Lettie Teague

Wine Columnist at The Wall Street Journal

Wine Columnist

Articles

The Section of the Wine Store Our Columnist Can’t Resist

6 days ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

Sometimes a store manager or sommelier will file a wine under ‘miscellaneous’ when it doesn’t fit comfortably elsewhere. Lettie Teague goes straight to this section for interesting discoveries and terrific bargains. The “miscellaneous” section of a wine shop might not be a vintner’s favorite location for his or her wine, but it’s one of my favorite places to shop.
White or Red Wine? We Asked WSJ Readers What They’re Drinking Now

4 weeks ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

According to the 24th annual State of the U.S. Wine Industry report, released in January by Silicon Valley Bank, white wine sales grew faster than those of red this past year, with sales of Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc particularly strong. I wasn’t surprised: In recent years, I’ve noted an uptick in reader requests for white wine recommendations. I wondered how closely this study reflects the choices of WSJ readers, and if those choices reveal anything deeper about the way we drink now.
This White Burgundy Is Too Great a Bargain-for Now-to Keep Secret Any Longer

1 month ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

I have a new favorite wine that I like so much, I even reconsidered writing about it. This bright, refreshing white is one of the few remaining bargains from Burgundy (pending President Trump’s threat of alcohol tariffs). Might any additional publicity further drive up the price? But since this column is, above all, about service to readers, I’ll confess the name of my crush: Aligoté.
Could a New Tariff Send French Champagne Out of Your Price Range? Consider These Domestic Sparkling Wines

1 month ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

If you read the news of some pretty steep pending tariffs—potentially 200% on European alcohol, including, notably, Champagne—and, like me, you immediately began thinking about what sparkling wines you’d still be able to buy, I have some good news: There are plenty of very good domestic sparkling wines produced in the United States that are (still) affordably priced.
I’ve Written This Wine Column for 15 Years. What’s Changed-And What Hasn’t

1 month ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

Fifteen years ago this month, I became this paper’s wine columnist. A few hundred “On Wine” columns later, there’s still much to report. But on this quindecennial anniversary, I decided to look back at a few of those early columns, and what was happening in the wine world. In 2010, winemakers were still recovering from the effects of a recession and a subsequent wine glut that left vintners all over the world awash in unsold wine.
Red Wine Blends Can Be Surprisingly Great-If You Know Where to Look

1 month ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

Some red blends are self-evident, shelved in the “Red Blends” section of the wine store. Others, shelved by geographic source, require more effort to ferret out. While the former type tend to be domestic brands with catchy names and cheap prices, the latter come from countries like France, Italy and Spain. Typically produced from grapes native to a particular place, red blends of this kind have been made for hundreds of years.
When You BYOB, Are You Committing a Wine Faux Pas?

2 months ago | msn.com | Lettie Teague

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When You BYOB, Are You Committing a Wine Faux Pas?

2 months ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

I often bring a bottle of wine to a restaurant but never pay a corkage fee. That’s because I live in New Jersey, where most restaurants don’t have liquor licenses. BYOB is not only acceptable but, for me, even necessary. A restaurant with a liquor license may charge diners who wish to bring their own bottles in states where BYOB is legal. The fee and the terms are up to the individual restaurant.
This Wine Is a Good Aperitif. That’s Not an Insult.

2 months ago | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

On a recent evening I handed a friend a glass of a particularly crisp, cold Chablis. “This is a great aperitif,” I said. But what, exactly, did I mean by that term? By labeling the wine as such, was I signaling some lack of seriousness—a wine fit only for the start of a meal but somehow unworthy of serving along with it? And if so, how do an aperitif wine and a non-aperitif wine differ? Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Pre-Pinot Grigio, This Wine Was the Chic Italian White. Is It Time to Give Gavi Another Try?

Jan 23, 2025 | wsj.com | Lettie Teague

Picture an elegant evening out during the Studio 54 era. The wine on the table: very likely a Gavi. Why doesn’t this dry, dazzlingly acidic, very food-friendly white get more love today? By Your browser does not support the audio tag. 00:00 / 02:41This article is in your queue. The name is a pleasure to pronounce, and the price is reasonable, too. So why is Gavi, the white wine of Piedmont, Italy, so scarce on American wine store shelves? A half-century ago, Gavi was the epitome of a chic Italian wine.