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The SOMM Journal is the hospitality industry's go-to resource for the best new releases, most influential faces, and most exciting regions.

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12/01/2026

Phillip Corallo-Titus has been making wine for Sonoma-Loeb for over 35 years. Now, the stories producer’s new line, aptly named Dignitary, is meant to achieve two things: expand on the standard of excellence sought and achieved by the OG label and grow the
audience of wine drinkers who can enjoy the portfolio. “It’s the excitement of the tier,” says Doug Simon, vice president of national sales for Royal Wine Corp., Sonoma-Loeb’s parent company, of the collection that, true to its roots, is sourced solely from Sonoma vineyards and includes a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Chalk Hill–designated reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. “This is a somm’s wine.” Swipe to read more.

09/01/2026

Though some of them are upwards of
50 years of age, Ribera del Duero producer Arnáiz’s vineyards are also the beneficiaries of ultramodern technology. As Luciano García-Carrión, vice president of parent company García Carrión notes, “The estate practices what it calls Viticulture 4.0,
[using] digital mapping of vineyard plots, sensors measuring vine stress and soil moisture, drones that capture aerial imagery, and data analysis that guides precise decisions in the field.” It’s also, he adds,
“investing in solar power, biomass systems, and smart water management as well as an ambitious circular-economy program aimed at reducing waste, emissions, and energy consumption”—all in pursuit of “a
timeless goal”: the painstaking cultivation of the Tempranillo (known locally as Tinta del País), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot that go into the producer’s wines, which he defines as “refined, expressive, and
deeply rooted in place.” Swipe to read more.

07/01/2026

In our January issue, recalls a seminar she attended recently led by that explored the expansion of sustainable winemaking practices in Chianti. Two key factors have emerged as reasons for the region’s environmental stewardship. One is natural: More than 50% of its 70,000 hectares is covered by forest, meaning that the biodiversity that’s
so important for the health of vineyards as it supports the microbiomic ecosystem and protects beneficial species is somewhat baked in (of course, it helps that a
large majority of growers here plant cover crops, eschew herbicides and pesticides, and employ various other organic and/or biodynamic practices). The other is historical: According to the sharecropping system
by which much of Italian and especially Tuscan viticulture operated for centuries, known as mezzadria, growers typically lived on the estate for whose owner they worked. Though it was essentially abolished
in the 1960s, the fact remains that “in Chianti Classico you have a higher chance of people living in the village or even the vineyard that the wines are [from],” said
Stuckey; added Carlin Karr, “That’s the essence of what makes it so sustainable, because if you’re living in the vineyard, you would never spray intense chemicals.” Swipe to read more.

05/01/2026

Cathryn Bell has an unfair advantage over most sommeliers: She has synesthesia, a condition that enables her to experience flavors, shapes, colors, sounds, and other stimuli in ways that employ multiple senses at once—giving her an unusual perspective when pairing food and wine.

“It informs my interpretation of what I would usually explain as gut instinct; it just puts a little more thought and mindfulness on things to find a more tangible and
defined answer,” Bell explains of her ability to “see and hear” what she wants a pairing to evoke. “It forces me to explain my workings out, which is only a good thing.”

Swipe to read more about what life is like as a sommelier with synesthesia.

29/12/2025

chief winemaker Aurelio Montes Jr. (right, pictured with Francis Rodriguez, owner of Gulf Liquors in Miami), recently visited the United States on a tour that showcased the impressive depth and culture of this winery that’s put-and kept- Chilean wines on the map. Swipe to read more from .

22/12/2025

At in Scottsdale, AZ, Matt Keeler honors his father the late Paul Keeler—founder of Keeler Hospitality Group, which operates properties in Arizona, Nebraska, and Wisconsin—with a concept that came to company CEO Matt in a dream.

To channel his dad’s memory, tufted leather banquettes hug one wall while a black marble bar stretches beneath the warm glow of desk lamps on the
other. Rows of wooden shelves display a scrapbook of Paul’s life in the form of family portraits, including snapshots of the grandchildren who dubbed him Poppy; well-worn books; sports memorabilia; and
keepsakes collected over his decades in the restaurant industry.

Swipe to red more about this hospitality homage.

19/12/2025

In our December issue, caught up with Italian winemaker Lorenzo Mattoni, who came from an Italian family of vignerons, but cut his teeth on the American trade before returning to Italy to launch his own eponymous brand, . In the early 2000s, Lorenzo took a position with a leading importer
and wholesaler in Arizona to observe market trends and sales in the U.S. He worked with top wine labels from around the world, calling on key accounts and organizing trade events. One might think that he would have been starstruck by the success of Napa Valley’s blockbuster Cabernet-based wines and the Super Tuscans that were the darling of collectors and therefore decide to make “Super Umbrian” wines. Instead, he saw an opportunity for his native region’s traditional yet relatively unknown varietal expressions.

Upon his return to Umbria, he convinced his father Lodovico to let him farm a prime 22-acre vineyard in nearby Bevagna, the heart of the appellation, and create an eponymous label that would be separate
from the family’s respected Terre de Trinci brand. Working in collaboration with his father and brother, Nicola, Lorenzo chose to focus on the mountainous area’s indigenous varieties—first the red Sagrantino, then the whites Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletino—while utilizing traditional cement fermentation tanks and large wooden casks for aging in the family winery.
His first entry was Lorenzo Mattoni Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG; for his next red, however, he opted to make an IGT-designated blend so that he could use predominantly but not exclusively Sagrantino in addition to crafting a single-varietal white wine with Trebbiano Spoletino. Swipe to read more.

18/12/2025

In her December column, explores the evolution of wines by the glass, from affordable house pours to expensive esoteric sips. She makes a case for the return to simplicity in by-the-glass, which she argues will benefit consumers and restaurants alike. Chime in with your thoughts below!

15/12/2025

In his December column, makes a compelling fiscal point: “Quite simply, the best way to sell something is to position it next to a more expensive alternative. Upper limit modifiers are the most expensive wines within a given category. If managed correctly, they serve three highly important functions, all of which lead to increased revenue and happier
guests.

First is what is known in professional psychology as the contrast effect: People tend, however subconsciously, to perceive an item to be a superior value when there is a similar but costlier product near it. With few exceptions, most people won’t gravitate toward the most expensive wine in a category. Rather, its job is to make the next–most expensive wines feel like better values. To give an example, I helped open Le Diplomate in Washington, D.C.—one of the highest-
grossing independent restaurants in the country—in 2013. While I am absolutely against reserve lists (see my August/September 2022 column), one was required by ownership. In the early days, our most expensive reserve-list wine was in the low to mid-$400s, and sales from that list tended to average around $250 per bottle. After a few months, I began adding wines in the $600–$750 range; suddenly, the average reserve-list
purchase increased to the mid-$400s. A few months later, I added $1,000–$2,000 bottles—and wouldn’t you know it, the average reserve-list purchase jumped to
the mid-$700s.

It’s not that there was a sudden shift in the taste of our guests. It was that the more expensive wines served as a contrast to the next–most expensive wines, making them that much more desirable.”

Swipe to read more about this theory in action.

11/12/2025

When actress launched this year, she immersed herself into the world of winemaking wholeheartedly. “Before becoming a vintner, I was just drinking wine for the taste or [because] it paired well with something. But understanding the alchemy, the chemistry, how it affects my body, how it affects the Earth, has been really fascinating and exciting,” she says. The inaugural vintage of MianU was a resounding success, selling out completely. So what’s next? “The process of making
the next vintage is like making a film: You gotta wait. The grapes have been picked, the film has been shot, but we still have to edit. . . . There are a lot of little steps along the way,” explains King.

Read more from in the digital edition at the link in our bio.

09/12/2025

The prevalence of limestone in the soils of the Adelaida District was key to founders Daniel and Georges Daou’s decision to move there, and the results have been impressive for the winery. our December cover story tells a story of terroir and the business of wine in Paso Robles with one of the most influential families in the region. Swipe to read more.

08/12/2025

While has long been known for its flagship Chardonnay sourced from both sides of the Carneros AVA, the brand also has a rich history of producing Bordeaux varieties. For these offerings—
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc—Director of winemaking Niki Williams works with the aforementioned variety of Napa terroirs to ensure balanced expressions from vintage to vintage.

Cakebread’s home ranch in Rutherford, purchased back in the 1970s, offers the classic finesse and richness of the valley floor. Up on Howell Mountain, Dancing Bear Ranch provides “more mountain tannins—fine-grained and structured—and pushing toward that darker, riper fruit profile,” according to Williams, while “our Maple Lane Vineyard in Calistoga grows these tiny berries that create a fruity style but with solid density.”

But it’s Cakebread’s vineyards in the southeast corner of Napa Valley that Williams finds especially intriguing after two vintages of working with estate fruit. “Our Suscol Springs and Suscol Mountain vineyards express the Bordeaux varieties in a unique and interesting way,” she says, noting that moderate temperatures, high
elevation, and rocky slopes yield a high level of concentration thanks to a slower ripening process. “It’s a very savory style with cigar box and leather, combined with rich, dark fruit. It’s a fun yet classic expression of a cooler pocket of Napa.” Swipe to read more.

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