Years, Lovers and Glasses
Wine Travel Beyond the Socials
“Anni, amori e bicchieri di vino, nun se contano mai,” a phrase I shared on the socials this week. Although not a new phrase, it was the first I heard it. It translates to “Years, lovers, and glasses of wine, should never be counted.” Indeed. Here’s a few wines for your glass, and don’t worry, while they will count - like both years and lovers - for the senses, the moment, the memories, they won’t be counted. At least not by me. Glasses up!
In My Glass
2022 Bodegas Exopto Rioja Horizonte de Exopto
Floral, fruity, juicy and fun - atypical for what I usually think of when it comes to white Riojas (I generally associate these with the more savory and oxidative styles - which I also love). This was a refreshing surprise and a pleasure to find on a by-the-glass list at my local haunt. I always say, you know it was good if I willingly purchased it more than once. I went back to this beauty twice and then ordered it blindly for my husband as well (he didn’t guess it was Rioja either). Sneaky good. $20
Montepulciano (the grape, not to be confused with the region and its wines form Sangiovese) has long been a go-to as a “safe bet.” This version, although still a safe bet, kicks it up a notch on the quality scale. A blend of Montepulciano, Cab Sauv and Merlot, this bold but suave red is both fresh and savory. It’s a complex juxtaposition of dark berries with sweet spices, bitter notes of mocha and coffee, and savory herbs and minerality. It’s full-bodied enough for a big meal, but also bright enough to not bog you down. Carry-on. $60
From the vineyards of Milsetentayseis, set high in the Ribera del Duero, which upon visiting, breathed into my lungs, comes this remarkably drinkable Tinto Fino. A suitcase wine, this perfumed and ethereal Tempranillo, from just 85 small parcels of vines on clay and mica-rich soils, between 2,950 to 3,300 feet, lends a rustic finesse with its red berries, minerality, and grippy bit of power. Can it age? You bet. Does it need to? Nope. A straddler. $90
In the Spotlight
Winery of the Week
This week, let’s turn our attention to Tuscany and specifically to Tenuta Sette Ponti whose first vineyard, the “Vigna dell’Impero” Vineyard (Vineyard of the Empire) was planted in 1935 by Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta and Viceroy of Ethiopia. During the 1950s, Architect Alberto Moretti Cuseri purchased the vineyard from the daughters of Prince Amedeo. Alberto then dedicated himself to viticulture, tending the Sangiovese and also planting Bordeaux varieties, all of which he was successfully selling until his son Antonio took the leadership role in the 1990s. Antonio decided it was time to use the family’s grapes for their own label. The first wine produced under the Tenuta Sette Ponti label was the Crognolo, made from the historic Sangiovese vines planted in 1935.
Today, the winery is led by Antonio and his sons, Amedeo and Alberto, and has since expanded to include properties in Maremma (Poggio al Luppo), Bolgheri (Orma), Sicily (Feudo Maccari), and Etna (Animaetnea). All of the family’s wines are of course reflective of their individual origins, but also consistently of above average quality, sensation, and expression. They are wines with elegance, luxuriousness, and memorability. Most notably, the Trebbiano Toscana and the Sangiovese from the original Vigna della Imparo vineyard were, to me, the most exquisite. My tasting notes for these two wines are laced with profanity, explanation points, and all caps. In short, not to be missed. These are bucket list wines.
Oh! And the Aola di Orma is a stellar example of my “boyfriend” in his distinguished Italian form. The 2022 bottling of this Cabernet Franc is one that will age with grace and distinctiveness.
Wine Region of the Week
Rías Baixas, found in northwestern Spain, actually resembles coastal Ireland more than the rest of Spain in terms of terrain. And while it is known as “Green Spain” owing to its significant ocean mists and the average of 67 inches of rainfall it gets per year, this Atlantic-influenced climate is also balanced by moderate temperatures and over 2,200 hours of sun. These factors combined with the predominantly granite-based soils make Rías Baixas the perfect place to grow and gently, but fully ripen, the region’s aromatic grapes that are characteristically high in natural acidity. Among those grapes is Albariño which accounts for 90% of vineyards in Rías Baixas, which have more than doubled since the late 1980s. But other grapes are officially permitted in the denomination as well, including Caiño Blanco, Loureira Blanca, Godello and Treixadura for whites and Mencia and Caiño Tinto among the reds.
In Depth
Since my trip to Montefalco in June, I’ve shared a lot of information about the central Italian region in Umbria including its terroir; the red grape variety for which it is best known, Sagrantino; my recommendations for that beautiful, bold red; and a few winery spotlights. What we have yet to touch on is the white grape variety seeing a serious resurgence in the region: Trebbiano Spoletino. Prior to this trip, I was not familiar with this variety. During my “summer of Sagrantino” in 2016, the white grape most in fashion in Montefalco was the crisp, quaffable Grechetto. While you will still find plenty of delicious Grechetto, many growers and producers in Montefalco today are banking hard on the future of its other native white variety, Trebbiano Spoletino.
Trebbiano Spoletino is a vigorous variety that is both largely disease and drought resistant. It is grown specifically in Umbria where it was deemed its own DOC in 2011, the Spoleto DOC. The harvest for this aromatic white grape ranges from late September to late October, sometimes even stretching into early November, but what’s particularly interesting and unique to this cultivar is that the vineyards planted in the lower elevation and more humid valley areas tend to ripen last, while the higher elevation sites ripen earliest. In general Trebbiano Spoletino is a rich, full-bodied white wine with notable acidity. It’s described by a variety of aromas and flavors which can include florals, citrus, tropical fruits, stone fruits, minerals, smoke, almonds, and herbs. Personally, I noted lots of yellow waxy fruits (sometimes vegetables), honeycomb, honeysuckle, and stone fruits on the examples I tasted. I also found them to be generally high in acidity, somewhat denoting a pithy bitterness, and with a particular viscosity. In other words, it’s a bit eclectic and certainly versatile as it can be produced as still, sparkling, or dessert wines.
Recommendations
If you’re curious about the aforementioned Trebbiano Spoletino, there are several expressions I would recommend seeking out - particularly those from Bocale, Saragano, Briziarelli, Scacciadiavoli, and Antonelli.
But if you really want to get geeky about it, then you need to know Colle Uncinano. Colle Uncinano, founded in 2005, has 50 acres of organically farmed vineyards and produces roughly 6,500 cases per year - of which half is Trebbiano Spoletino. In other words, it’s their thing. The vines are 16 years old and planted at 650 feet in soils of sand and clay. You’ll find various versions of Trebbiano Spoletino including pet-nat, Charmat method, and traditional method sparkling wines as well as a Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino Superiore. The Superiore is 100% Trebbiano Spoletino, directly pressed to stainless steel where it remains on fine lees for eight months. Colle Uncinano has in-person tastings as well as an agriturismo (with a pool!) and can offer vertical tastings of their Superiore which not only give you a sense of the grape, but of its aging potential. They are excited about this grape and their passion shows across their line.
And lastly, if you’re curious about Trebbiano Spoletino as an orange wine or about one of my favorite expressions, Benedetti & Grigi’s Macerato 73, is a must. I’m not generally an orange wine fan - hardly at all - but this concrete fermented Trebbiano Spoletino, which spent 20 days on the skins before being pressed and returned to the cement tank is noteworthy. For one, I chose it as my glass for lunch post-tasting. That says a lot because there was also a sparkling and Sagrantinos available! The first iteration of this wine for Benedetti & Grigi, its aromatic AF with initial notes of marmalade, orange blossom, and truffle. It’s dry, soft texturally with both rusticity and complexity. It evolves in the glass moving from those initial notes through more savory characteristics with orchard fruits and salinity. It instantly had me craving a picnic with roast chicken and panzanella. And frankly, I’m still in awe that an orange wine impressed me.
In Context
A few weeks ago, I shared my personal experiences and opinions on Chinese wines. You can read the full piece here, but for reference sake, here’s a brief synopsis:
“I personally found the wines of Ningxia (overall but not in their entirety) to lack identity and sense of self (and place). The majority of the wines feel to me as though they are trying to hit a particular mark, style, and sense of defined typicity. But based on an increasing number of more inspired samples I tasted, I also believe this is beginning to change and that the potential for wines from the region to find both their identity and a place on the world stage is high.”
In the last two years I’ve tasted over 50, maybe even close to 100, Chinese wines as a judge with Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, an international wine competition, founded in 1994. While I have not found them all commercially viable, or to my liking, I have noticed an increase in overall quality as they begin to understand their terroir and the varieties that work best. (And yes, I found a few that I very much enjoyed as well.) But while I trust my perception, it’s always nice to have such thoughts confirmed (or not) by tangible data. So, this week, I’m going to dive into the hard data and analysis compiled by the CMB over the past few years.
Let’s start first with the number of Chinese wines submitted to the CMB:
2022 - 339 Chinese wines submitted
2023 - 318 Chinese wines submitted
2024 - 338 Chinese wines submitted
2025 - 661 Chinese wines submitted
It’s important to note here that the CMB was held in Yinchuan, China in 2025, thus likely contributing to the influx of submissions. With that being the case, I compared the competition results from 2022 to 2025 based on the percentage of submitted Chinese wines receiving medals. In other words, the fact that 230 medals were awarded to Chinese wines in 2025, needs to account for the increased number of submissions; and so if we base it on a percentage of the Chinese wines submitted, that means 35% of the Chinese wines entered into the competition in 2025 received medals.
Now, what I was expecting to find, based on my personal experience and hypothesis, was a steady increase in the number of medals awarded. What I found, however, was less conclusive and even a bit ambiguous. As a percentage of the Chinese wines submitted, 2022 saw the highest number of awards with 42% of the entries from China receiving a medal. By comparison, 35% of wines submitted by China in 2025 did, and in 2023 and 2024, 40% of those entries took home awards. In other words, the Chinese wines are holding relatively steady. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the wines are not improving. It could mean that the Chinese wines submitted in 2022 were of higher quality, or it could reflect differences in the type/style of wines submitted, or it could even reflect the jury pool. The data here doesn’t outright reflect my assumption that the Chinese wines are improving, but I don’t think there is enough information or control factors in this analysis to make any real conclusions.
As for the types of medals awarded, in 2023 China took home its greatest number (both in total and by percentage) of Grand Golds, but took home a significantly higher number of both Golds in 2024 and Silvers in 2022. Again, I’m going to guess there are a lot of other factors at play here, but for fun, let’s take a look at the same set of data for a more established and renowned wine producing country: France.
We’ll again start with the number of wines submitted to the CMB:
2022 - 1645 French wines submitted
2023 - 1580 French wines submitted
2024 - 1354 French wines submitted
2025 - 1198 French wines submitted
Interestingly, here were see a steady decline in the number of French wine submissions, which isn’t surprising given that French wines have a fairly solid reputation worldwide. In fact, in giving a brief scan of the data, overall the wines increasing in submissions tend to come from countries whose wine regions are newly emerging or lesser known in the marketplace, which makes sense as they try to seek greater recognition and credibility. Regardless, let’s see what the data tells us about the number of awards for France. As for the percentage of French wines receiving medals between 2022 and 2025, the range is once again holding relatively steady between 26% and 31%. In the case of France vs. China, however, the percentage of French wines receiving awards was highest in 2025 compared to its lowest in 2023. The percentage of Grand Gold and Silver medals for wines submitted by France was also highest in 2025, with Golds awarded most in 2024, but unlike the results for China, there was no significant percentage change in any of the three medal categories for French wines, which suggests to me, at least anecdotally, that the quality range amongst Chinese wines is more significant than it is for French wines.
As for my personal rankings of the Chinese and French wines I judged at my table in 2024 and 2025, the data is more consistent with my perception that Chinese wines are indeed improving - and also widely ranging in quality. In 2024, on a 100-point scale, my average rating across the three flights of Chinese wines I tasted was 82.6, but across two flights in 2025 it was 84.8. Both my highest and lowest ranked flights of Chinese wines were in 2024 and had a 9-point spread between them, again, possibly a sign of the vast range in quality of the Chinese wines presented. The flights in 2025 were more consistent by my rankings. In comparison, the three flights of French wines I tasted in 2024 averaged a ranking of 86.6, which was basically unchanged at 86.7 across the two flights in 2025, which to me might demonstrate more consistency in quality by the French wines.
What can we draw from all of this? My hypothesis is somewhat ambiguous with the available CMB data, but it does make me want to delve further into the other variables - jury make-up as well as the styles/varieties, and regions of the wines submitted. And I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on the Chinese wine category as it plays out in future years, because my other hypothesis, as previously shared, is:
“I anticipate that as the industry matures, its sense of self will begin to take shape and that the wines will ultimately convey the land, the history, the culture, the climate, the soils, and the people stewarding the grapes from vine to bottle - and for that, I’m both eager and excited. It’s wine history in the making and I think Ningxia and its wines will prove to be an exciting addition to the world of wine.”
In the Room Where It Happened
Let’s talk about Albariño. It’s a gorgeous (in my opinion), aromatic white grape variety believed to be native to the Galicia region of Spain. It is thick-skinned and can be susceptible to mildew in the vineyard, so well-draining soils are preferred. Albariño tends to favor cool and intermediate climates which is why you’ll find around 13,500 acres planted throughout northwestern Spain. The variety is high in acidity, and can be produced as a light white wine or in a fuller style derived by oak or lees aging, which add to the texture and richness. The versions found in Rías Baixas also typically denote a saline marine character from the nearby Atlantic. And as a fun fact, Albariño was one of the first white Spanish varieties to be produced as a single-varietal wine. It’s also often listed by name versus its region on Spanish labels*.
But while Albariño does find its ancestral home in Spain, you will also find it growing around the world - and occasionally by different names, most commonly Alvarinho in Portugal. Do they all taste the same? Definitely not. Every grape growing region has its own unique climate, weather patterns, soils, elevations, clones, geographical influences, and winemakers that will each influence the overall aromas, flavors, and even structure of the wines. That said, most Albariño is dry, medium-bodied, and naturally high in acidity. Oak aging isn’t the norm, but it’s also not uncommon. And Albariño does have some general varietal typicity including aromas and flavors of citrus fruit (lemon, grapefruit, lime), stone fruit (peach, apricot, nectarine), and orchard fruit (apple, pear), with occasional subtle hints of honeysuckle, beeswax, pastry (from lees stirring), or salinity.
So, all that being said, I decided to put a few Albariños to the test last week. In my line-up I included two from Rías Baixas to establish typicity and sense of place. I then also opened bottles from California, Washington, Oregon, and Uruguay. Going in, I expected the wines from Uruguay and Oregon to be the most consistent with those from Spain given their cooler climates and marine influences. (I mean, Willamette Valley can sometimes even look a lot like Rías Baixas.) I guessed the wines from California and Washington would be the most different owing to the warmer climates. However, based on varietal typicity alone, what I found was slightly different.
The wine from Bodegas Garzón in Uruguay was the most similar in terms of typicity when compared to the examples from Rías Baixas, with the wines from Washington and California coming in respectively and closely thereafter. The two examples from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, however, showed much less varietal typicity. As for quality, the Fillaboa Albariño from Rías Baixas took the top spot, followed by a three-way tie between the Martín Códax from Rías Baixas, the C13 from Livermore Valley, California, and the Bodegas Garzón in Uruguay. The Wautoma Springs from Columbia Valley, Washington ranked just behind those with the Sacred Shores and Freja Cellars wines coming in lowest. Unfortunately, the Freja Cellars bottle showed significant oxidation and the Sacred Shores had noticeable volatile acidity (VA). I did note that the VA blew off with some aeration, so I do plan to revisit this wine. It was one I purchased at a tasting after thoroughly enjoying it - and even previously recommending it here. As for the breakdown, here you go:
2023 Fillaboa - $20 - 12.5% ABV
Aromas & Flavors: orchard fruits, citrus, salinity
Characteristics: Intense, high acidity, medium-bodied, medium finish
Personal notation: Zesty
2023 Martín Códax - $15 - 12% ABV
Aromas & Flavors: citrus (Meyer lemon), orchard fruits, kiwi, oyster shells, hints of herbaceousness
Characteristics: Intense, medium+ acidity, medium-bodied, long finish
Personal notation: Juicy
Aromas & Flavors: Yellow orchard fruits, citrus, minerality, hint of mint
Characteristics: Medium intensity, high acidity, medium-bodied, medium+ finish
Personal notation: Impressed
2022 Wautoma Springs - $15 - 12.5% ABV
Aromas & Flavors: Yellow orchard fruits, citrus, minerality
Characteristics: Medium intensity, medium acidity, medium-bodied, medium finish
Personal notation: Clean and simple
2024 Bodegas Garzón - $20 - 13% ABV
Aromas & Flavors: Citrus, orchard fruits, seashells, salinity, floral
Characteristics: Intense, high acidity, medium-bodied, medium finish
Personal notation: Most varietal typicity and tangy
2023 Freja Cellars - $26 - 13% ABV
Aromas & Flavors: Vanilla, butterscotch, bruised apples, mineral
Characteristics: Subtle, medium acidity, medium-bodied, long finish
Personal notation: Oxidized
2022 Sacred Shores - $40 - 13%
Aromas & Flavors: Nail polish remover, orchard fruits, citrus, minerality
Characteristics: Intense, high acidity, medium-bodied, medium finish
Personal notation: Revisit and decant
*In general, wines are named for their region of origin in “Old World” European countries. Examples include Rioja, Chinon, Bordeaux, Champagne, Chianti, etc. Conversely, they are typically named by variety in “New World” countries, for example: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot, etc.
In Production
This week on Instagram, I’m launching a new series: Asked & Answered. As a tasting host and educator, I get a lot of questions about wines ranging from the basic to the uber technical. One thing I’ve noticed is that when people ask me a “basic” question, they nearly always start with, “I have a stupid question.” I always reply that there are no stupid questions. We don’t know what we don’t know, and curiosity and the courage to admit what we don’t know, should always be admired. But, I get it. I’ve been there and still find myself in that same situation - even in wine - when we think we should know something, and assume that everyone else does, we feel nervous and can be afraid to ask the question. So, in Asked & Answered I’m going to answer the questions I get asked most often, both in the classroom and tasting settings, because what many of us in the wine industry might think is common knowledge, in reality, is far more niche. Plus, I love answering wine questions. Seeing people have “ah-ha moments” or be inspired by wine fuels my own passion for it and also reminds me how I first came to wine - by being ceaselessly curious.
Here’s a sneak peak of some of the first questions: What is Blanc de Blancs? What is a cuvée? How long can you keep a wine after it’s opened? What is a GSM? How long can I save a sparkling wine? What is Meunier?
Have questions of your own? Shoot me a message. Because, there are no stupid questions.
In the Hopper
This coming week I’ll be diving into the Eola-Amity Hills AVA by visiting a winery that’s long been a favorite as well as attending a harvest dinner with a new-to-me winery. After that, it’s time to wrap up my Slow Wine entries for the 2026 Guide and start organizing my Substack and social content for the next few weeks in advance of my upcoming Italian adventures. And hey, maybe I can even take a day off…fingers crossed!