Dear Subscriber,
Some of you may have read my blog on Bibiana González, the winemaker of Cattleya, who I think has a very special gift when it comes to making white wines. Consider her Chardonnay (98 points in my book) from the cold Sonoma Coast. It’s our Wine to Know this week and it has off-the-charts refinement. At about $12 a glass, it’s also a wine that I think will impress you. On the easy-pocketbook side of things, our Steal is a juicy, you-can’t-go-wrong simple delicious red from Mendocino. And please don’t miss our Wine People Close Up video with the young, very handsome Josh Scott from New Zealand and whose incredibly priced Alan Scott wines are terrific. Plus, of course, amazing Numbers, a summer Fascinating Fact and a practically helpful Ask Karen.
—Ciao from Napa, Karen
Dr. Loosen makes fantastically pure and crystalline bone-dry Rieslings that are so vibrant they remind me of a soprano hitting a high note. This wine’s throttling freshness makes it very exciting to drink. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
95 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
Powerful rich, and earthy, Turning Point would put anyone in the mood for a grilled steak. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
93 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
Donnafugata (the word means “woman on the run”) makes some of Sicily’s most fascinating wines and this white, made from vineyards on the active volcano Mt Etna, is certainly that. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
93 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
Whenever I’ve drunk this Chablis, the picture that has always come to mind is a dramatic, elegant frame and within that, a painting of soft, pillowy clouds. The tension of frame and picture. It’s like that, this wine: The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
96 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
- Premiere Napa Valley/PAULA KORNELL “Something Old, Something New” Blanc de Noirs Brut 2018 (Carneros, CA) $ The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Of all types of no-alcohol (“NA”) wines, sparkling NAs are usually the best—maybe because the bubbles have such an appealing texture on their own. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
89 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
I meant it when, earlier this fall, I said that this wine (100 points) will blow your mind.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
100 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
If you look up spice in America, it’s quickly apparent that in the US, we love spices. Consumption of spices has skyrocketed in the last couple of decades. So I think we’re ready for this fantastic spicy wine. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
95 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
A. Philippine de Rothschild
B. Jancis Robinson, MW
C. Nicole (Veuve) Clicquot
D. Robert Mondavi
A. Portland, Maine
B. New Orleans, Louisiana
C. Chicago, Illinois
D. Detroit, Michigan
“No Safe Amount of Alcohol”? Not So Fast.
For those of us who love wine, recent health headlines feel like a cultural disconnect, not to mention a worrisome attack. Some organizations maintain there is no safe amount of alcohol; at the same time, some studies point to potential health benefits. To help untangle this confusing narrative, Madeline Puckette, the brilliant mind behind Wine Folly, is taking a closer look at the actual data. Puckette’s video is a must-watch because the reality of wine and health is infinitely more nuanced than a scary headline can capture. Take a look.
0.5
Percentage of grape pomace added to chicken feed that could act as an effective antibiotic, according to a study by Cornell University. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Of all types of no-alcohol (“NA”) wines, sparkling NAs are usually the best—maybe because the bubbles have such an appealing texture on their own. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
89 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
Dear Carly: Wine, in general, is amazing in the number of aromas and flavors it can possess, and two of the more fascinating ones in the kaleidoscope are chocolate and cocoa. Both of these characters generally come from oak barrels, the toasting of which produces a range of flavors that fall into the camp of chocolate/coffee/vanilla/spice. Tannin, too, can play a role since the flavor of tannin is “good bitterness”—like dark chocolate. For these reasons, chocolate and cocoa flavors show up in red wines far more than in whites.
A Winery Tells Its Story—The Press Release of the Future
Dear Journalists and Influencers:
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The Great White Wine Emojency
If you’ve ever used the red wine or sparkling wine emojis (and so many of us have), it seems odd that there’s isn’t a white wine emoji. Especially odd now, at least in the US, where white wine consumption has surpassed red.
New Zealand (home to lots of zesty white wines) isn’t sitting this one out. As recently reported in the ARENI newsletter (Areni is a wine think-tank), the New Zealand Winegrowers association has decided to tackle the injustice. In April 2026 they officially launched The Great White Wine Toast, a global public campaign demanding the creation of a white wine emoji.
Alas, birthing a new emoji is easier said than done. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
The Ascendency of White
For the first time in the US, sales of white wine have overtaken red. The “switch” happened in 2024. Today, 49% of wine sales are white wine; 45% are red. So what’s driving the decline in red wine? The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Five Top Steals
In Honor of (or maybe because of) upcoming Tax Day, here are five of our favorite wines under $25 so far this year. Click on each wine to read my review of it.
CAVAS HILL “Panot Gaudi” Reserva Brut non-vintage Cava (Catalonia, Spain) $12
AIA VECCHIA Vermentino 2024 (Bolgheri, Tuscany, IT) $17
ELEMENTAL Pinot Noir 2022 (California) $10
SPRING SEED WINE CO “Scarlet Runner” Shiraz 2022 (McLaren Vale, South Australia, AUS) $25
VALLADO Vinho Tinto 2023(Douro, PT) $15