Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher conceived and wrote The Wall Street Journal's wine column, "Tastings," from 1998 to 2010. Dorothy and John have been tasting and studying wine since 1973. In 2020, the University of California at Davis added their papers to the Warren Winiarski Wine Writers Collection in its library, which also includes the work of Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. Dottie has had a distinguished career in journalism as a reporter, editor, columnist and editorial writer at The Miami Herald, The New York Times, and at The Journal. John was Page One Editor of The Journal, City Editor of The Miami Herald and a senior editor at Bloomberg News. They are well-known from their books and many television appearances, especially on Martha Stewart's show, and as the creators of the annual, international "Open That Bottle Night" celebration of wine and friendship. The first bottle they shared was André Cold Duck. They have two daughters.
July 10, 2026
Melon in a Glass? Long Island Wineries Embrace ‘a Weird Name’
During our first trip to California Wine Country, back in the early 1970s, we visited Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma and had our first taste of Gewürztraminer. We had never heard of that grape variety and its name stopped us as we were raising our glasses to have a look at it. Is that one word or two, we asked the…
June 26, 2026
A Knicksian Surprise: Well-Priced Burgundy by the Glass
Some restaurants care about their wines by the glass. And there are still some good values in Burgundy. These forces collide only once every 53 years, but when they do, watch out. We’re only joking about the 53 years, but this column was born of our celebration of our 53rd anniversary, which happened to coincide with the NBA Finals in…June 12, 2026
Sigrid’s Vintage: We Reunited a Napa Winemaker With a Cherished Bottle
We all need some good news these days and here it is, though it is also bittersweet. We have been working for more than two years to find the ending to this story. In 1976, a former professor of European history named Jerry Seps and his wife, Sigrid, visited Napa Valley and fell in love with a spot north of…May 29, 2026
Joe’s Stone Crab Sells How Many Bottles? And No. 1 Is….
Every year about this time we feel super nostalgic. We met 53 years ago on June 4 in the newsroom of The Miami Herald, which overlooked Biscayne Bay. Since moving to New York City in 1990, we have returned to the Miami area often. On our visits, we’re amazed at how the skyline and neighborhoods have changed. Where’s Melreese Golf…May 15, 2026
How Vision and Heartbreak Are Blended Into Every Bottle of Wine
This is about pain and dashed hopes, things we all experience over time but seem hard-wired into the world of farming, and lately to devastating effect to winegrowing. In August 2021, we started a column this way: “The wildfires, floods and heat waves that have killed people and wrecked communities and ecosystems across the globe seem biblical... There is much…May 1, 2026
When a Wine Tasting Group Is Not About the Wine
The hottest trend in wine might be the quietest: tasting groups designed for connection more than connoisseurship. To be sure, tasting groups are likely as old as wine. And the number of study groups has exploded along with the rise of formal educational studies, from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust to the Court of Master Sommeliers to the Masters…April 17, 2026
Rory McIlroy Was Born in a Good Vintage; We Should Know
We have a great deal in common with Rory McIlroy. Actually, we only have one thing in common with Rory McIlroy, but it was enough to have us rooting for him all week this year at the Masters, and we don’t even follow golf. In our years of wine writing, one of the questions we’re asked most often is: What…April 3, 2026
‘Do You Ever Get Tired of Tasting Wines?’ Here’s Our Answer
Be open to new adventures and your wine journey will always have wondrous detours. We have been drinking and studying wine for more than 50 years and we still get surprised. We’re lucky that, as wine writers, we get to taste hundreds of wines every year, many of them sent to us by wineries. But so many of our most…March 20, 2026
The Future of Wine Communication Is Coming Fast
We think we might have a glimmer of good news. We understand that you are here to read about wine, not about wine writing, but they are bound. Consumers want guidance, whether it’s from numbers on shelf talkers or exhaustive coffee-table books. When we started our wine journey in 1973, most wine writers were old white British men. Not that…March 6, 2026
This Was the Open That Bottle Night We Needed
In Zambia, Shardonnay Wine & Gin Bar celebrated its first Open That Bottle Night by letting customers bring their own wine and pay a small corkage, the only time that Lusaka’s first wine bar has allowed BYOB. In Australia, Dan Redman of Redman Wines had too many options, so he let fate lend a hand. “After throwing my paper aeroplane…February 20, 2026
Can a Region Get Redder? A Talk With New York’s Boundary Breaks
We’re only a few months away from the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, in which two Napa Valley wines outshone great wines produced in France and shook the wine world. But more than a century before that, in 1873, the Pleasant Valley Wine Company’s “Great Western Champagne,” from native Finger Lakes Catawba grapes, won first place, triumphing over…February 6, 2026
Lessons in Climbing and Love from Whitecliff Winery’s Founders
When we asked Michael and Yancey-Stanforth Migliore, the founders and owners of Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery in the Hudson Valley, to send us pictures to accompany this column in honor of Valentine’s Day, Michael replied: “Sure. We have some great drone shots of our vineyards.” And Yancey, said, “No. Pictures of us.” And there in a nutshell is how they…January 23, 2026
Open That Bottle Night: ‘Now More Than Ever’
The mission of River Hills Ski Club in Killington, Vt., “is to make skiing affordable for families.” It is almost 100 years old. And, for the past decade, the most popular event at its lodge has occurred on the last Saturday of February, when 40 members bring a wine with special meaning, pour it for everyone and tell the story…January 9, 2026
Romance in a Bottle, from Napa to Tuscany, With a Nod to Dr. Oz
By now, it should be conventional wisdom that the same wine will land differently depending on the circumstances in which you drink it. Having it with colleagues at an office dinner party will not be the same as having it with your loved one or BFF. And that doesn’t even consider that no two bottles are the same anyway. In…December 26, 2025
Taylor Swift to Robert Mondavi: Wine Trends to Watch in 2026
What does the future hold? Here are some predictions, from A to Z, in very brief form. Authenticity. There is quite a bit of buzz that what young consumers want in wine now is authenticity, as opposed to a corporate product with a fanciful label about a brand named after Ma and Pa’s three-legged pony. Billionaire. Wineries have been a…December 12, 2025
Joel Peterson on Ravenswood’s Rebirth, GLPs and Recapturing Joy
Ravenswood Zinfandel is back! And if you’re wondering if the new owners honor the old owner-winemaker, there is a tiny hint on the back label that might provide a clue. A half-century ago next year, Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood in Sonoma and proved what a great wine Zinfandel could be. Now 78, he became an icon. In the meantime, Ravenswood…November 28, 2025
Gift for a Novice? A Geek? Nine Wines That Will Impress Both
Wine can be a challenging gift. If the recipients are knowledgeable about wine, you don’t want to feel you’re giving them something obvious. But if the recipients are fresh on their journey, you don’t want to feel that you’re a wine jerk who’s patronizing the newcomer. For the past several months, as we have tasted wine -- some samples, some…November 14, 2025
Six Tips for a More Interesting Bubbly This Season
Right about now, every wine writer will recommend the perfect bubbly for entertaining or gifting this season. But there’s a big world of wine stores, and it’s impossible to know if any specific sparkler will actually be available where you shop. We’d guess that’s why many people take a quick look around and say, fine, I’ll stick with Veuve Clicquot,…October 31, 2025
What Do Consumers Ask Winemakers Most Often? Chimney Rock Has Some Answers
We had our first Chimney Rock wine in the late ’80s when a member of our little wine group in Miami brought its elegant Cabernet Sauvignon. From then on, we’d buy it as a classic splurge. The winery was founded in 1981 when a Pepsi executive, Hack Wilson, and his wife, Stella, purchased 180 acres along the Silverado Trail in…October 17, 2025
‘What’s Money?’: Some Top Wine Communicators Try to Explain
It’s tough out there for the little folks. The Urban Grape, a pioneering wine shop in Boston that did so much for its community, suddenly closed its doors, soon after its DC branch was shuttered. Coco Noir Wine Shop & Bar, in downtown Oakland, has posted pleas for donations to support “daily operations.” In our recent column, small winemakers told…October 3, 2025
Where Does Wine Go From Here? Some Ideas From the Source
A few weeks ago, we asked some wine store owners two questions: What would they like to see customers do more and what would they like to see them do less? Their responses reminded us of why we think your journey in wine can be immeasurably enriched if you have a wine merchant who is not only knowledgeable but also…September 19, 2025
Elevating Local Terroir with Texas White Oak: Dr. Bob Explains
We’re partial to people who have the courage to depart from the mainstream. In the wine world, many match that description. Our interest in probing minds led us to say yes when we were offered two unusual wines from Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, Texas, a winery founded in 2009 by Dr. Robert Young, a retired family and preventive medicine…September 5, 2025
Ryme’s Hers and His Vermentinos and a Trip Back to The Dakota
Wine can be romantic. The people who make it and drink it certainly can attest to its capacity to inspire. Love stories abound in the wine world. That’s why we’ve written our Valentine’s series. But even we were surprised and charmed to find that one couple had such different visions of a wine that they bottle “His” and “Hers” versions.…August 22, 2025
Two Things Your Wine Merchant Would Like to Tell You This Season
A few days ago, we strolled over a newly restored footbridge in Central Park, surrounded by just-planted landscaping including lots of ferns. The air was unusually crisp for an August afternoon and the older vegetation’s vibrant greens had dimmed a bit, for us a sign that summer is drawing to a close. In the wine world that means we’re approaching…August 8, 2025
Napa’s Only Zinfandel on Zinfandel Lane: A BYOB Tribute
We recently took our own advice and opened a wine that we had considered too special to open. We know. That’s why we invented Open That Bottle Night in 1999. Even though it’s officially celebrated globally on the last Saturday in February, we advised you to open those bottles as frequently as possible because no one is promised tomorrow. A…July 25, 2025
Cold Beaujolais Here: Our Pitch for Hot Dogs and Baseball
Hotdogsbeerandpeanuts? Like many couples, we speak in code. Whole thoughts collapse into a single word. When one of us asks the other “hot dogs, beer and peanuts?” what we mean is “Hey, there’s a special Mets game on tonight, so why don’t we have hot dogs, beer and peanuts while we watch?” We go to three or four Mets games…July 11, 2025
Anselmo Mendes of Portugal on How to Tame a Loureiro
The other day, we had a contractor over to talk about what he could do to fix this and that in our apartment. We purchased it from a couple, so we had it renovated to be more suitable for a family of four. But that was more than three decades ago. Over the years, we’ve repainted, cared for the hardwood…June 27, 2025
Massican’s Dan Petroski Has a Very Different View of Wine’s Challenges Right Now
In these terrifying times, with wars, deportations, protests, all manner of disruptions and disturbances, wine can seem like an irrelevant, frivolous thing. However, the fact that humans have been enjoying it for millennia --through wars, deportations, protests, all manner of disruptions and disturbances -- underscores its place in civilizations as an elixir that helps those who share it bond, creating…June 13, 2025
Haut-Brion and the Conundrum of Wine at Its ‘Peak’
When will this wine be at its peak? In the universe of wine questions, that’s way up there. And the quick answers are: 1) Most wines are meant to be drunk right away and 2) In terms of fine wine, it’s impossible to know because every bottle is different and a great deal depends on storage and handling. This is…May 30, 2025
Austria’s Ingrid Groiss: Nancy Sinatra and Granny Inspired My Rosé
This is a story about how Nancy Sinatra helped inspire an Austrian winemaker to create our favorite rosé this year. We have spent the last couple of months tasting many rosés, including samples sent to us. Almost all of them were OK. Some tended toward light watermelon juice with little character and others had a Kool-Aid sweetness. Oh, yeah! A…
