Melissa L. Smith4 min readWhat to Know About Older ChampagneThis story, in one form or another, has been told countless times over the last 18 years, and the memory of it makes it seem as if it...
Melissa L. Smith5 min readWhat to know when visiting wine countryWe're constantly acclimating to the new realities of living in a pandemic, and the constant changes in mask policies, indoor and outdoor...
Melissa L. Smith5 min readValuing Wine CollectionsThe infinite complexity that goes into assigning valuations and appraising wine collections. DURING THE PANDEMIC I developed in-house...
Melissa L. Smith9 min readDream Cellars: Heidi BarrettCollector: Heidi Barrett Location: Calistoga Number of Cellars: 1 Date: December 2020 Okay, wow. Heidi Barrett. There has never been a...
Melissa L. Smith8 min readA menu on the fly, decades in the makingI’ve always had an overactive imagination. I immediately picture him and his SWAT team buddies busting up a bakery where the women...
Melissa L. Smith6 min readHeitz: A timeless winery on the eve of its 60th yearHaving just evacuated the property of the livestock and personnel the week before because of the encroaching fires, we were among the first