Mitch Frank

New Orleans

Senior Editor at Wine Spectator

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Articles

Can Bordeaux's 2024 Futures Campaign Find Success?

1 month ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

Bordeaux's latest futures campaign is here and some of the top wineries in the world are slashing prices for their latest vintage. Some of those prices are the lowest the wine world has seen in more than a decade. Yet it might not be enough to entice customers. Could this be another lost campaign for the French region? The premise of Bordeaux en primeurs is fairly simple: The top wineries sell futures the spring after harvest, while the wines are still aging in barrels.
Are the wine tariffs gone? Not so fast

1 month ago | news.wine.co.za | Mitch Frank

You can be forgiven if the current financial markets are making you want a glass of wine. Trouble is, that wine might soon cost more. While the threatened tariffs of 20 percent on all European Union wines and 30 percent on all South African wines lasted less than one day before President Donald J. Trump paused them, tariffs of 10 percent remain in place for almost all wine-exporting nations. With all the changes in trade policy since February 3, it might be easy to get confused.
Are the Wine Tariffs Gone? Not So Fast

1 month ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

You can be forgiven if the current financial markets are making you want a glass of wine. Trouble is, that wine might soon cost more. While the threatened tariffs of 20 percent on all European Union wines and 30 percent on all South African wines lasted less than one day before President Donald J. Trump paused them, tariffs of 10 percent remain in place for almost all wine-exporting nations. With all the changes in trade policy since February 3, it might be easy to get confused.
Trump Tariff Plan Will Hit Every Imported Wine Bottle

2 months ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

The White House's global trade strategy means higher wine prices—with tariffs of 10 to 30 percent, including 20 percent for Italy, France and Spain—when the industry is already hurting.
Longtime Wine Spectator Napa Bureau Chief James Laube Dies

2 months ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

James Laube, longtime Wine Spectator senior editor and Napa bureau chief, has died at age 73 after a short illness. A writer and taster with the magazine for nearly four decades, Laube helped shape the California wine industry and educated and entertained thousands of wine lovers who read his articles. In the process, he helped build Wine Spectator into the world's leading magazine for wine. "California wine would not be what it is without James Laube," said Marvin R.
Fear and Tariffs: Uncertainty Can be Nearly as Bad for Wine Companies as Tariffs

2 months ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

Potentially crippling tariffs on European wines have been pushed back, but the trade wars are damaging the wine industry regardless.
President Trump Threatens 200 Percent Tariffs on European Wines

2 months ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

Wine consumers and the wine industry are increasingly becoming collateral damage in President Donald Trump's trade battles with other nations. This morning, the President threatened to levy a 200 percent tariff on "all wines, Champagnes and alcoholic products coming out of France and other E.U. represented countries." The threatened retaliation was triggered by the European Union's announcement yesterday that it plans to impose tariffs of 50 percent on American whiskies beginning on April 1.
Chile Is a Bright Spot in the U.S. Market

2 months ago | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank |Aaron Romano

Could 2025 be a year of opportunity for Chilean wine in the U.S.? After rough years of slowing sales, 2024 brought big gains for producers sending their wines to the U.S., the South American nation's third-biggest market. And while value-priced bottles continue to be the country's main wine export to the U.S., wines priced between $10 to $20 per bottle are starting to gain traction. That price point just happens to be the most promising segment of the U.S. wine market right now.
Peter M.F. Sichel, World War II Spy and Vintner Behind Blue Nun, Dies at 102

Feb 28, 2025 | winespectator.com | Mitch Frank

Peter M.F. Sichel's life was the stuff of cinematic thrillers. As a young German Jew, he escaped the Nazis and emigrated to America, where he signed up with the predecessor to the CIA. After working as a spy during World War II and the Cold War, he returned to his family's wine business, where he helped build Blue Nun into one of America's favorite wines. Sichel passed away Feb. 24. He was 104.
Wine's tough times are an opportunity

Feb 25, 2025 | news.wine.co.za | Mitch Frank

The Glass Fire of 2020 devastated Newton Vineyard. One of Napa’s most picturesque wineries, Newton occupied a prime spot on Spring Mountain and was home to hillside vineyards as well as gorgeous English-style gardens and a striking winery. The flames killed most of the vines, destroyed the winery and took out the entire 2020 harvest. Rebuilding the property was going to take several years and millions of dollars, but owner LVMH had plans to bring Newton back to life.