  Steve Mohlekamp The design of Mike McCurdie's cellar mixes stone and wood elements for a variety of textures. Today's wine collectors are incorporating wine storage into their homes in dramatic ways, combining state-of-the-art technology with forward design. Mike McCurdie, an avid wine collector in Denver, shares details of his 400-bottle cellar, which focuses on New and Old World reds from Napa's Elyse to Bordeaux's Château Fonplegade. Three other sets of collectors, including Oklahoma City's Piyush Patel, take us inside their breathtaking wine sanctuaries for "The Art of the Cellar" cover story in Wine Spectator's Sept. 30 issue, on newsstands now. Get a sneak peek!
 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 94 points • $60 • 1,730 cases made Polished, rich and impressively structured, with rose petal and raspberry notes that build toward a sleekly dynamic finish and refined tannins. Drink now through 2029. From Oregon.—Tim Fish
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SPONSORED CONTENT  Gentle, rolling hills and manicured rows of vines—that's the typical idea of a vineyard setting. Since 1978, Pine Ridge has planted their vineyards along the side of a steep-walled valley. Every row captures a unique microclimate, and every bottle produced proves that elegant wines are born from land that defies odds.
Exclusive Wine Spectator invitation: Explore Napa Valley with our three-bottle Appellation Collection of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, shipping included.
Ask Wine Spectator Q: Do all wines improve with age?—John, Manitowoc, Wisc. A: Wines should taste good when you buy them. There are some very special wines that will further evolve—with the right storage conditions—into lovely mature wines. As they age, their aromas and flavor profiles will change, but whether that is for the better or worse is a matter of taste: Fruit flavors fade into the background, while earth, mineral, mushroom, floral and nutty notes become more prominent. If you've never tried an aged wine, you might be surprised by how it tastes.
That's to say, while it's a nice thought to purchase wines to store for later and see how they evolve, I wouldn't recommend making that your primary strategy unless you're certain that you like the taste of mature wines.—MaryAnn Worobiec Have a question about collecting? E-mail us. Browse our archive of previous questions & answers.
 FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Images Workers at Moët keep masks on as they pick Pinot Noir for the 2020 harvest. In the middle of harvest season, Europe has been dealing with COVID's second wave as vintners adapt to growing safety and economic concerns. The pandemic and the resulting global recession have been especially hard on Champagne, where in recent months, houses and growers negotiated on dramatically cutting production. Down south, Spanish vintners are trying to keep workers safe, while restructuring their businesses as the country's confirmed COVID-19 cases exceed 800,000. "With quarantine and the closing of restaurants, sales suffered considerable loss," said José Moro, president of Bodegas Emilio Moro. Stay up to date and get the details!
 Courtesy of Cellier aux Moines / Courtesy of Marchesi Antinori Coming up: Philippe Pascal and Piero Antinori Check out our Instagram Live series, "Straight Talk with Wine Spectator." Sponsored by Wines of Chile & Garyswine.com, the virtual chats with super chefs, winemakers, somms and more are airing every Tuesday and Thursday. If you didn't catch it live, watch our chat with Jackson Family Wines CEO Rick Tigner. At 3 p.m. ET tomorrow, Oct. 8, senior editor Bruce Sanderson is chatting with Philippe Pascal, owner of Burgundy's Cellier aux Moines. And next week, on Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. ET, Sanderson talks to Piero Antinori, president of Tuscany's Marchesi Antinori. Check out past conversations, see the full lineup and tune in!
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