But a recent change in the tax on capital gains from real property in France may cause several vineyards to sell before February 1 of next year. It’s not every day that we get to talk about tax reforms on this site. Especially foreign tax reforms! French tax code previously had a zero percent tax on property held more than 15 years. MORE >>

Have you ever thought about the iconic Tube maps from London or the Paris subway maps, in all their stylized glory, and how they would look applied to wine regions? Well, wonder no more. San Francisco architect and professor David Gissen worked up just such a map; now it is available for purchase as a cool 18 x 24 wall decoration. French wine MORE >>

And the winner was: a Hosmer Winery Cabernet Franc 2008( $18 ). did like many of the Finger Lakes '07 Cab/Francs, but this was my first '08 and I was not expecting anything grand after the fantastic red wines of '07. Well, I was wrong to think that way. There were some hints of dark fruit, black raspberry or maybe black cherry. MORE >>

At the beginning of the month, Snooth published my “Experiments in the Vegetarian Kitchen–Cab Franc from Loire&# , which included a recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits with Spinach and Paprika Mushrooms–one of four recipes that I’d created to pair with four different bottles of Cabernet Franc from Loire. MORE >>

Commonly neglected like the spinach on a child’s plate, Cabernet Franc is often accused of being too green, too herbaceous, or too vegetal—traits that are often the result of underripe grapes.  Tags: Recipes & Pairings Cabernet Franc Loire Valley Marc Ollivier Vegetarian Recipes Wine Pairing MORE >>