Wine Reviews

Madonna’s T-Shirt Designer Audigier Expands Into Champagne French designer Christian Audigier, whose Ed Hardy t-shirts are worn by Madonna and Britney Spears, is selling champagne wrapped in his signature tattoo designs in an expansion of his $1 billion business.

Rare Bordeaux, Truffled Meals for 1,500 Highlight VinExpo 2009 Last week, I drank rare Bordeaux vintages until 2 a.m. every night and rose by 6 in the morning so I could sample wines from places like Turkey and South Korea.

Prices for Stellar 2005 Bordeaux Produce Bargains: John Mariani Bordeaux’s 2005 vintage produced record prices when bottles were released last autumn. Now, with prices slashed for even the top estates, bargains can be found for this legendary year.

Wine ’Spot Market’ Puts Collectors, 12 Million Bottles Online Technology entrepreneur Aaron DeMello has wines in his 2,000-bottle cellar he just doesn’t want anymore. What to do with those big Aussie shirazes and Napa cabs now that he’s mostly a Burgundy guy?

Naked Feet Repel Chinese as Others Hail 2007 Ports: Elin McCoy Foot-trodden grapes are a hallmark of great vintage port for most wine lovers, but not for the Chinese. Too bad -- the great 2007 ports need buyers. Let me explain.

Lafite-Rothschild Wine Fetches HK$1.44 Million in Hong Kong A 60-bottle set of 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild fetched HK$1.44 million ($185,754) at a wine auction in Hong Kong, the top lot at a sale where the 10 priciest items were bought by Asian collectors.

U.S. Billionaire Poised to Snap Up Distressed Bordeaux Chateaux Crunching up the gravel drive to Chateau Fonplegade in Saint-Emilion, I spot a horse and plow in its sloping vineyards, the latest eco-friendly improvement by American billionaire owner Stephen Adams.

Summer Perfection Is an Alsatian Riesling for $25: John Mariani If your idea of a white wine for summer is one that is crisp, fruity, modest in alcohol and less than $25, you’d do well to buy the latest vintages of Alsatian rieslings.

Box Wines Provide Big Slurps at $24 for 3 Liters: Elin McCoy Boxes with labels like Pinot Evil, Killer Juice and Boho merlot line my kitchen counters, each sporting a neat plastic spigot. I give one a counterclockwise turn, and red wine streams into my glass. Given my low expectations, the merlot’s taste is a pleasant surprise.

Open Up California Pinots for a Day to Kill High-Alcohol Blast During the past week I’ve learned something extraordinary about California pinot noirs: They improve with age! I don’t mean by keeping the bottles in your cellar for several years. I mean they improve overnight after you’ve opened the bottle and drunk some of the contents.