Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Let Wine Enthusiast Magazine be your guide to the “lifestyle of wine”.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Masthead
Jacqueline Strum EDITOR & PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR John Capone ART DIRECTOR Monica Simon MANAGING EDITOR Stacy Briscoe PHOTO PRODUCER Tom Arena CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER Casey Levine CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, FOOD Nils Bernstein COPY EDITOR Melissa Johnson
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Pub Letter
The old adage there’s no such thing as a free lunch holds as true today as it did in the past, but more on that later. When we were coming up with a plan to capture this year’s Future 40, we nodded to nostalgia and shipped every single winner their o
Wine Enthusiast Magazine1 min read
Out + About
In May, Wine Enthusiast partnered with Consorzio Tutela del Gavi to present a selection of the region’s finest wines in a master class led by Jeff Porter, writer-at-large and reviewer of wines from Piedmont and Northern Italy. This exclusive event to
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Grappa
Most non-Italians meet grappa—the pomace brandy distilled from the remains of grape winemaking in Italy—at the end of a meal at an Italian-ish restaurant, when the old owner wanders out to say thanks for spending too much money on bad food with a gra
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Hybrids
GRAPE: Thick-skinned, with small-to-medium berries and large clusters CROSS OF: Vitis vinifera and Vitis aestivalis WINE STYLES: Dry red table wine, port, rosé and sparkling rosé AROMAS/FLAVORS: Blackberry, blueberry, dried fig, baking spices FOOD PA
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Karen MacNeil
This all started when Karen MacNeil posted a video to Instagram she called “Why I hate Dry January.” Immediately they came for the esteemed journalist and author of the bestselling The Wine Bible. She was somewhat taken aback by the volume of blowbac
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Pairology: Beets
FUN FACT: In the 17th century, it was common to color wine with red beetroot juice. *Geosmin contributes a strong earthy scent, which to some can come across as dirty, muddy or even fishy. Humans are able to detect the compound at concentrations as l
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
ROM–Butter Noodles
From Pass The Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook by Carolina Gelen (Clarkson Potter, 2024) @carolinagelen Transylvania native Carolina Gelen has a knack for devising recipes that go viral as much for their simplicity
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Okbtoberfest Beer
American craft breweries have typically embraced Oktoberfest as a must-have style for the early fall season. “Oktoberfest can come in two different types being either the traditional Märzen or the Festbier which is the main beer style at the modern G
Wine Enthusiast Magazine1 min read
Tools Of The Trade–Pruning Hook
Maybe it’s not the most innovative tool, but it doesn’t have to be. It does its job—the same way it has for centuries. There are ways to pick mechanically, of course, with basically giant robot tractor vacuum cleaners equipped with optic sensors, rol
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
AVA Dossier
Growers in Georgia’s Upper Hiwassee Highlands AVA revel in unique … everything. Each October, not all that far from Peter Seifarth’s Crane Creek Vineyards winery in north Georgia, the town of Blairsville holds its annual Sorghum Festival. And why not
Wine Enthusiast Magazine1 min read
COM Doughnut Daquiri
This wonderfully autumnal Daiquiri is adapted from a more elaborate version served at Austin bar Elementary, where it’s made with housemade apple tepache and “brown butter biscuit syrup.” The drink channels childhood memories of going to the fair, ex
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Rum Discovery
When Jack Widdowson was growing up in the 1990s, playing hide and seek with his sister on the grounds of Wingfield Estate on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts, rum had not been produced on the land in centuries. His father had purchased this overgrow
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Raki
In the town of Malia, Kostas Milathianakis, master gardener and brewer, teaches guests at Cretan Malia Park resort that in Crete, special occasions call for raki, or tsikoudia, not (as many may expect) ouzo. In the courtyard of the kafeneio (outdoor
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Cheers
Rip out this page and stuff it in your pocket for when you go to the wine shop next, or just search wineenthusiast.com/ratings. Our reviewers have determined these wines are exceptionally ageworthy. 99 Pago de los Capellanes 2019 Parcela El Picon Tem
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Viewpoint–More Than Just Vinifera
When I first left the restaurant scene and moved to Southern Appalachia, it felt a little like leaving a cult (Netflix, I’m ready whenever you are). I needed time to adjust to the culture shock. I had been smelling and tasting European-made bottles a
Wine Enthusiast Magazine13 min read
Future 40
The shelves of your local wine and spirits shops are morphing faster than ever before, in response to evolving tastes but also the pressures of climate change and myriad other conditions. The 40 folks highlighted here are a part of wave changing the
Wine Enthusiast Magazine7 min read
TikToktails
JORDAN HUGHES NEVER EXPECTED TO BECOME THE FACE OF THE #PARMESANESPRESSOMARTINI. BY DAY A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER, HUGHES MADE THE NOW-VIRAL DRINK ON HIS TIKTOK CHANNEL @HIGHPROOFPREACHER, JUST ONE OF MANY VIDEO DRINK TUTORIALS HE HAD POSTED. YOU’VE
Wine Enthusiast Magazine9 min read
Arkansas
The idea was hatched around midnight in the lobby of a Paso Robles hotel, where dozens of the country’s top sommeliers were wrapping up a long day of panels and tours by finishing bottles of whatever they could find. Having moderated a couple of thos
Wine Enthusiast Magazine5 min read
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is a lot like the Grand Canyon. Before visiting for the first time, previous tourists will tell you that you can’t fully appreciate the grandeur and spectacle until you’ve experienced it for yourself. This is true. What most won’t warn ab
Wine Enthusiast Magazine6 min read
Massal Selection
Winemaking, like fashion, seems to operate in cycles. What was once embarrassingly old hat—pét nats, bell bottoms—given time, gets reconsidered, upgraded, tweaked and presented in a new form that feels familiar, yet contemporary. Well, now vineyard p
Wine Enthusiast Magazine1 min read
BG Cover
FOR ADDITIONAL RATINGS AND REVIEWS, VISIT WINEMAG.COM/RATINGS ■
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
BG Intro
This is what happens when the wine world goes old school. Michael Alberty (M.A.) reviews wines from Washington, Oregon, Canada; Tom Capo (T.C.) reviews wines from Sonoma, California; Reggie Solomon (R.S.) reviews wines from Languedoc, Loire Valley, B
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
The Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide
The Buying Guide includes ratings and reviews of new-release and selected older beverage alcohol products evaluated by Wine Enthusiast magazine’s editors and other qualified tasters. Anna-Christina Cabrales: Burgundy, Rhône Valley Cody Wexler: Proven
Wine Enthusiast Magazine13 min read
California
95 Brick & Mortar 2020 Manchester Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay (Mendocino Ridge). The Mendocino Ridge AVA is a cool-climate area. For fans of high-energy wines, it is a region not to be missed. This wine is bright, lifted with aromas of citrus blossom,
Wine Enthusiast Magazine4 min read
Oregon
94 Project M 2022 Personify Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley). While tasting the Personify, I wrote “wow” and “really, wow.” This wine hits a chord with its perfume-worthy tart blackberry, lavender and powdery talc aromas. The Personify also has the rar
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Argentina
94 Achaval-Ferrer 2020 Finca Altamira Malbec (Uco Valley). The winery’s Finca series showcases wines that present a true expression of their place of origin. Coming from old vineyards in Paraje Altamira, this Malbec has the tension of wines from this
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Beaujolais
96 Château du Moulin-à-Vent 2021 La Rochelle (Moulin-à-Vent). Moulin-à-Vent stands on its own and is worthy of the Premier Cru status it is seeking. Beautiful, savory aromas greet you on the nose with shy raspberry resting in the wings whispering to
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Canada
95 CheckMate 2020 Queen’s Advantage Combret Vineyard Chardonnay (Okanagan Valley). Made with fruit from vines that are now half a century old, the Queen’s Advantage offers a compelling combination of a fuller mouthfeel and blazing acidity. The wine’s
Wine Enthusiast Magazine7 min read
Spain
94 Marqués de la Concordia 2021 Reserva de la Familia Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature (Cava). With a bold display of effervescence, this wine has a nose of Bartlett pear, just-baked croissant and lemon zest. It delights the tongue with enduring flavors o
Wine Enthusiast Magazine11 min read
Austria
94 Lesehof Stagård 2020 Ried Pfaffenberg Late Release Riesling (Kremstal). This vivid, medium-bodied wine has a silky texture and chalky feel, surrounding ripe lime, white cherry, passion fruit and orchard fruit. It reveals lacy floral accents with t
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Portugal
95 Quinta do Vallado 2021 Vinha da Granja (Douro). This is a field blend of 32 different varieties from a single vineyard of old vines. Planted in 1929, the vines are low yield, giving a concentrated wine with rich tannins and a powerfully dense text
Wine Enthusiast Magazine9 min read
New Zealand
94 Clos Henri 2023 Otira Glacial Stones Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough). A vibrant light gold color, this complex Sauvignon, from one of Marlborough’s top producers, is, frankly, a bargain for the quality. There’s a thread of salty, flinty minerality t
Wine Enthusiast Magazine3 min read
Croatia
94 Vina Matoševic 2021 Alba Robinia Malvazija (Istria). Medium straw colored, this wine has a bouquet of carambola, crème brûlée and honeysuckle. A soft floral note joins white peach, jasmine, lemongrass and dried apricot flavors set into a full-text
Wine Enthusiast Magazine8 min read
Spirits
We’re not (only) in Kentucky anymore. Are we living in a golden age of bourbon? Most likely, as stocks of America’s iconic corn-based whiskey remain high, and producers continue to roll out memorable new bottlings. Bourbon remains popular in the U.S.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine2 min read
Last Drop: Wellness ≠ Wineless
“You must admit, going from a career in fitness to a career in wine, that’s very unusual,” he said to me during a winemaker’s dinner at Chateau Lynch Bages, hosted by the Institute of Master of Wine. He—a tenured MW himself; me, a lowly prospect. He

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