Wine Enthusiast Magazine April 2024

Jacqueline Strum EDITOR & PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR, PRINT John Capone TASTING DIRECTOR Anna-Christina Cabrales EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL Rachel Tepper Paley SENIOR EDITOR, PRINT Stacy Briscoe CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, FOOD Nils Bernstein WEB PRODUCER Samantha Sette DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Monica Simon DIGITAL VISUALS EDITOR Evan de Normandie DIGITAL DESIGNER Eric DeFreitas PHOTO PRODUCER Tom Arena TASTING SENIOR TASTING COORDINATORS Craig Chamberlain, Cody Wexler ASST. TASTING COORDINATOR Russell Peborde SOCIAL DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Elyse Estrella SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST Marco Bruno VIDEO SUPERVISING VIDEO PRODUCER Braxton Parr VIDEO PRODUCER Rob Martin WRITERS AT LARGE WINE Michael Alberty, Elaine Chukan Brown, Danielle Callegari, Tom Capo, Mike DeSimone, Matt Kettmann, Christina Pickard, Tonya Pitts, Jeff Porter, Emily Saladino, Reggie Solomon, Jesica Vargas, Roger Voss, Aleks Zecevic SPIRITS Kara Newman DIRECTOR OF CLIENT SERVICES…

I did it. I returned to the scene of the most iconic crime in wine pop culture—the tasting room where Paul Giamatti’s character Miles dumps an entire spit bucket into his mouth in the film Sideways. We all know some version of this film’s impact on the industry. Its perks for building excitement for Pinot Noir and, of course, its dampening on the market for Merlot. Its reputation and effects were so tremendous that, 20 years after the film’s release, we are still interested enough in it to ask director Alexander Payne to look back at it in this very issue. What was most impactful for me during my visit to Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards, where that famous scene was filmed, was meeting Richard Sanford. If you’re not…

THE 24TH ANNUAL WINE STAR AWARDS The wine and spirits industry’s most influential movers and shakers gathered for Wine Enthusiast’s 24th annual Wine Star Awards at the swank Eden Roc Miami Beach on February 5. The winners were honored at a black-tie reception, where they and guests toasted with some of the Wine Star Award-recognized wines, and celebrated at a gala awards presentation. THE AFTER-PARTY Once all the trophies had been handed out, guests and Wine Star Award winners mingled in the grand lobby of Eden Rock Miami Beach at the official after-party, presented by George Dickel, the 2023 Spirit Brand of the Year award winner. Attendees were treated to signature cocktails featuring the brand’s whiskies, tastes of George Dickel x Leopold Bros. Collaboration Blend and bites by Nobu.…

ARE YOU A SELF-APPOINTED PINOT PURIST? THERE’S A CURE FOR THAT. Whether it’s the thin-skinned, moderate tannic structure, elevated acidity, fresh red-fruitiness, or the ability and willingness to showcase terroir and ageworthiness—or all of the above—that draw you in, there are ways to hit the Pinot position on your palate. In fact, tasted blind, these could even be (and often are) mistaken for Pinot Noir itself. Pinot-like Characteristics: Soft tannic texture, generous acidity with delicate red fruits and a forest floor-mushroom quality Though native to France’s Jura region, it makes up but a small percentage of plantings, trailing even that of Pinot Noir. Perhaps because it proves to be even more finicky in the field. Outside its native region, Trousseau has found a home in Northern California. There are…

While the world associates Champagne with celebratory effervescence, less well-known is that the region is also home to still wines. Officially Coteaux Champenois since 1974, these wines and their takes on terroir are nothing new yet were all but forgotten—until recently. Starting with the Roman Empire, Champagne’s wine-producing story began with still red. For centuries, these wines were among France’s most celebrated. A favorite of the former kings of France, they were served at coronations since Clovis, the first French king, in 481. Their popularity proliferated in the royal courts of Europe during the 17th century. It wasn’t until the accidental discovery and subsequent popularity of bubbly as we know it today that Coteaux Champenois fell out of favor. Once the méthode champenoise used to create effervescence was industrialized,…

Though versions of boeuf bourguignon had been made throughout France for years, it wasn’t formalized in the French culinary canon until 1903, when Auguste Escoffier published a recipe for it in his landmark book Le Guide Culinaire. WINE PAIRING Rather than a delicate red Burgundy, Chef Barthélémy recommends pairing the boeuf bourguignon with a Saint-Émilion or Pomerol from Bordeaux’s Right Bank. These Merlot-based wines serve up hedonistic fruit but with tannic structure and acidity, often due to the contribution of Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon in the blends. Texturally, these wines match the lushness of the dish, while the tannins temper the richness of this beefy braise. TRY: Château Simard 2020 Saint-Émilion (Bordeaux) BOEUF BOURGUIGNON Courtesy Executive Chef Gérald Barthélémy, Mino Brasserie, New York City @minonyc Mino Brasserie offers modern…