Wine Enthusiast Magazine December 2021

Jacqueline Strum EDITOR & PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR Lauren Buzzeo TASTING DIRECTOR Alexander Peartree CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marco Turelli DIGITAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR Julia Lea EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Layla Schlack ASSISTANT EDITOR Jacy Topps TASTING ASSISTANT TASTING DIRECTOR Fiona Adams TASTING COORDINATORS Craig Chamberlain, William Johnson ASSISTANT TASTING COORDINATOR Cody Wexler DIGITAL ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Emily Saladino SENIOR DIGITAL EDITOR Dylan Garret DIGITAL EDITOR Kristen Richard ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR J’nai Gaither SOCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Elyse Estrella SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Marco Bruno DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Monica Simon DIGITAL DESIGNER Eric DeFreitas VISUALS PRODUCER Jesse Reiter ASSOCIATE PHOTO PRODUCER Tom Arena CONTRIBUTING EDITORS EUROPEAN EDITOR Roger Voss ITALIAN EDITOR Kerin O’Keefe WINE Virginie Boone, Mike DeSimone, Jim Gordon, Paul Gregutt, Anna Lee C. Iijima, Jeff Jenssen, Matt Kettmann, Christina Pickard, Michael Schachner, Sean P. Sullivan SPIRITS Kara Newman BEER John Holl FOOD Nils Bernstein TRAVEL Lauren Mowery EDITORIAL OFFICES HEADQUARTERS 200 Summit Lake DriveValhalla, NY 10595 TEL: 914.345.9463 editor@wineenthusiast.net CALIFORNIA Virginie Boone vboone@wineenthusiast.net; Jim Gordon jgordon@wineenthusiast.net; Matt Kettmann mkettmann@wineenthusiast.net EUROPE Roger Voss rvoss@wineenthusiast.net ITALY Kerin O’Keefe kokeefe@wineenthusiast.net PACIFIC NORTHWEST Paul Gregutt pgregutt@wineenthusiast.net; Sean P. Sullivanssullivan@wineenthusiast.net SENIOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Greg Remillard SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & EVENTS Jen…

There’s something deliciously satisfying about opening a special bottle you’ve carefully coddled for years. Perhaps it’s the anticipation of waiting, finding a time worthy of popping the cork or the feeling of rediscovering a bottle long forgotten. In any case, a cellared wine can make even the most mundane meal a momentous one. We’ve all been trying to find new ways to make merry, and this holiday is all about reframing what it means to create a special moment together. A bottle held close for many years is the perfect way to elevate your table and today’s wine market offers up a vast array of labels to lay down until the time is right. This year’s Top 100 Cellar Selections (page 44) are culled from more than 1,100 Cellar Selection-designated wines to…

HUE SOCIETY’S WINE & CULTURE FEST For three days in August, this joyous Atlanta event celebrated and honored people who have been marginalized in the wine community. Organized by Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 of 2020 honoree Tahiirah Habibi, the event included a cookout, a celebration of rice around the world, a rooftop lounge and an awards brunch that honored such luminaries as Dorothy Gaiter and Iris Rideau. HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FEST New York’s Hudson Valley has become a hub of not only good wine, but also beer, cider, distilleries and food. At this annual event, which just celebrated its 20th year this September, visitors sampled and purchased all of the above, as well as had the chance to attend organized tastings, cooking demonstrations and other educational seminars. HUE SOCIETY: LANCE THOMAS/LDV…

Twice a year, California winery Sine Qua Non sends out a note to its substantial waitlist. “If there is ever a task that I, good old Manfred, don’t like to perform, it is writing and sending this note,” wrote co-owner Manfred Krankl in a 2019 missive. “Communicating about wines we sadly don’t have enough to offer to everyone interested is clearly a miserable task… Thank you so much for your patience and kindness. It is greatly appreciated.” Sine Qua Non isn’t the only winery for which demand outpaces supply. While some winemakers dislike the term, “cult wine” has come to encapsulate three main things: scarcity, high prices and quality. Many consider Napa Valley the birthplace of the phenomenon, and so its most famous grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, comprises many of the world’s most sought-after…

GIVE A LITTLE Holiday celebrations don’t have to be elaborate in order to be meaningful. Still, there is something special about the magic of ripping open a present, no matter your age. The editors at Wine Enthusiast pulled together this collection of objects we’d be delighted to unwrap; they’re sure to thrill the wine lovers in your life, too.…

The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all drank wine, as did pretty much every other ancient civilization. But out of what? It turns out that vessels in the ancient world were made in great quantities and diverse materials, including pottery, glass, ivory, stone, wood, leather, bronze, silver and gold. IN THE BEGINNING The earliest known drinking vessels were made from pottery—clay hardened by heat—and date back to the Upper Palaeolithic age. During the Bronze Age (3300–1200 BCE), when metalworking techniques were introduced, bronze and gold cups and goblets started to emerge. However, they remained the preserve of a small wealthy elite. During Roman times, metalware techniques were further developed. Roman emperors and senators were known to have drank wine in vessels made from materials including gold, silver and lead, often with elaborate gilt decoration…