine, vineyard, and estate. The blue clay soil, the cool coastal breezes, and the excellent refraction of light guaranteed by the Mediterranean Sea contribute to the intriguing mix of power, elegance and complexity that distinguishes the estate’s wine. Masseto has been internationally acclaimed since it was created in 1986.

Tuscany

Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history and artistic legacy. As the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, the region has an incredible art and architecture heritage.

Tuscany is certainly the most famous of all Italian regions for its wines. Sangiovese reigns in all its forms in the vineyards of Chianti but also Montepulciano and Montalcino.

It is also the land of the Super Tuscan, the Bordeaux blend style that laid the foundation of some of the greatest Italian wines.

As a pairing with these wines, Tuscany cuisine is based on simplicity but high quality and certainly topped with Tusca

Fuligni

Fuligni was founded in 1923 by the Fuligni viscounts, an ancient Venetian family who moved to Tuscany around 1770. The present owner is Maria Flora Fuligni, who works side by side with her nephew Roberto Guerrini Fuligni.

The property covers approx. 100 hectares east of Montalcino, historically the home to the most classic of Brunellos. The surface area under vine is 12 hectares, principally located at I Cottimelli (hence “vigneti dei Cottimelli”).

The older vineyards are 380-450 meters above sea level, mainly east and southeast facing.

Fuligni produces Rosso, Brunello, and Super Tuscans. They are all consistently ranked amongst Tuscany’s finest.