It Was a Very Good Year

Vinexpo, the vast wine and spirits trade fair held every two years in Bordeaux, has much in common with that other great French gathering, the Cannes Film Festival: while the established stars bask in the limelight, the aspiring vedettes stand ready to pop their corks for any chance at fame and fortune. Sultry, sun-drenched wines from France's southwest bearing improbable names like Passion and Initiation rub shoulders with ice wines from Canada and organic wines from all over. Old World veterans are jostled by products of the New — especially Australia, where a new winery opens every three days and...