Valerie is passionate about her winery (which produces a half million bottles a year), because of the quality of the wine, both in terms of the terroir and the attention that goes into its production. During the excellent dinner, prepared by her talented chef Fatima, we enjoy tastes of her other wines. Well, this is that scene. MORE >>

Les Caves Augé, the excellent Paris wine shop , has fun, free wine tastings that spill on to the sidewalk. The shop is crammed with so many fine and fun wines that they mainly have to do these free tastings outside of the winter months, so the broad pavements of Boulevard Hausmann are at their most hospitable. By Timothy Eustis. MORE >>

Nicolas Joly’s talk wasn’t the only thing packed on Monday; the tasting itself at Return to Terroir, NYC edition, was really crowded in the latter half. didn’t get a chance to taste all the wines (I hear I really missed out by not hitting the German area), but I did taste some really good ones. MORE >>

asked the Twitterverse for shops that do not use third-party tasting notes or scores. Terroir (San Francicso). Derniere Goutte (Paris, France). An item on Bloomberg yesterday detailed how Spaniards are drinking less wine, which has prompted Spanish wineries to pursue export markets more. But that sales strategy is sooo 1990s! MORE >>

Cousin cultivates Gamay, Grolleau, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Chenin Blanc - there is something for everyone in this portfolio. They can be funky and a bit rustic, but they evolve beautifully in the glass and in the cellar, and offer a clean and pure expression of the terroir that is Layon. As it turns out, yes. MORE >>