Famous Firsts
This famous wine launched the category now known as "Super Tuscan."
What is Sassicaia?
This grape is at home on the slopes of a volcano—and the star of Etna Rosso DOC.
What is Nerello Mascalese?
Hannibal Lecter prefers to pair this wine with fava beans and human body parts.
What is Chianti?
This country made Malbec its signature variety.
What is Argentina?
What is 1982?
What is Château Haut-Brion?
This red grape is dried before fermentation to produce rich Valpolicella reds like Amarone and Recioto.
What is Corvina?
It's Daniel Craig's favorite Champagne—at least when he's playing James Bond.
What is Bollinger?
This NZ region is now synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, but there weren't any vineyards there until the 1970s.
What is Marlborough?
Faked Clos St-Denis bottles dating back to the 1945 vintage led Laurent Ponsot to suspect this man of wine fraud.
Who is Rudy Kurniawan?
Max Schubert first crafted this famous wine in 1951, but his employer rejected his early efforts as undrinkable!
What is Penfolds' Grange?
This is the second-most planted red grape in Italy. (Hint: It doesn't produce a single wine that starts with a B.)
What is Montepulciano?
Miles hates Merlot, but he sure loves this Merlot-based blend from Bordeaux's Right Bank.
What is Château Cheval Blanc?
Who is James Busby?
The 1811, 1845, 1861, and 1985 vintages are all named for the appearance of this celestial object.
What is a comet?
René Barbier and friends first put this region on the map with a breakout 1989 vintage of "clos" wines.
What is Priorat?
Trebbiano di Soave is better-known by this name in the Marche.
What is Verdicchio?
This Napa Valley winemaker was conspicuously absent in the 2008 rom-com Bottle Shock, even as the movie featured one of his most famous wines.
Who is Mike Grgich?
In 1994, Jean-Michel Boursiquot solved a case of mistaken identity, correctly recognizing this grape variety in Chile's vineyards.
The worst year yet for Sauternes in the 21st century—Château d'Yquem didn't even make a wine.
What is 2012?
The first commercial release of this famous Santa Cruz Mountains Bordeaux-style wine was in 1962.
What is Monte Bello?
This "re-boiled" grape is native to Italy's Friuli and often produces orange, not yellow, wines.
What is Ribolla Gialla?
In The Muppet Movie, Steve Martin serves wine from this US state to Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. For just 95 cents!
What is Idaho?
Vin de Constance is this country's most historic and iconic sweet wine.
What is South Africa?
This famously bad year in France saw the coldest winter since 1709, vine-killing frosts across the country, and skiing on the Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos.
What is 1956?