Cardiac arrests are bad for business, unless your business is for-profit ambulancing, or… erm, no, that’s about it. They’re certainly not good for Panera’s business. Over the past few months, the fast-casual chain has found itself on the receiving end of a couple wrongful-death lawsuits related to its line of “Charged Sips” — flavored lemonades that filing attorneys allege were insufficiently labeled as potent caffeinated beverages, resulting in the fatal heart attacks of their respective clients.

Panera has revised the formula of the colorful, caffeinated drinks, and affixed impossible-to-miss labels highlighting their caffeine content, and has said it “stand[s] behind the safety” of the beverages. The Food and Drug Administration, for its part, announced it was gathering information on the product in October, after the first suit was filed. Your humble Hop Take columnist will leave questions of Charged Lemonade’s legality and culpability to be sorted out by the American justice system. Instead, let’s you and I consider some of the historical context in which this saga unfolds.

Charged Lemonade is a non-alcoholic beverage and, as far as I know, Panera has yet to try to ford the alcohol-by-volume Rubicon with a hard-drink spinoff of any of its popular beverages. But that’s not for lack of precedent. For the past couple of years, brands from all over the consumer packaged goods landscape have rolled out beverage-alcohol line extensions to capitalize on American drinkers’ rising omibibulousness. Fast-casual brands, too: Sonic has a hard seltzer, Bojangles has a hard tea, and Dunkin’ has one of those, plus a hard coffee, too.

So as the market converges on “total beverage,” and memes about adding alcohol to Charged Lemonade flood TikTok and Instagram, I thought it’d be instructive to reflect on how another caffeinated beverage — this one alcoholic — rode a lucrative wave of pop-cultural cachet and morbid curiosity straight into the feds’ field of vision.

In the mid-aughts, Four Loko hit college campuses across these United States like a freight train made out of camouflaged tallboys. In its original formulation — developed by a group of former frat brothers and sold by the company they formed, Phusion Projects LLC — the flavored malt beverage contained 156 milligrams of caffeine per each 23.5-ounce, 12-percent alcohol-by-volume can. The idea of spiking caffeinated beverages with booze, or even packaging it up in a beer-like format, wasn’t new when Four Loko first started showing up on store shelves near America’s college campuses. Irish coffee has been around since the 1940s, Red Bull-vodka since the late ‘80s; Sparks, a Four Loko-forerunning FMB-plus-caffeine brand, since 2003.

But primacy is no match for potency and publicity. As someone who came of drinking age squarely within Four Loko’s caffeinated reign, I can say with some authority that its ascendance to the summit of Mount Olympissed derived as much from its fruit-punch-you-in-the-mouth properties as a liquid as from the aura of illicit danger that coalesced around its brand. How is this legal? How many can I drink before I black out? I knew someone who knew someone who died after three.

I didn’t know such a someone personally, but they existed, a few times over. As original-formula Four Loko careened towards a record-high $144 million in sales in 2010 (its last year on the market), it also wound up implicated in “several deaths, at least one instance of gang-related torture, and has contributed to alcohol poisoning and in many cases hospitalization of teenagers and college students at several campus parties,” according to a report in Time Magazine from November of that year. By then, many colleges and some entire states had levied bans on Four Loko. The FDA’s then-principal deputy commissioner, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, had seen enough.

The agency first began looking at Four Loko in 2009, and only took decisive action on it in late 2010. “It took a whole year of review,” Sharfstein told me earlier this year on VinePair’s Taplines podcast, describing the methodical information-gathering process on the product he oversaw at the FDA as its second-highest-ranking official. (Like, review, and subscribe, wouldja?) With the backing of over 20 bipartisan state attorneys general, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Sharfstein issued a warning letter to Phusion Projects and a few other firms marketing similar products in late November 2010, advising that FDA believed their addition of caffeine to alcohol did not meet the legal standard “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS. “We couldn’t look ourselves in the mirror and say adding large amounts of caffeine to alcohol, given this evidence, was safe.” It wasn’t a ban, but the writing was on the wall. The company pulled original-formula Four Loko and reformulated it shortly thereafter.

Caffeine is considered GRAS in non-alcoholic beverages like Panera’s Charged Lemonades. But there are some key differences between those products and, say, a Monster energy drink, that make them “exceptional,” as Jennifer Temple, director of the Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory at the University of Buffalo in New York, told The Washington Post last week. For one, before Panera reformulated Charged Lemonades, a 30-ounce “large” contained 390 milligrams of caffeine, roughly four times a standard cup of coffee. (That figure now stands at 219–237milligrams, depending on the flavor.) The serving sizes themselves are enormous compared to other energy drinks, and the dispensing mechanism — a soda fountain — is potentially limitless, and literally so for paying members of Panera’s “Unlimited Sip Club.” “I can’t think of another example where you can kind of self-dispense an energy drink,” Temple added.

How the suits against Panera (the first of which was filed in October, and the second last week) proceed, and whether FDA’s scrutiny materializes into formal action, remains to be seen. But in the meantime, people be posting. Four Loko’s caffeinated reign ended the same year Instagram launched, and memes had yet to break out of niche forums like Something Awful, 4chan, and Reddit as the lingua franca of the platform-based internet. Its popularity grew mostly by word of mouth, and maybe Facebook albums. Charged Lemonade’s unfortunate moment in the limelight, on the other hand, is occurring squarely in the era of mainstream meme culture, smartphones, and — especially relevant for our purposes here at Hop Take — blurred category lines between soft and hard drinks. So of course people with irony poisoning and a taste for FMBs are fantasizing on social media about spiking “the death lemonade” with alcohol. You can see where this is headed.

As Sharfstein told Taplines about his deliberations over Four Loko back in 2010: “When people see something for sale, they think that at some level, it’s OK. If there was a big problem with this, somebody would have taken it off the market, that type of attitude.” The opposite was true, too: As me and my shithead friends learned there was a problem with Four Loko, we stockpiled it to hedge against it eventually being taken off the market. (We weren’t the only ones.) Thirteen years and entirely too much internet later, those impulses of colorful self-destruction and morbid curiosity are supercharged by the performative dynamics of the social internet. More people will seek out “the death lemonade” to see what all the fuss is about. A few of them will probably mix it with White Claw, or vodka, or grain liquor. They may even upload a recipe video to the moral-panic machine known as TikTok.

None of that would be Panera’s fault, nor within the firm’s control. But it would definitely bring more scrutiny from concerned parents, lawmakers, and regulators. And as the Icarus myth of original-formula Four Loko taught us, that wouldn’t be great for business, either.

🤯 Hop-ocalypse Now

After helping to amplify and galvanize conservatives’ transphobic temper tantrum over Bud Light’s relationship with Dylan Mulvaney in the heady days of early April by shooting cases of the beer with an AR-15, performer Robert James “Kid Rock” Ritchie is singing a different tune these days. In an interview with involuntarily retired Fox News race-baiter Tucker Carlson earlier this week, Ritchie said Anheuser-Busch InBev has “got[ten] the message,” and right-wing reactionaries ought to get “back on board” with its flailing flagship brand. “You don’t spank them for the rest of their life,” he said, just like any other normal and well-adjusted person might. An ABI spokeswoman declined to comment, and frankly, in this one instance, I get it.

📈 Ups…

Despite a very tough year, the Brewers Association’s annual report notes that drinkers spend 25 percent of their beer dollars on craft brews… White Claw’s non-alcoholic hard seltzer (so, seltzer) will hit shelves in January 2024… Bell’s Brewery will take its Hazy-Hearted IPA nationwide next year… Brewbound’s eagle-eyed newsletter editors spotted what may be Firestone-Walker’s entry to the NA beer game… Puerto Rico’s craft brewers are struggling just like mainland colleagues, but export values are way up year-over-year…

📉 …and downs

Also according to the BA’s 2023 report, the U.S. craft beer segment posted its first non-Covid-related volume decline this year… After a summer buying bonanza, Tilray Brands’ exec Ty Gilmore says the firm is fielding 2–3 calls a day from craft breweries hoping to sell… At -10.8 percent, October 2023 marked the eighth straight month of negative beer tax-paids… Beer led alcohol price inflation at home in November, up 2.7 percent (but hey, at 5.2 percent, it trailed wine and spirits on-premise at least?)

The article How Four Loko’s Past Could Shape Panera’s Charged Lemonade Future appeared first on VinePair.

Italy’s Campari Group has committed to buy premium Cognac house Courvoisier from Beam Suntory in a landmark deal, according to a Thursday press release from the brand. The purchase price for the acquisition is set at $1.2 billion. An additional payment of $120 million is expected to be payable in 2029 if the net sales target is reached in 2028, potentially giving the acquisition a value of $1.32 billion — the largest deal in Campari Group’s history.

Founded in 1828, Courvoisier is one of France’s top four historical Cognac houses, making this a unique opportunity for Campari Group to enter the realm of super-premium Cognac. This purchase is in line with Campari Group’s strategy to expand its portfolio of global offerings and improve its luxury offerings in key markets including the U.S. and Asia.

“Courvoisier will enable a significant step up in the U.S. while also permitting long-term transformational potential in the strategic Asia-Pacific region,” Matteo Fantacchiotti, deputy chief executive officer of Campari Group says in the release. “In addition to acquiring a globally recognized brand with strong premiumisation credentials, we have a unique opportunity to expand our Cognac production and bottling capacity in France, a core platform of our global supply chain.”

This is the Italian group’s seventh acquisition of a France-based spirits producer since 2016, including those of Bisquit & Dubouché and Grand Marnier. This purchase will increase the group’s distilling infrastructure and bottling and warehousing capabilities in France. This is another benefit to the Courvoisier brand which will be able to leverage Campari Group’s leadership, brand development, and operational infrastructure.

“Our recent investments into business infrastructure and enhanced operation capabilities, combined with Campari Group’s formidable reputation for investing in brands with strong equity and potential for long-term sustainable growth will allow us to unlock Courvoisier’s full potential,” Fantacchiotti adds.

The timing of this deal might come as a surprise to some, as Cognac producers recently reported dwindling sales and lackluster consumer demand. But Campari chief executive Bob Kunze-Concewitz told the Financial Times that Cognac’s slump was almost certainly temporary, and the Campari Group is optimistic about the future of the Courvoisier brand.

“This year Cognac players have a problem because there was scarcity during the pandemic, so distributors built stock… inflation and interest rates rose and players increased the prices, the macro scenario crisis affected consumption and distributors ended up with large stocks,” Kunze-Concewitz told the publication. “But people have a short memory… Cognac in the U.S. is now a lot more popular than it was before the pandemic, in spite of the [current decline in sales].”

Courvoisier reported net sales of $249 million in 2022, 60 percent of which in the U.S. This acquisition marks a promising future for luxury Cognac, and is poised to provide the perfect opportunity for the Campari Group to progress in its premiumization journey.

The article Campari Group to Acquire Courvoisier Cognac from Beam Suntory for $1.32 Billion appeared first on VinePair.

Two decades ago, when Eduard Seitan was a server at bygone Michelin-starred restaurant Blackbird in Chicago’s West Loop, a couple of regulars came in with a hankering for a great white Burgundy. Seitan suggested a barrel-aged Chardonnay from Wyncroft Wine, a then unknown winery in southwest Michigan. “Absolutely not!” they replied incredulously. “Give us a great French white Burgundy.” Seitan promptly opened and decanted the $120 Wyncroft anyway. The couple gushed over the lush, floral, full-bodied liquid, certain it had come from the prestigious Bâtard-Montrachet grand cru appellation.

“Then I showed them the bottle,” Seitan says, shrugging at his pricey little bet. “It was the only way I could convince them there’s good wine being made in Michigan.”

Seitan now works next door at Avec, as a partner at One Off Hospitality. It’s not inconceivable that he’ll deploy similar tactics for Illinois wine here — specifically rosé, which the state is betting big on and he’s championing at every opportunity.

“Rosé is the best wine that Illinois produces,” Seitan says.

In fact, it has been the state’s official wine since 2016, and few people have tasted more Illinois-made juice than Seitan, who has judged the state’s annual wine competition and appeared at state fair wine festivals for eight-odd years. Of course, he wasn’t responsible for making dry rosé the state’s sanctioned style.

The Illinois Rosé Project began in 2015 when the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance (IGGVA) convened with state enology specialist Bradley Beam to determine whether the roughly 150 wineries across the state — with its wide-ranging weather and growing conditions — could go all in on a single style.

It’s a tall order for a state known better for leading the nation in corn and soybean production to take on the global juggernaut that is rosé. It’s also one that Illinois has embarked on with a fraction of the marketing and R&D spend of domestic powerhouses like California and Oregon, and even neighboring states like Michigan and Missouri.

The Meteoric Rise of Rosé

Rosé has grown astoundingly popular in the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, off-premise rosé sales increased by 1,433 percent, according to bw66, a global market research firm for alcohol beverages. I associate it most with summer parties at friends’ houses, when everyone contributes a bottle or 6-pack of something crisp and refreshing. As long as it’s billed as bone dry, I’ll buy it — meaning I usually go for pale, salmon-hued rosés from Provence. Me and almost everyone else, it seems. In 2022, French rosé accounted for 71 percent of sales for the category on online retail giant Wine.com (rosé accounted for just 2.5 percent of the retailer’s total sales value).

Can Illinois make a meaningful dent in this number?

“I really do think the Chambourcin grape is the reason Illinois is capable of making great rosé. It’s so versatile.”

“It boils down to dollars and open-mindedness,” says Lisa Ellis, IGGVA’s executive director.

“We’re kind of led as consumers to believe that only wines from France or California can be good. And you know? That’s just not the case. You can make excellent, world-class wine anywhere.”

Chambourcin: the X Factor?

IGGVA established the Signature Series Rosé program in 2017 — the year of the state’s bicentennial — with funding help from a Specialty Crop Grant from the Illinois Department of Agriculture in early 2018. Each year winemakers submit their wines, made from 100 percent Illinois-grown grapes and with residual sugars below 3 percent, for review, from which the judging panel determines that year’s official selections. Some of these are blends, featuring the cherry-scented, French-American Frontenac grape (like multi-year state fair winner Prairie State Winery’s Frontenac rosé); blue-black Marquettes; and even small percentages of bubblegum-like Niagaras. But most comprise Chambourcin grapes, a red French-American hybrid dating back to the 1860s.

“I really do think the Chambourcin grape is the reason Illinois is capable of making great rosé,” says Hanna Wichmann, who co-owns Wichmann Vineyard in Cobden with Don Moberley. “It’s so versatile, with a little extra acidity. It also offers a little fruitiness that you don’t always get with a red grape like that, but still has nice tannins and a nice dark color.”

Chambourcin was the thread connecting the most exciting, marketable Illinois-made dry rosés out of almost two dozen Seitan and I sampled on a sunny Monday afternoon in October in Avec’s private dining room. Blue Sky Vineyard’s estate-grown Chambourcin rosé was highly acidic, “bursting with raspberries and rose petals,” Seitan noted with approval. I, on the other hand, kept returning to Wichmann’s Crush for its inviting freshness and crisp, fruity notes of cherry and — was that kiwi?

“It takes not a village but a state, to rally behind unifying techniques and winemaking. It also takes investment from the state for things to move faster. These winemakers are flying by the seat of their pants.”

The grapes are harvested early “when the sugar’s a little lower and acid higher,” meaning every year the flavor notes vary, from strawberry to grapefruit and tropical fruit, Wichmann says. It’s deep pink in color, produced from grapes grown exclusively in the Shawnee Hills American Viticultural Area, which was officially recognized in December 2006 following Wichmann’s dad Ted Wichmann’s successful petition. Crush has been selected for the state’s Signature Series every year since Wichmann started producing it in 2020.

Wichmann is also the president of the Shawnee Hills Wine Grape Association, which hosts vineyard tours, guest speakers, and workshops in which makers taste unfinished wines and share feedback. Collaboration is essential, she notes, given that experience can be an especially unforgiving teacher for a farmer.

It Takes a State

Indeed, it takes trial and error to know what pH and sugar levels to test for in the vineyard or that too much rain will lower the wine’s acidity and impact balance. But for bootstrapping winemakers here, a seemingly simple fix like moving up the harvest to avoid a deluge becomes a challenge due to budget constraints and insufficient seasonal help.

“It takes not a village but a state, to rally behind unifying techniques and winemaking,” Seitan says. “It also takes investment from the state for things to move faster. These winemakers are flying by the seat of their pants.”

Some producers have been understandably slower to get on board with drier rosé when there’s still demand for sweeter blush and fruit wines that their tasting rooms were built on to lure locals road-tripping through the picturesque Shawnee Hills.

“One producer doing one good wine isn’t going to move our industry. I wish all 150 wineries were making great wines.”

“Those folks have tended to have a sweeter palate,” says Scott Albert, winemaker at Kite Hill Vineyards, and owner and winemaker at The Holotype Wine Co. Albert has been making dry rosé from 100 percent Chambourcin grapes since 2010, a relative veteran in a young industry. (Illinois had just seven wineries as of 1992.) Kite Hill Vineyards’ Flyway rosé won the gold at the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and has featured in the Signature Series since it began.

The Illinois Rosé Project has rallied and incentivized winemakers to improve and learn from their mistakes through a little healthy competition based on a standardized style, he says.

“People realize that one producer doing one good wine isn’t going to move our industry,” he adds. “I wish all 150 wineries were making great wines. Right now it’s only some of us.”

Even if they all were, who would know?

Moving the Needle

Ellis acknowledges that there hasn’t been a steady stream of revenue for Illinois to market the wines produced here compared to surrounding states like Missouri and Michigan. But thanks to recent grants, IGGVA maintains a good level of search engine optimization marketing on terms like “local wine” and “wedding venues.” (“Illinois winemakers have to be one of largest providers of live music across the state — it’s every weekend, almost,” Ellis says.)

The most effective way to move the needle, Ellis says, is to get the wine into people’s mouths.

At last year’s annual conference, Seitan and his fellow judges tasted fresh, current-vintage rosés from five states, including California, Virginia, and Illinois, plus Château d’Esclans’ Whispering Angel, the world’s No. 1-selling rosé, with roughly 1 million cases sold each year in 106 countries — half in the U.S. alone. The Provencal-style French wine was voted among the least favorite; the overwhelming favorite was Prairie State’s Chambourcin rosé.

Whispering Angel, with its corset-shaped bottle and millennial Pink hue, went all in on wealthy influencer marketing a handful of years ago, selling its bone-dry juice as affordable, year-round luxury.

What story will Illinois rosé carve out, and will drinkers buy it?

Wichmann focuses on education at her tasting room, opening visitors up to the beauty of less sweet wines and emphasizing that quality comes from using locally grown fruit. Albert schleps his experimental wines up to Chicago, where restaurants like Avec feature them in ticketed dinners uplifting local producers alongside coursed, chef-driven plates.

“In Romanian we have a saying: ‘Pofta vine mâncând,’” Seitan says. “Your appetite comes by eating. The more you eat, the more appetite you have. The more you drink, the more you’ll like and appreciate it.”

And if you don’t order it, he may just pour it for you.

The article Illinois Bets Big on Rosé Made From Hybrid Grapes appeared first on VinePair.

There’s a longstanding visual that’s often associated with drinking Cognac. It involves an old, rich white guy in a smoking jacket sitting by a roaring fireplace, slowly and joylessly swirling the liquid in the broad-based snifter in his palm. Despite the category’s efforts to distance itself from this stuffy stereotype, it persists. This assumption does more than convey pretentiousness — it implies that Cognac is the forbidden fruit of the spirits world, unattainable unless you have deep pockets.

This is untrue: Cognac is for everyone, and for every budget. There are plenty of cost-effective Cognac options to enjoy with friends in your living room, either on its own or in a Sazerac or a Sidecar — you can even swap it in for the gin in a French 75 if you’re feeling saucy. Here, we asked a dozen bartenders to share their thoughts on the Cognacs that punch above their price tags — and punch a hole through its perceived stodginess.

The best bang-for-buck Cognacs, according to bartenders:

• Hennessy VS
• Frapin 1270
• Ansac VS
• Monnet Cognac VS
• Pierre Ferrand 1840
• Martell VSOP
• Remy Martin VSOP
• Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal
• Cognac Park “Carte Blanche”

“Although it often gets a bad rap, one of my workhorse Cognacs is Hennessy VS. It’s a solidly made spirit with rounded sweetness, full-bodied fruit notes, and a touch of spice. It’s perfectly suited for cocktail use, as a highball with soda, or just a quick simple sipper.” —Matt Resler, bartender, Bar Goto, NYC

“One of our go-to bottles of Cognac recently has been Cognac Frapin 1270. The Frapin family’s centuries of experience in winemaking and distillation are evident when you taste this versatile Cognac. With its rich and round body, it’s well suited to stirred cocktails, and its subtle fruit and balance shine in a shaken drink. Unlike many of the larger producers, Frapin grows all of its Ugni Blanc grapes on their estate, making their Cognac a true expression of the terroir of the Grande Champagne sub-region.” —Liz Kelley, lead bartender, Cure, New Orleans

“I’d never been a fan of Cognac until one of my trusted liquor reps insisted I try Cognac Frapin 1270. It was life-changing; I immediately fell in love with it. The delicate yet well-rounded flavors of vanilla, dried fruits, and nuts have such a smooth finish. It makes it almost impossible for me to not want to enjoy a nice cigar and conversation while sipping it slowly to savor every taste.” —Ravin Buzzell, general manager & bar director, Argyle Restaurant, Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.

“Ansac VS Cognac. It isn’t very well known or used in American bars, but it’s a two-year-aged blend of grapes from the Petite Champagne and Fin Bois Cognac regions. It has great dry, nutty notes and some citrus, and it’s great to use in cocktails. You can order a bottle from Drizzly for about $20 at the moment, and it’s even cheaper if you can find it in a store. It’s a great place to start a Cognac backbar collection.” —Alex Barbatsis, bar director, The Whistler, Chicago

“With the price of many American whiskeys continually rising, Cognac is a great spirit category to call on when you are looking for a bold, oak-aged spirit to hold up in a cocktail. Many Cognacs, especially from smaller producers in the region, tend to outperform their price tag. Our go-to choice for our bar is Monnet Cognac VS. This exceptional spirit has become our favorite for both our classic and signature cocktail selections. With its smooth and rich flavor profile, Monnet Cognac adds depth and complexity that we weren’t finding with other Cognacs at a price point we could offer in a reasonably priced cocktail. We also wanted to make sure that it could be good enough to be proud to serve neat or on the rocks, and Monnet fits this exactly.” —Jamie White and Ben Clemons, co-owners, Tiger Bar and Pearl Diver, Nashville

“Pierre Ferrand 1840 is one of my favorite Cognacs of all time, price notwithstanding. Even after tasting it next to other Cognacs of a much higher price point, including very old age statements, it still ends up being my favorite most of the time. Because of its higher proof and reasonable cost, it stands up beautifully in cocktails, and it’s been my go-to for virtually every Cognac recipe I’ve made. While I think cocktails are where Pierre Ferrand 1840 really shines, my guests have always loved neat pours of it as well!” —Nathan Cover, bar supervisor, Mary Eddy’s, Oklahoma City, Okla.

“Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac. This unpretentious Cognac brand isn’t in the business of making fancy bottles. They’re in it to make simply great Cognac. Aged as long or longer than many currently marketed X.O. Cognacs, this [one] is delicate, elegant, and has the youthful freshness of a V.S. with some of the complexities of an X.O. As such, this Cognac is ideal for sipping and mixing. At only $50, this brand is worth every drop.” —Ismael Ponce, bar manager, The Up & Up, NYC

“For a rich, fruity Cognac that’s just superb for mixing or drinking on its own, Martell VSOP is outstanding. It has deep, dark fruit and a long finish that would normally be seen from a much longer aging time. This needn’t be a cocktail Cognac, but it certainly makes excellent drinks where the depth and elegance of Cognac is a necessity.” —Aaron DeFeo, bar director, Little Rituals, Phoenix

“Jumping into the ‘bang for your buck’ debate, my mind leaps to Rémy Martin VSOP. This Cognac is like that friend who crashes your bash with flair to spare. It’s not merely Cognac; it’s a chatterbox charmer and a taste bud’s bestie, and it’s gentle on the wallet. It’s subtly chic without yelling ‘I’m pricey!’ Toss Rémy into your cocktails, and it’s like a wink and a nudge: classy and slightly enigmatic, yet totally winsome. It melds in without taking over, injecting every sip with a sprinkle of sophistication. Rémy Martin VSOP is where delectable meets economical, [mastering] the art of savvy indulging!” —Jacob Mentel, co-owner, Gilly’s House of Cocktails, San Diego

“At its price point, Rémy Martin Napoléon 1738 Accord Royal is as good as you will find. It has a classic fine Champagne profile with the depth and richness of much pricier bottles. You will find plenty of toffee, dried fruit, and vanilla notes rounded out by toasted baking spices. The unusual amount of oak expressed in 1738 makes it an ideal introduction to the world of Cognac for a bourbon lover. It stands up in cocktails, but it’s light enough on its feet for highballs and spritzes. You can even throw it in a shot glass with a couple dashes of Peychaud’s for a fast Saz. An all-around banger.” —Thomas Thompson, bartender, Subject, NYC

“I feel like Cognac is making a comeback, and one of my favorites is Cognac Park VS Carte Blanche. It was created with the intention of going into cocktails. The flavor profile of this Cognac is bright and fun, with fruit and spice notes that are not overwhelming. It can work in both refreshing and direct cocktails, and it’s also great to use in those holiday drinks. A dessert cocktail using some cream, vanilla liqueur, a touch of Benedictine, and Carte Blanche with some freshly grated cinnamon on top is a great way to end the night. In general, Cognac Park has an amazing lineup of Cognacs that are all very different and creative. I highly recommend taking a look at the beautiful collection they have.” —Eliza Hoar, principal bartender, Equal Measure, Boston

“As someone who is not traditionally a Cognac drinker, I really enjoy Cognac Park VS Carte Blanche. It has these soft, delicate, subtle fruity notes that dance on the palate. The peppery finish gives the juice some lovely body and character. While it is quite affordable at around $35 retail, it drinks like it’s more expensive and sophisticated. Carte Blanche is great served neat, but the spirit blends well in stirred drinks and in sours. It’s a warm hug to the soul.” —Christine Kim, lead bartender, Service Bar, Washington, D.C.

*Image retrieved from Ievgenii Meyer via stock.adobe.com

The article We Asked 12 Bartenders: Which Cognac Offers the Best Bang For Your Buck? appeared first on VinePair.

Gifting red wine can be tough. There are so many different expressions on the market that it’s easy to default to an overpriced (and sometimes underwhelming) big-name bottle. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s why we’ve broken some of our favorite reds down into several categories for every gifting scenario to help you navigate the wine shop this holiday season.

Whether you’re buying for a loved one who enjoys sipping a bold Cab with a book during a snowstorm, a buddy who got into chilled porch-pounders this year, or a bestie who loves to nurse a glass while they cook ornate dinners, there’s a perfect bottle out there. Better yet, it doesn’t even have to be expensive. There are great value options that can seriously impress on a budget — but if you are looking to splurge, we have the scoop on which bottles are really worth it.

Read on to discover the seven best red wines to gift this year.

Best Budget Red: Bodega Aleanna ‘El Enemigo’ Malbec 2019
Best Splurge Red: Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Best Red Wine For Beginners: Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel 2022
Best Red Wine for Geeks: Early Mountain Vineyards Young Wine Red 2022
Best Red Wine for Dinner Pairings: Argiolas Turriga 2019
Best Red Wine to Impress: Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Best Bang For Your Buck Red: Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet Hervé Souhaut Syrah 2022

Best Budget Red

Bodega Aleanna ‘El Enemigo’ Malbec 2019

This Argentinian Malbec punches well above its price point. It delivers the bold fruit flavors that one would expect from this grape, but with an impressive structure and elegance. The nose offers aromas of brambly blackberries, earth, and smoke and the palate packs in ripe black cherries, plums, and baking spices. It also has well-integrated aromas from oak aging and grippy tannins, making it ideal for that friend who always orders the steak.

Average price: $26
Rating: 92

Best Splurge Red

Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

If you’re shelling out a pretty penny on a bottle you’re slapping a bow on and giving away, you want to make sure the liquid inside it is as impressive as its price tag suggests. And let us tell you, this bottle from Mayacamas is more than worth the splurge. It’s expertly balanced with concentrated yet restrained fruit notes of red plums and blackberries, and just a hint of savory pepper. It has a wonderful, silky texture and a seamlessly woven tannin structure. Top-tier Napa Cabs are definitely a popular choice this time of year, but there’s no doubt this is one of the best that money can buy.

Average price: $195
Rating: 99

Best Red Wine For Beginners

Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel 2022

Bedrock Wine Co. makes wine across California with a focus on reviving old and abandoned vineyard sites, some of which are over 100 years old. Despite its century-old influences, the winery produces innovative, modern wines like single-vineyard Sémillon and heritage blends. One of those expressions is Bedrock’s delicious and approachable Old Vine Zinfandel, perfect for that friend who’s just embarking on their red wine journey. It offers a bold, fruit-forward flavor profile without tasting overwhelming or overly tannic. More standout notes include jammy blackberries, cranberries, and orange peel with flecks of black pepper. The mouthfeel is deep, but its natural acidity keeps it refreshing.

Average price: $30
Rating: 94

Best Red Wine for Geeks

Early Mountain Vineyards Young Wine Red 2022

Have a buddy who loves to go on (and on, and on) about their latest glass of booze? This bottle will hit many a wine geek’s favorite talking points. It’s a co-ferment of two hybrid grape varieties, Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc, from Early Mountain Vineyards in Virginia. The result is a delightful chillable red with juicy berry notes and a slight hint of pepper. And if you’re confused about any of the terms used above, we’re sure your enthusiastic friend would love to explain them to you over a glass.

Average price: $25
Rating: 91

Best Red Wine for Dinner Pairings

Argiolas Turriga 2019

This intense red blend from the island of Sardinia is practically begging to be paired with a rich, fatty meal. It’s jam-packed with notes of ripe dark fruits and Mediterranean herbs framed by grippy tannins and mouthwatering acidity. If your holiday host is laboring over a hearty dish like a roast or lasagna, this bottle will be the perfect contribution to the table.

Average price: $85
Rating: 96

Best Red Wine to Impress

Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Whether you like it or not, Napa Cab continues to carry a certain caché in the wine world. So if you’re looking to impress this holiday season, odds are that person will appreciate a regional classic like this. Heitz Cellar is a renowned producer with a history going back to the 1960s, and this wine certainly lives up to its sterling reputation. It exudes Napa-style elegance, with soft, savory fruit notes and well-balanced tannins. In a sea of overpriced and often underwhelming Cabernet out there, this high-quality expression will convince anyone you’ve got good taste.

Average price: $85
Rating: 96

Best Bang For Your Buck Red

Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet Hervé Souhaut Syrah 2022

The Northern Rhône is a world-renowned yet relatively small region in southern France known for its outstanding Syrah expressions. Due to high demand and limited supply, bottles from this area can easily exceed the $100 price point, especially in its more prestigious appellations of Côte Rôtie and Hermitage. This bottle comes from a small town just outside Côte Rôtie and delivers all of our favorite characteristics of Syrah for just $38. It has wildly expressive notes of blackberries and raspberries, and it offers savory notes like black pepper and cured meats in spades. All of these flavors are lifted by a bright acidity and silky tannins. It’s a gorgeous wine, and an absolute steal for devout Syrah drinkers.

Average price: $38
Rating: 97

The article The 7 Best Red Wines to Gift This Holiday (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

The French region of Bordeaux is home to some of the most coveted wines and vineyards on the planet, but how did it get to where it is today?

Well, it’s a long story, but it all started with bits and pieces of evidence that suggest vines existed in the Bordeaux region as early as 379 A.D. It was then that a Latin poet named Ausonius wrote fondly of the wild vines growing around his home, which was presumed to be in Saint-Émilion, which is in close proximity to modern-day Bordeaux.

At the time, much of France was occupied by different tribes, notably the Bituriges in Burdigala (modern day Bordeaux). The area had always been a port town and was well documented as being a heavy commerce area, but there’s no history of wine actually being made in the region’s early days. However, since there were so many phonetic overlaps in these “B” words — including the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon was originally called “Bidure” — many believe that wine cultivation was already underway by the late 4th century.

Regardless, over the next several hundred years, France changed. In the 500s, the Franks took over much of southwestern France under the leadership of King Clovis. After he passed, Covis’s territories were split up among his four sons before Charlemagne eventually took the crown in 771, followed by King Louis VI. Eleanor of Aquitaine entered a brief marriage with Louis’ son before divorcing him and remarrying Henry II of England, allowing England to secure the Bordeaux region. When his son John inherited the throne, he took notice of La Rochelle’s biggest cash crop — wine grapes — and pivoted Bordeaux’s agricultural endeavors from grain to wine production. All the while, the Hundred Years’ War was looming on the horizon.

Back in Season 1 of “Wine 101,” we touched briefly on Bordeaux’s history, but frankly, we barely scratched the surface. This is part one of a series where we dive deep into the history of this region. Through poets and kings, wars and weddings, and from antiquity to the Hundred Years’ War, Bordeaux’s story begins. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith on Instagram @VinePairKeith. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. It really helps get the word out there.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.

*Image retrieved from FreeProd via stock.adobe.com

The article Wine 101: Bordeaux: Part I Wars and Royalty appeared first on VinePair.

As the last hurrah of the year, New Year’s Eve comes with a lot of pressure. Whether it’s the stress of New Year’s resolutions or finding the best place to celebrate the ball drop, the holiday can feel a bit much. That’s why when it comes to hosting a holiday bash, easy-to-make recipes crafted with premium ingredients are key.

This year, forgo the conventional bottle of sparkling wine and toast the start of 2024 with White Claw™ Spirits’ four premium, ultra-smooth vodkas that will elevate any cocktail. In addition to the original White Claw™ Premium Vodka, the brand offers a bold-tasting and vibrant Black Cherry, a refreshing and juicy Pineapple, and a tropical and lightly floral Mango-flavored vodka.

White Claw Spirits’ vodka offers an unparalleled texture and flavor, the result of combining 100 percent American grain sourced from the Midwest with the innovative Triple Wave™ filtering process. Similar to how large ocean waves polish rocks and shells over time, this unique method employs pressure equivalent to three 30-foot waves to smooth out any unwanted characteristics while also highlighting the grain’s sweetness and complex aromas and notes. Before bottling, White Claw™Vodka is distilled five times and filtered through activated carbon from charred coconut shells.

If you are looking for effortless cocktails that will dazzle your guests, keep reading for four White Claw™ recipes guaranteed to keep the party going past midnight. Whether it’s a crowd-pleasing Negroni or a black cherry twist on the classic Collins, there is something below to please everyone.

The Pineapple Lime Super CLAW™

This easy, two-ingredient highball features notes of tropical fruit from the White Claw™ Flavored Vodka Pineapple and a zesty touch of citrus from White Claw® Hard Seltzer Natural Lime. A cocktail with a light touch, the Pineapple Lime Super CLAW™ is also the perfect accompaniment for a New Year’s Day brunch.

The Black Cherry Negroni

Trendy and food-friendly, a Negroni is always a good choice. This riff on the classic is made with White Claw™ Flavored Vodka Black Cherry and features ripe, juicy berry flavors that balance perfectly with the bittersweet combination of sweet vermouth and aperitivo. Served on the rocks and garnished with an aromatic orange twist, the Black Cherry Negroni is bound to become a regular lineup in your cocktail repertoire.

The article Celebrate New Year’s Eve With 4 White Claw™ Cocktails appeared first on VinePair.

‘Tis the season of giving: bestowing gifts that let our loved ones know just how much they’re appreciated. But hitting the right holiday note can be tricky. A present doesn’t need to be extravagant to be exceptional. But affordable and high quality don’t always go hand-in-hand — unless you’re The Prisoner Wine Company.

Nestled in Napa Valley, The Prisoner Wine Company’s first bottle, The Prisoner, was released 20 years ago, and the label has since grown to produce some of the region’s most popular and intriguing red blends. Despite earning “cult” wine status, The Prisoner Wine Company remains true to its original mission of making luxury wine more inclusive, inviting a more diverse community to raise a glass.

Bring your treasured folks into the fold through the gift of approachable premium wines made from exceptional fruit, bundled and packaged in elegant gift boxes, ready to ship, surprise, and delight this holiday season.

Seasonal bonus: when you gift, you also give back. The Prisoner Wine Company — the brand name and flagship label were inspired by an etching entitled “Le Petit Prisonnier” by 19th-century Spanish artist Francisco Goya — stands against oppression while embracing creativity. In particular, The Prisoner Wine Company helps fight injustices tied to our prison and policing systems and has taken crucial steps to drive awareness and action toward prison reform. Additionally, the winery supports local vineyards, partnering with over 100 growers in northern California to produce a family of excellent wines unbound by tradition.

Shop The Prisoner Wine Company’s four exclusive and festive wine collections to gift thoughtfully and to give back impactfully.

Unshackled Sparkling Gift Pack

Unshackled brings a fresh perspective to high-end wine by creating a fruit-forward sparkling wine that is approachable, bold, and bright — just like our favorite holiday celebrations — making this classy gift set a no-brainer. An elegant glass-cut cocktail shaker, a modern brass strainer and bar spoon, and a bottle of 2018 Unshackled Sparkling Wine combine to outfit the adventurous mixologist with the tools necessary for a shimmering soirée.

The brut-style California bubbly made from a unique blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals is aged  36 months en tirage to ensure the highest quality. It boasts an aromatic profile driven by floral notes and minerality. On the palate, it entertains the flavor of crisp green apple and Asian pear. Best served chilled after at least three hours of refrigeration, Unshackled Sparking Wine reflects an elevated taste and twinkle.

SALDO Red Trio

This gift set is ideal for red wine lovers in search of unique flavors that are also sure to please. It includes three distinctly different and provocative reds that will delight any enthusiast, especially if they enjoy the taste of unconventional pairings with extraordinary results. The name “SALDO” comes from the Italian word for “I join” or “I weld,” which signifies The Prisoner Wine Company’s approach of combining grapes from the best vineyards to create spectacular wines.

Once an overlooked California varietal, Zinfandel has been reinvigorated by SALDO’s unexpected and exciting blend. The 2021 SALDO Zinfandel boasts bold aromas of black and ripe red cherry, blackberry, and rich spices alongside mouthwatering tasting notes that include vibrant fruit, spice, and a hint of chocolate. This innovative blend of Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Grenache, Primitivo, and Syrah grapes entertains and enchants the most discerning palate.

The SALDO winemakers were definitely thinking “outside the bottle” when they created the rare 2021 SALDO Carignan, usually available only to club members of The Prisoner Wine Company. The lesser-known grape is often overshadowed by more familiar blending partners, but its elevated acidity and temperate tannins make this exclusive wine a versatile and crowd-pleasing choice.

Rounding out the collection is the 2021 SALDO Red Blend. A thoughtful blend of no less than six varieties of grapes, this dramatic, full-bodied wine brings notes of plum, black cherry, and hints of licorice to the palate, resulting in what might just be your new favorite red, ripe for the holidays.

The Blindfold Duo

This power duo delights the most adventurous of white-wine aficionados. When The Prisoner Wine Company explores the vibrancy and elegance of white wine, they go all in — including when it comes to the presentation. The two stunning whites boast artfully designed labels, the sophisticated packaging fitting for sophisticated wines.

The 2021 Blindfold Blanc de Noir is innovatively designed from mostly Pinot Noir, eliciting a bright white wine from predominantly red grapes. The addition of small amounts of Viognier and Gewürztraminer produces a rare expression: a still and zesty white with all the texture and rich mouthfeel of a Pinot Noir.

By contrast, the 2022 Blindfold Sauvignon Blanc elicits a bouquet of white citrus and jasmine. The grapes were harvested meticulously during the early dawn hours in late August, and the wine is mostly Sauvignon Blanc with an intriguing touch of Sémillon. This wine begins with a dense, ripe fruit boasting weight and body influenced by portions of grapes fermented in barrels.

Red Blend Collection

Turn to this trifecta of rule-breaking red wines to surprise and delight your guests, from the novice wine drinker to the most fastidious oenophile. The Red Blend Collection includes The Prisoner Red Blend, inspired by the fine wines brought stateside by Italian immigrants. The most popular of red blends, the wine combines an unlikely mix of Zinfandel with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Charbono to yield flavors of fresh and dried blackberry, pomegranate, and vanilla.

The gift set also features the Unshackled Red Blend of Zinfandel, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Tannat, and Tempranillo, boasting a fruit-forward bouquet of raspberry, blueberry, and crushed violets with a hint of white pepper.

And for one more radical riff on the red blend, rounding off the box set is the 2021 SALDO Red Blend that incorporates a bold and memorable mix of grapes, including Petite Sirah, Grenache, Syrah, Mataro, Verdelho, and Cabernet Sauvignon — providing all the body and boldness a red wine can promise.

So, when faced with the gift-giving challenge this season, The Prisoner Wine Company has curated a gift set that’s soft on the wallet but hard on quality, creativity, and charitable giving.

Done, done, and well done.

This article is sponsored by The Prisoner Wine Company. 

The article The Prisoner Wine Company Brings a Fresh Perspective to Gifting appeared first on VinePair.

It’s clear that vodka is beloved worldwide: It’s a centuries-old staple in Eastern Europe, Americans love it, and it remains the world’s second-largest spirits category behind only baijiu. Despite recent challenges — like stiff stateside competition in tequila, American whiskey, and rum as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine impacting sales and exports in the region — vodka maintains strong standing globally. The category experienced a 3 percent growth last year, with 9-liter case sales swelling from 331.4 million in 2021 to 341.5 million in 2022.

Earlier this year, the Spirits Business examined the top 10 best-selling vodka brands with case sales over 1 million in 2022. Of the 10 brands featured, half experienced sales decreases that can likely be attributed to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. One Indian vodka brand, though, managed to elevate sales by over 30 percent — the largest increase of all top 10 brands.

While a few bottles on this list are known bar and household staples, we guarantee there are a few you’ve yet to try. Read on to discover the world’s top 10 best-selling vodka brands for 2023.

10. Soplica

Founded in 1891, Soplica Polish vodka is currently owned by the Maspex Group, which purchased the brand along with nine other Polish vodkas in November 2021 for nearly $1 billion. Soplica uses rye as its base grain, giving it a spicier kick. In addition to its unflavored expression, the vodka brand also offers flavors including caramel, strawberry, and plum.

9. Grey Goose

While produced in France and touted as a French vodka, Grey Goose was actually founded by American businessman Sidney Frank in 1996. Frank sold the brand to Bacardi in 2004, which still produces the vodka today in Picardy, France, with wheat grown in the region.

8. Żołądkowa (Including Gorzka)

Hailing from Poland, Żołądkowa is one of the top-selling vodkas in its country of origin despite a rough 2022: Stock Spirits, the vodka’s parent company, reported a double-digit decline in sales. Still, final sales data indicated the brand was still successful enough to enter the top-10 list for the first time.

7. Magic Moments

Produced by Radico Khaitan, one of India’s oldest and largest distilleries, Magic Moments had a massive year in 2022 and increased sales by 30.4 percent year-over-year. Described as creamy and citrusy with a hint of spice, the triple-distilled Indian vodka is made in unflavored flavored expressions.

6. Morosha

While Morosha was still able to secure the sixth spot on this list, the brand reported a 21.3 percent slip in sales, its first decline in five years. Owned by Global Spirits, the largest alcohol producer in Eastern Europe, Morosha is made with natural mineral water and is known for its delicate flavor.

5. Hlibny Dar

Owned by the Bayadera Group, one of Eastern Europe’s largest spirits conglomerates, Hlibny Dar has not been featured on the top-selling list since 2020. The Ukrainian vodka is made from natural ingredients and water sourced from an artesian well.

4. Khortytsa

Named after the famous river island of Khortytsa in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, Khortytsa is the top-selling vodka in its home country. Though it dropped a spot on this list since last year, likely as a result of the ongoing war, grain-based Khortytsa still remains popular with a smooth and fruity profile worth seeking out.

3. Żubrówka

For those unfamiliar with bison grass vodka, meet Żubrówka. Owned by the Maspex Group, the Polish vodka has a singular flavor profile which provides diverse notes of woodruff, coconut, and the signature bison grass that’s added to each bottle as a tincture.

2. Absolut

Founded in 1879 by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Olsson Smith, Absolut hit U.S. shelves in 1979 and has been a hit ever since thanks to its distinctly shaped bottle and wildly successful marketing campaigns. Pernod Ricard, the vodka brand’s parent company, reported a whopping 10.7 percent sales increase year-over-year in 2022. There may be some movement in the coming year, though, as the impact of the spirits conglomerate’s April decision to cease exports of Absolut to Russia is yet to be seen.

1. Smirnoff

Created by a Russian serf named Pytor Smirnov in 1864, Smirnoff has once again solidified itself as the world’s best-selling vodka brand, reporting a 6 percent sales increase in 2022. According to Stephanie Jacoby, Smirnoff’s global senior vice president, the brand’s growth is likely due to a focus on global drinks and socializing culture, including partnerships in the music industry with the likes of Billboard MusicCon and Live Nation. The vodka is currently offered in over 30 flavors and several ready-to-drink expressions.

The article The 10 Best-Selling Vodka Brands In The World in 2023 appeared first on VinePair.

For bourbon taters, there’s no rush quite like getting their hands on a prized bottle at an affordable price. But when it comes to tracking down these rare expressions, not all that glitters is Pappy — especially on social media. Now, it appears American bourbon collectors have been scammed by yet another seemingly successful operation.

According to news network WDRB Louisville, alleged spirits scam Whiskey Shack targeted a number of southern Indiana and Kentucky residents this year, claiming to sell a variety of highly allocated bottles at or under cost. After hitting purchase, customers reported receiving fraudulent shipping numbers through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) which were later delivered to incorrect addresses, if they were delivered at all. And though some orders received by USPS did contain several bottles (none of which were the expressions promised), each package was suspiciously light when weighed.

Louisville resident Ken Mueller was one of Whiskey Shacks’ many alleged victims. On Dec. 13, he told WDRB that he has been collecting whiskey for years. So when he came across a Facebook advertisement from a small liquor store that was going out of business, he believed he had to act quickly.

““It looked spectacular,” Mueller explained to WDRB of Whiskey Shack’s post. “They had a ton of dusty bottles and stuff they were getting rid of at cost — or just under cost — just to settle tax liens.”

Mueller was even more convinced after heading over to the advertised website, telling the news network that it looked “perfect” and offered bottles of Pappy Van Winkle listed for as little as $20 to $30. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, Mueller says these prices “should have set off the flags right there.”

Despite the suspiciously low price points, Mueller continued with the online sale, purchasing five bottles of whiskey for a total of $110, including a bottle of 20 Year Pappy Van Winkle for just $35.99. (For reference, the expression typically sells for between $3,000 and $10,000 on the secondary market.) The bottles never arrived on Mueller’s doorstep.

“They delivered on a street in southeast Louisville and [the package] wasn’t even my name,” he said. “They either intentionally or unintentionally messed up the shipping label.”

Several other southern Indiana residents reported similar experiences on the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB’s) Scam Tracker. One scam victim posted to the tracking forum claiming that one month after they had placed their order, they received a tracking number through USPS which claimed a package had been delivered just five days after the whiskey had been purchased.

It’s important to note that it’s illegal to ship alcohol through the U.S. Postal Service. Whitney Adkins, director of strategic marketing for the BBB, tells WDRB that consumers must always do research on unknown companies prior to purchasing, especially around the holiday season.

“We definitely have seen an uptick across the board with scams this holiday season,” she expressed to the network. “More consumers are shopping. More consumers are shopping online. It’s a hectic time of year. We’re thinking with our emotions rather than rationally.”

Following the scam, Mueller told WDRB that he no longer purchases anything from Facebook advertisements.

“It’s $100,” he said. “It’s not going to make or break my lifestyle. But, by the same token, man, it was such a good scam.”

The article Bourbon Scammers Strike Again: Facebook Ad Dupes Louisville Collectors With $20 Pappy appeared first on VinePair.

Check out the best spirits from previous years here!

Dozens of categories considered, thousands of bottles tasted, and almost 12 months in the making, the publishing of VinePair’s 50 best spirits list marks a major milestone in our calendar and one of our favorite annual traditions.

Consider it not a bonafide buying guide — those can be found here — and instead a highlights reel of the best spirits that graced our palates this year. While we recommend picking up any and all you encounter, or ordering a pour from a bar list, the popularity of certain categories and brands, coupled with the limited nature of some of the releases, means the probability of being able to do so varies wildly from one bottle to another. One constant that links them all, however, and the reason each features on this list: It would be a spirited crime not to honor their existence.

So what made the cut? This year served us no end of imaginative and successful experiments; reminded us that stalwart go-tos carry such reputations for a reason; and encouraged us to look beyond the expected from various regions and nations. Prepare for “bog aged” oak, Mexican eau de vie, and countless representations of brown spirits from non-age-stated to cask strength, single-barrel, experimental finishings, and ultra old.

As with every year, we whittled down a long list via multiple rounds of tastings by VinePair’s tasting and editorial team, and determined the final ranking following some lengthy discussions.

So here they are, VinePair’s 50 best spirits of 2023, tasted and ranked.

50. Method and Madness Rye and Malt

Method and Madness is the experimental project from the parent company of Jameson and Redbreast Irish whiskeys, Irish Distillers-Pernod Ricard. This blend of 60 percent rye and 40 percent malted barley isn’t just an outlier in the Irish spirits realm but all of whiskey. Cereal and bright stone fruit notes shine throughout.

Average Price: $80
Rating: 93

49. Nikka Coffey Vodka

Back in the ‘60s, Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. acquired two unique Coffey stills from Scotland, and has since honored their use with a line of fine whisky, gin, and vodka. The latter makes this list due to its distinctive savory, grainy character and unexpected pops of citrus.

Average Price: $47
Rating: 92

48. Tempus Fugit Spirits Crème de Moka

Espresso Martini–mania showed no signs of slowdown this year, and chances are you’re already acquainted with stalwart Kahlúa and hip Mr Black. Consider this coffee liqueur from California’s Tempus Fugit Spirits for your next round. Expect measured sweetness, rich coffee flavor, and robust body, all from a 1755-inspired recipe.

Average Price: $40
Rating: 92

47. Old Potrero 6 Years Old Straight Rye Whiskey

The amount of rye is creeping up in the U.S. — both in terms of offerings and the percentage used in mashbills. We’re hitting 100 percent on the recipe front here with Old Potrero. The San Francisco-based producer takes a Scotch-like approach, with malted grains undergoing copper pot distillation, yielding a rich whiskey with a spicy finish.

Average Price: $65
Rating: 93

46. El Nacimiento Tequila Reposado

Tequila regulations dictate that reposados can spend up to 364 days in oak, and all too often the aging vessel dominates the final spirit. Not here, though. El Nacimiento’s expression finds a sweet middle ground, with 6 months spent in American oak, and a profile that sings herbaceous, savory agave with just a kiss of sweetness.

Average Price: $38
Rating: 92

45. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled-in-Bond

Forgive us for looking past Bardstown Bourbon Company’s stellar range of cask-finished expressions but it’s with good reason: This year marked the launch of its Origin Series, the first line containing 100 percent proprietary liquid. A 6-year-old wheater bottled at 100 proof, this bourbon is full of character, easy to sip, and even serves some unexpected complexity.

Average Price: $50
Rating: 94

44. Cobrafire Eau de Vie de Raisin

Chances are, you probably missed the launch of the Blanche d’Armagnac (white Armagnac) appellation back in 2015, but you shouldn’t sleep on the products within the category. This 50.5 percent ABV offering from PM Spirits’ Cobrafire project dances between stone fruit brightness and umami-rich savoriness, and promises to leave a lasting impression.

Average Price: $60
Rating: 

43. Hinterhaus Distilling Trapper’s Oath 18 Year Rye

Stout cask-finished and aged for the best part of two decades overall, this is an intriguing rye whiskey. The spirit’s origins lie north of the border while the stout barrels previously housed Hinterhaus Distilling’s bourbon. That melange explains the truly unique profile: Cherry sweetness cascades into savory brown bread before espresso and chocolate serve a rich final course.

Average Price: $130
Rating: 93

42. Isle of Raasay Hebridean Single Malt

We like to think that somewhere on Scotland’s Manhattan-sized Isle of Raasey there’s a plaque that reads “Population: ~160 humans and 1 world-class distillery,” because this is an exceptional Scotch with remarkable origins. Peated and unpeated malt are included in the mash bill, resulting in a tropical, fruity whisky that waves you off with a whisper of BBQ smoke.

Average Price: $77
Rating: 93

41. Volcán de Mi Tierra Blanco

The $50-ish price point is an increasingly competitive field on the high-quality blanco front, but if you’re in the market, keep Volcán de Mi Tierra in mind. Certified additive-free and made using a blend of highland and lowland agave, this blanco begins with peppery, herbaceous aromas and transitions to a fruity, silky palate.

Average Price: $55
Rating: 94

40. Mars The Lucky Cat May & Luna

You don’t need to be a cat lover to appreciate this fine blended Japanese whisky, but if there’s one in your orbit, it’s a fantastic gift. The profile is punchy and tart — especially for an 86 proof bottling — and a surprise burst of peat serves to elevate electric citrus notes.

Average Price: $95
Rating: 92

39. Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru

Bombay Sapphire played a large role in taking London Dry gin mainstream by dialing down the juniper and amping up clean, fresh botanicals through vapor infusion. This recent line extension takes that approach to another level, placing even more focus on Murcian lemons, mandarins, and sweet navel oranges. Mix up a dry Martini and you won’t even need a twist garnish.

Average Price: $35
Rating: 92

38. Tanqueray London Dry Gin

Poll bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts on their favorite London Dry gin and three names consistently come up: Fords, Beefeater, and Tanqueray. We’ve long been fans of the first of that trio, though it’s the hardest to consistently find. Beefeater, meanwhile, has upset enthusiasts with multiple recent cuts to the ABV content of its U.S. release. Which leaves us with Tanqueray, a stunningly consistent, high-quality London Dry that epitomizes the style and serves up change from three 10s basically everywhere in the country but New York City.

Average Price: $26
Rating: 93

37. West Cork Distillers Single Malt Irish Whiskey Bog Oak Charred Cask

We didn’t have the words “Bog Oak” on our bingo card for best spirits of the year but we’re happy to overlook the peculiar phrasing for this whiskey, especially after learning its definition. Wood for the casks in which it rested were buried and preserved in peat bogs, making this a bonafide bog-to-glass release that serves a bedazzling mix of oxidative, sour apple, and honeysuckle notes.

Average Price: $46
Rating: 93

36. Sagamore Spirit Amaro

Made from the same 95 percent rye distillate that Sagamore uses for its rye whiskey, this is an expressive and balanced American amaro that evolves from nose to finish. It opens with violet floral aromas, transitions to sweet baking spice at first sip, before bitterness arrives on the mid-palate. The finish showcases a well-balanced blend of each aspect.

Average Price: $30
Rating: 92

35. Distillerie Patrick St. Surin Rum Clairin

Mezcal drinker, meet clairin! We have a feeling you’re going to get along famously (if you’re not already acquainted). Either way, this mineral, grassy, enjoyably rounded cane juice–based distillate from Distillerie Patrick St. Surin should be the latest addition to the clear sipping spirits section of your collection.

Average Price: $40
Rating: 93

34. Cinco Sentidos Espadín Capón Alberto Martinez

The “capón” technique referenced in this spirit’s name sees growers remove the sprouted stalks (quiotes) from agave, then leave the plants in the ground for extended periods to enhance sugar concentration. The wait is certainly worth it for this bright, fruity spirit, which shatters any notion that Espadín is a characterless, “workhorse” agave variety.

Average Price: $121
Rating: 93

33. Frey Ranch Quad Malt Bourbon

A limited release from VinePair 2023 Next Wave winner Frey Ranch, Quad Malt showcases the same mash bill as the distillery’s standard bourbon, but all four grains (corn, winter wheat, winter rye, and two-row barley) were malted prior to fermentation. The process brings an increased perception of sweetness (emphasis on “perception”) and nuance to the nose and palate of an already stellar bourbon. Here’s hoping this one returns in 2024.

Average Price: $59
Rating: 94

32. Naud Cognac V.S.

At the V.S. level, Cognac can be fun and fruity, as proven by this tropical, floral release. It awaits with endless depth of flavor and a velvety texture that greets the palate with a warm embrace. Not only apt for sipping, mix with fizzy water for a classy highball when session drinks are on the agenda.

Average Price: $50
Rating: 93

31. Tso’Ok Rum

The cream of an exciting crop of Mexican — and Oaxacan, in particular — rums we sampled in 2023, this cane juice–based distillate is fermented in contact with crushed stalks using native yeasts. Personality-wise, it shares much in common with the spirits the region is better known for: It’s complex, funky, and, yes, challenging at first, but it leans into that profile and owns it like a badge of honor.

Average Price: $58
Rating: 93

30. Cambio Tequila Blanco

Prejudging spirits based on numerical values is reductive and often misleading. That said, any tequila bottled above the U.S. market standard of 40 percent ABV should pique your interest. This 92 proof blanco serves confirmation, along with some of the purest expressions of wild flowers, tropical fruits, and savory spices in the category. One more figure to note: 45 — the number of days this blanco spent in barrel, which is technically allowed but seldom practiced.

Average Price: $50
Rating: 95

29. Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength

If you’re the kind of Scotch drinker who likes knowing details such as the parts per million of peat in both the base grains and final spirit, as well the cask fill strength, Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength has you covered. Its peated profile, which drives the whisky, leans earthy and green, while the 61.1 percent ABV bottling strength is surprisingly welcoming.

Average Price: $90
Rating: 94

28. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C923

The third and final release in the 2023 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof line arrives at 13 years and 7 months, a fact we know after Heaven Hill’s (conversation-starting, if not controversial) decision to drop the standard 12-year labeling statement for the series. Character-wise, this bourbon heads deep into caramel, oak, and black pepper spice territory, with citrus fruit a distant afterthought. If that’s your jam, keep a dropper handy because C923 arrives at a whopping 66.5 percent ABV.

Average Price: $75
Rating: 94

27. Arbikie Nàdar Vodka

Scotland’s Arbikie distillery makes a range of quirky, environmentally friendly spirits, including this pea-based, climate-positive vodka. Green doesn’t just describe its sustainable credentials, but captures its savory aromas and flavors, which ultimately pose the question of whether this is a vodka or pea eau de vie. Semantics aside, this is a fun and intriguing spirit.

Average Price: $50
Rating: 94

26. Edénico Eau de Vie #4 Mango

Oaxacan mezcaleros claim that growing mango and other tropical fruits close to fermentation vessels influences the flavor profile of their spirits (in the best possible way). Thankfully, many also use the fruit to make sublime eaux de vie, such as this example from the Sierra Norte region. If you’ve dreamed of but never tried a mango distillate, this will exceed your wildest expectations, with transportive, tropical aromas and an elegant palate.

Average Price: $102
Rating: 94

25. Nikka Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old

Nikka released a limited batch of this 10-year-old single malt this year, almost a decade after removing age statements from the line. A beautifully expressive Japanese whisky, it opens with a burst of malt, earth, and green fruit aromas. Peated flavors drive the palate with dried fruits and charred wood rounding things out. Even at MSRP it’s slightly pricey for a 10-year whisky, but the release marks a milestone.

Average Price: $175
Rating: 94

24. Baies des Trésors Rhum Agricole Martinique ‘Fruits of the Rains’

Baies des Trésors produces single-plot agricole rhums with the goal of capturing the unique terroirs of different parts of Martinique. As mentioned in its name, this expression highlights cane grown on rainy slopes of the island, which translates to intense aromas of ripe stone fruits, and just a hint of funk. French oak aging brings a nice kiss of vanilla to the palate.

Average Price: $65
Rating: 94

23. Amatiteña Añejo Tequila

Though it has a rich amber hue, Amatiteña’s añejo is not dominated by oak or notes from maturation. Instead, lime verbena and jalapeño aromas kick off a delightfully savory nose, while cooked agave, chili salt, and just a drop of baking spices enjoy equal prominence on the palate. This is exactly what we’re looking for in an aged tequila.

Average Price: $106
Rating: 95

22. A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11

Act 10 proved to be somewhat polarizing among fans of High West’s annual “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” series, but Act 11 is much more likely to please purists and regular drinkers of the tawny- and ruby-port-cask-finished line. Poached pear, dark berries, and plum notes play in tandem with the bite of rye,and sweet baking spices. The whiskey transitions and evolves on the palate with prominent flavors from the finishing casks.

Average Price: $150
Rating: 93

21. Tulchan Gin London Dry

This Scottish gin is distilled in copper pots using a mix of traditional and uncommon botanicals, including elderflower, sloe berries, and blackberry leaves. Profile-wise, the gin remains in the realm of London Dry, but those distinct ingredients ensure it has a unique and memorable personality.

Average Price: $40
Rating: 94

20. Rhumb Runner Fernandes Trinidad 18 Year Old Rum

For years, many have hyped aged rum as the “next big thing,” and certain brands have been dubbed the “Pappy” of the category. We’re yet to see that play out from a sales perspective but this single-barrel, cask-strength, 18-year release will certainly please American whiskey drinkers. Notes of banana, passion fruit, guava, and mango form the foundation of its fruity core, while subtle spices, pepper, and licorice bring balance.

Average Price: $140
Rating: 96

19. Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

A new, permanent addition to Jack Daniel’s Bonded Series, the first run of this rye was distilled in Spring 2016, and almost all of the batch spent a reported seven years in barrel. Like everything the brand has introduced in recent years, this whiskey is a resounding success, offering bold, earthy rye spice notes and decadent baking spice sweetness. The price places it ideally for cocktails but don’t rule it out as a sipper.

Average Price: $32
Rating: 93

18. Elements of Islay Sherry Cask

Released by an independent bottler, this blend of malt whiskies from undisclosed Islay distilleries matured in first-fill and refill sherry butts and hogsheads, and arrives at a bold 54.5 percent ABV. It’s a winning combination that seeks not to mask the influence of peat but complements it with rich notes of stewed fruit compote, winter spices, and decadent toffee sweetness. You don’t need to be a peat head to appreciate this whisky.

Average Price: $110
Rating: 94

17. Chacolo Brocha Destilado de Agave

Another agave spirit made using the capón technique, this release arrives from Jalisco and was made using hands-on, traditional methods, and the Brocha agave variety, which is a relative of Espadín. Mint aromas leap out of the glass and kick off an enchanting tasting journey with stops at savory spice, earth, leather, and smoke.

Average Price: $128
Rating: 93

16. François Voyer Extra Cognac Grande Champagne

This “Extra Cognac” from François Voyer contains a blend of 20- to 45-year-old distillates made using premier cru–grown Grande Champagne Ugni Blanc grapes. With such a lengthy aging time, you might expect the fruit character to land on the dried, raisinated end of the flavor spectrum but it’s instead tropical and bright, with hints of flowers and subtle baking spices. Gift this to a very special person in your life (that person can be you).

Average Price: $220
Rating: 93

15. Tequila Ocho Puntas 2023

Much more common in mezcal than tequila, “puntas” releases include the very end of the heads and the beginning of the heart of the spirit as it comes off the still. This is the second such example from Tequila Ocho, bottled at a punchy 53 percent ABV, with just over 1,000 cases making their way to the U.S. Snag a bottle and you’ll delight in its grassy, herbaceous aromas, black pepper spice, and deep agave sweetness on the palate. The texture is weighty, though not quite as creamy as Oaxacan-made puntas.

Average Price: $75
Rating: 94

14. Parker’s Heritage 10 Year Cask Strength

Heaven Hill’s 2023 Parker’s Heritage 10 Year Rye is produced from a Kentucky-style mash bill of 51 percent rye, 35 percent corn, and 14 percent malted barley. It comes out swinging at 64.4 percent ABV, and sipped neat, it lands a one-two punch of spice and sweetness. Things really come to life with a few drops of water, which coax out complex fruitiness.

Average Price: $185
Rating: 95

13. George Dickel 17 Year Old Reserve

For a cask-strength release, this 17-year-old Tennessee whisky arrives at a tame 46 percent ABV, which is something of a breath of fresh air amid a sea of hazmat bottlings. While $250 isn’t pocket change, that feels like good value in the current American whiskey landscape, and bottles remain on shelves for (around) that price. That reality seems ludicrous when you taste the release, which is woody, fruity, and nutty, with an abundance of complexity and no imposing heat to overcome.

Average Price: $250
Rating: 94

12. The Glen Grant Aged 21 Years 2022 Release

Aged in ex-oloroso sherry and bourbon casks, this 21-year-old single malt Scotch clocks in at 46 percent ABV, which is a couple of points higher than similarly aged releases from rival distilleries. Opting not to stretch stocks too far by over-diluting benefits the drinker, and results in a wonderfully concentrated Scotch that sings with bright tropical and stone fruit notes, toffee sweetness, and decadent oak.

Average Price: $360
Rating: 94

11. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged

There’s a fun irony to the fact that Maker’s Mark’s long-awaited, first age-stated release arrived without an age statement (on its understated label, at least). The brand did disclose, however, that the debut contains a blend of 11-year (13 percent) and 12-year (87 percent) bourbon, which is bottled at 57.85 percent ABV. The profile is fruity, with classic wheat sweetness, but there’s also no lack of spice. Some drinkers may want to add a few drops of water, which brings out even more character, while others will find the 115-odd proof manageable. One thing that all can agree on: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged is an instant classic.

Average Price: $150
Rating: 95

10. Primo 1861 Blanco

Seventy dollars is a lot of money to spend on a blanco tequila, especially when most drinkers continue to think of it as a mixing rather than sipping spirit. This release should definitely be viewed as the latter, however, as that’s the only way to fully appreciate its expressive fruity, peppery character. Small details also set it apart, including the bottling strength of 43 percent ABV and bottle design, which allows for controlled pouring (directly into a tasting glass).

Average Price: $70
Rating: 94

9. Through the Grapevine Trijol Single Cask 2003

Through the Grapevine is a small-batch and single-barrel independent bottling range from La Maison du Whisky. This exceptional release was sourced from grower-producer Maxime Trijol, which is located in the Fin Bois region of Cognac. Delightfully fruity, its aromas dart from baked apples to tart plums and white flowers. Oak takes a back seat throughout, allowing the quality base product and adept production techniques to shine.

Average Price: $160
Rating: 95

8. Sông Cái Việt Nam Dry Gin

Beyond the juniper, which arrives from Macedonia, all of the botanicals in this Vietnamese gin are domestically grown and sourced via a partnership between the Sông Cái distillery and various highland communities. The use of ingredients such as Indian prickly ash and mác mật fruit leads to a citrusy, botanical, and spicy gin. Rather than being a grand departure from London Dry (turn to the brand’s Floral Gin for that), this is an evolution of the traditional gin profile that doesn’t feel out of place in classic cocktails.

Average Price: $35
Rating: 94

7. High N’ Wicked ‘Saints And Scholars II’ 19 Year Old Single Malt

The fifth release in High N’ Wicked’s Singular Limited Release line arrived in October 2022, and comprised five barrels of Irish whiskey distilled and selected by celebrated distiller Noel Sweeney. Bottled at cask strength without chill filtration, it is a deep and complex single malt that serves bright helpings of mango and pineapple. Sweet notes take the form of light brown sugar, while the finish is chocolaty and lengthy. There may still be a few bottles of this in the wild. If not, High N’ Wicked released ‘Saints And Scholars III’ in December 2023, which followed a very similar template but arrived with one extra year in cask.

Average Price: $500
Rating: 95

6. Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect

This year’s edition of Freddie Noe’s experimental Little Book line contains a dizzying blend of seven whiskeys (six of which hail from Kentucky) at a range of ages from 4 to 18 years old. All the Beam hallmarks are present on nose and palate, including mesquite wood smoke aromas and creamy peanut butter flavors. Fruit notes add layers, and the whiskey (and your palate) absolutely benefits from a few drops of water. Chapter 7 marks a triumphant return to form for a range that’s divided opinions in recent years but never been afraid to push boundaries.

Average Price: $150
Rating: 94

5. Legendario Domingo Oaxaca Espadín

Made by the Velasco family in the Oaxacan village of San Luis del Rio, this is a stunning representation of the true potential of Espadín. It immediately wins you over with attractive tropical and cooked citrus notes, followed by saline mineral scents, and just a suggestion of smoke. At 48 percent ABV, it doesn’t hit the palate too hot. What that strength does do, though, is provide a weighty texture and intense concentration of flavor. Fruity, approachable, but not lacking in nuance, this is a guaranteed crowd pleaser at a very reasonable price.

Average Price: $48
Rating: 94

4. Glenglassaugh Sandend Highland Single Malt

Glenglassaugh is the least-known of Brown-Forman’s three Scotch brands. That may be a result of repeated tinkering to expressions and packaging since the company scooped it up in 2016; or that lack of mainstream recognition could be what’s allowed the distillery to be experimental in recent years. Either way, there’s an impression that Glenglassaugh is the brand that master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie gets to have the most fun with, and releases like this non-age-statement coastal Highland single malt suggest she should keep doing just that. Bottled at 50.5 percent ABV, it dances between caramel and butterscotch notes and vibrant tropical fruits. A touch of salinity rounds out the palate, which culminates in a punchy finish.

Average Price: $70
Rating: 95

3. Four Roses Bourbon 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch

We’re going to be upfront with some bad news here: Most of Four Roses’ 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch was released via an online lottery system, with winners announced back in September. And that which made it to the retail market has likely either sold now or received a considerable markup. The latter isn’t the fault of the distillery, however, nor should this reality stop us from honoring such a remarkable bourbon. So here we go: This blend contains four components drawn from the distillery’s 10 recipes, and ranging in age from 12 to 25 years old. It’s a whiskey that manages to deliver both depth and brightness, serving bold, aged flavors followed by delicate sweetness. If any of your friends scored a bottle, we suggest being very kind to them. And if you happened to grab one, spread the love and share with fellow enthusiasts.

Average Price: $200
Rating: 96

2. Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Nassau Valley Casks

A blend of pot and column still rums aged for a minimum of 21 years in Jamaica’s lush Nassau Valley, this spirit delivers on every front. The bottling strength of 43 percent ABV and underrated nature of the nation’s signature “hogo” notes give it broad appeal from the get-go. The profile is sweet and dry, fruity and savory, and it pulls no punches on the finish. It’s widely available at — and occasionally below, but never too far above — the MSRP of $150. And speaking of that price: It feels very fair for any 21-year-old spirit, let alone one that experienced the tropical aging conditions of the Caribbean. If you’re looking to step outside of a whiskey-drinking comfort zone, or want to taste pound for pound one of the best value buys in all aged spirits, this rum is for you.

Average Price: $150
Rating: 96

1. Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon

What a year it’s been for Eagle Rare. The brand stunned collectors and wowed reviewers when it released an ultra-exclusive, $10,000, 25-year-old bourbon. But the expression that left an even bigger impression and lasted longer in our minds was the Eagle Rare 17 bottling from the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC).

It’s not unfair to note that those lucky enough to taste annual BTAC lineups seldom pick Eagle Rare 17 as their favorite from the year (that honor is often reserved for George T. Stagg and William Larue Weller), which made the quality of 2023’s release all the more unexpected and exciting.

If Eagle Rare 10 remains one of the best consistently available and affordable bourbons on the market, then Eagle Rare 17 represents an older, more complex sibling. It’s bottled at 19 years and 3 months — the oldest release in the line’s history as part of the Antique Collection — and 50.5 percent ABV. It delivers beautiful balance of fruit and wood tannins, peppery complexity, and seemingly endless depth. This release confirms that 2023 truly was the year of Eagle Rare.

Average Price: $125
Rating: 97

The article The 50 Best Spirits of 2023 appeared first on VinePair.

Until a couple of decades ago, Languedoc was known more for quantity than quality. The vast area in the south of France — often combined with neighboring Roussillon to the west as Languedoc-Roussillon — is not only the country’s largest wine region, but the biggest in the world with about 700,000 acres under vine. Within Languedoc-Roussillon there are dozens of appellations as well as broader IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) wines and others simply labeled Vin de France.

Today, in the sea of Languedoc wines, it’s much easier to find bottles of distinction, many of them excellent values. Though all forms of wine are produced in Languedoc — white, red, rosé, sweet, and sparkling — it’s the reds that really stand out. The best ones can be bold or delicate, fruit-forward or more restrained, but almost always display minerality or hints of “garrigue,” as the wild herbs that cover much of the region are known.

There’s another thing that sets Languedoc apart: With its hot, dry Mediterranean climate, which makes the vines less prone to disease, organic farming has always been less challenging here. It’s more the rule than the exception and was practiced by many winemakers long before other regions embraced it in their production — and marketing. Many Languedoc winemakers never even bothered to put “organic” on their labels; it was just how they worked.

As far as the grape varieties are concerned, it’s not complicated. For the most part they’re the familiar, so-called Rhône varieties, especially Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan, which are typically blended, and with the Carignan often from very old vines. You’ll also find Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, either bottled as varietals under the IGP or Vin de France designations or, in the case of Cab and Merlot, blended with the Rhône grapes. As you’ll see from the list below, many of the wines are under $20; Languedoc remains one of the best-value regions in the wine world.

The top appellations include Minervois, Corbières (the largest), Faugères, and Pic Saint Loup, which are included in my list, along with other wines. Most of the vineyards in Languedoc lie between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees and Cévennes mountains. The soils include alluvial, chalk, limestone, and gravel, which inform many of the best wines.

Here are 10 of the top red wines from France’s Languedoc.

La Patience Rouge Vin de France 2022

At first, this wine made from Carignan and Syrah may seem like a simple quaffer, charming and delicious with its raspberry and blueberry flavors. Young, fresh, and effortless to drink, it becomes more complex as it opens up, revealing hints of leather, herbs, black licorice, and orange. It’s all supported by refreshing acidity and just enough structure. And did I mention its almost unbelievable price?

Price: $14
Buy This Wine

Château Tour Boisée Minervois ‘Marielle et Frédérique’ 2019

This blend of Syrah and Cinsault reminded me of a fine aged Bordeaux or Rhône red, but drinkable far sooner and for a fraction of the price, which are the hallmarks of good Languedoc wines. Concentrated black and red currant flavors are joined by touches of balsamic, black olive, and wet leather. There’s a hint of pencil shavings on the nose.

Price: $15
Buy This Wine

Domaine de Fontsainte Corbières 2021

Red fruit flavors dominate here, especially raspberry, along with baking spices, herbs, and hints of milk chocolate and black pepper. It’s all framed by firm tannins and a wet-stone minerality. The blend is 60 percent Carignan, 30 percent Grenache, and 10 percent Syrah. Sixty percent of the wine is aged in French barrels for eight to 12 months.

Price: $18
Buy This Wine

Mas des Capitelles Faugères ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2020

Concentrated blackberry and over-ripe strawberry flavors are accented by powdered cinnamon and nutmeg. The tannins are firm but not over the top, making this wine a pleasure to drink with all kinds of meat and your favorite Mediterranean-inspired dishes. The wine is a blend of Mourvèdre, Carignan (from vines up to 80 years old), and Syrah, with a small part of it aged in oak barrels.

Price: $21
Buy This Wine

Les 2 Anes ‘Premiers Pas’ Vin de France 2021

You would never know what this wine was from the label, but “Les 2 Anes” refers to the two donkeys pictured and is the name of the domaine in Corbières where, yes, they use donkeys to do the vineyard work. Organic and biodynamic, it’s simply delicious. It reminds me of a lighter Beaujolais with juicy red fruit notes (raspberry and subtle cranberry), and a chalky texture that frames the fruit. The blend is mainly Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah. Aging is in stainless-steel tanks. Uncomplicated yet enticing, it invites you back for sip after sip.

Price: $18
Buy This Wine

Clos Marie Pic Saint Loup ‘L’Olivette’ 2020

This blend of mainly Syrah and Mourvèdre is on the dark and brooding side, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, and garrigue, including rosemary, fennel seed, and black pepper. There’s also a hint of braised meat. This is, in fact, a wine to pair with hearty meat dishes, with the fruit supported by a firm tannin structure.

Price: $30
Buy This Wine

Fat Bastard Syrah Pays d’Oc IGP 2022

A relatively large-production wine that has long been one of the region’s top values, the 2022 is light-ish and easy to drink, with red cherry, cranberry, and raspberry flavors and herb notes in the background. The wine is partially aged in oak. The Fat Bastard winery also produces Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay.

Price: $13
Buy This Wine

Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie Corbières 2021

A classic Languedoc expression based on Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault. Juicy, ripe dark fruit flavors are accented by hints of lavender, powdered cocoa, and white pepper. Elegant and fresh, it screams out for herb-infused chicken, pork, and vegetable dishes. Another excellent Languedoc value.

Price: $15
Buy This Wine

Château Massiac Minervois 2020

This lovely wine from Carignan and Syrah smells of wet stone, announcing the prominent minerality that frames its concentrated black plum and cherry notes. Medium-bodied, it finishes with a pop of acidity that gives the wine a refreshing lift at the end and beckons you for the next sip.

Price: $15
Buy This Wine

Château L’Hospitalet La Clape 2020

La Clape is a small, newer Languedoc appellation that lies at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and produces distinctive red wines like this one. It’s part of the large Languedoc portfolio of Gérard Bertrand, a former professional rugby player who produces wines from numerous Languedoc appellations. This wine has always impressed me, and despite its 15 percent ABV, the 2020 is well balanced. A blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, It shows notes of cassis, rosemary, baking spices, and a hint of eucalyptus. (Also worth trying: the 2019 Château de Villemajou Corbières Boutenac, another standout from Bertrand’s portfolio.)

Price: $35
Buy This Wine

The article 10 of the Best Red Wines From France’s Languedoc appeared first on VinePair.

When holiday party season rolls around, nothing makes a better low-lift, crowd-pleasing beverage than a big ol’ bowl of booze. Some reading this might already be seasoned punch professionals with a few yuletide recipes under their belts, while it may be others’ first time on party punch duty. Either way, it’s easy to do a big-batch beverage a disservice by messing up its ratios: Too many sweet ingredients and you’ve got fruit punch on your hands; too much booze and the party will escalate far quicker than it should; and too many bubbles will result in an overly diluted, hard- seltzer hybrid.

That said, it’s just as simple to produce a perfect punch, and we’re here to provide you with the centuries-old, bartender-approved template to help you do so. Even better, this workhorse of a method is easy to riff on to impress guests for years to come.

A Condensed History of “Punch”

The first-ever documented mention of an alcoholic “punch” appeared in 1632, when one of the English East India Company’s men at arms wrote to a fellow merchant who was about to set sail to Bengal. According to “The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails,” he wrote, “I hop you will keep good house, and drincke punch by no allowanc.” Based on this anecdote and the fact that concurrent Indian texts made no mention of punch, it is presumed that punches were invented by British occupants in India using local ingredients.

Early iterations of punch were described as a blend of palm arrack, lime, sugar, rose water, and spices served in a large communal bowl. From India, punches made their way over to the Caribbean in the late 1600s via British trade routes. It was there — specifically, Barbados — where the now famous sing-a-long guide for the ratios to use when building a successful punch was coined:

“One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak, and a touch of spice to make it nice.”

Given how broad of a template that is, we’ve put together a few suggestions for putting it to use in your holiday punch this winter.

The Formula

This method still applies to the modern versions of punch, which the “Oxford Companion” describes as “a mixture of spirits, citrus juice, sugar, and water, often with the addition of spices.” There are no concrete rules when it comes to which strong, weak, sour, and sweet components you choose to incorporate in your punch, but there are a few options that offer great versatility and weave seamlessly into countless punch variants.

One of sour

This is arguably the easiest piece to tackle. Any citrus juice will do, but we recommend sticking to the more sour options to balance out whatever else is going in the mix. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit juice are your safest bets here. Lime and grapefruit pair well with aged rum and light spirits, while lemon generally finds good company with dark spirits like brandy, bourbon, and rye.

Two of sweet

The options for the sweet element are practically endless. If opting for rum or tequila, we suggest any combination of island-adjacent fruit juices, whether pineapple, mango, or guava, or even coconut cream. If taking the tropical route isn’t your speed, go with something more neutral like simple syrup or honey syrup, which pair with just about any spirit. For those who have the time and are feeling adventurous, try making an herb-infused sweetener like thyme simple syrup. It’s cheap, easy, and will be sure to wow your guests. That said, if you’re looking for the path of least resistance, we remind you that cranberry-lime seltzer is always a grocery run away.

Three of strong

When it comes to the booze, the liquor cabinet is your oyster — any spirit is fair game. For winter weather, people tend to gravitate toward dark spirits like aged rum, brandy, and whiskey, but don’t shy away from clear spirits, either. Gin or vodka both make for a great, easy-to-blend base. And if you can’t decide on one, try a blend. It may sound unorthodox, but adding a splash of mezcal to a rum punch can take the mix to the next level with a touch of smoke and minerality.

Four of weak

Admittedly the “weak” is the most straightforward part of the old punch template: Consider club soda, water, or even just ice. You won’t want to water the punch bowl down too much, but some dilution is necessary to weave everything together. If those three options don’t entice you, tone down the ratios to two parts ice or water, and top off each individual serving with Champagne. Something bubbly is always a nice touch around the holidays, but be mindful that subbing in some sparkling will pack a bigger wallop of alcohol.

A touch of spice to make it nice

Last but not least is the finishing touch. Feel free to get creative here, but you can’t go wrong with traditional baking spices and “Christmas spices” like ginger, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg — and freshly grated is always best. These ingredients are especially enticing when you subvert the expectation of a cold punch: Try making something akin to a batched Hot Toddy and throw a sachet of mulling spices into the mix. Regardless of serving temp, spices can double as a garnish, too. Add some cinnamon sticks or a few dehydrated orange wheels for visual flair. Above all, have fun with it. Good luck, and happy punch-making to you and yours.

*Image retrieved from smuay via stock.adobe.com

The article This Simple Phrase Unlocks the Perfect Holiday Punch appeared first on VinePair.

A new food documentary is about a story many outlets are rightfully describing as epic. “The Most Remote Restaurant in the World” details the move of KOKS — a Michelin Star-winning restaurant led by chef Poul Andrias Ziska — from the Faroe Islands to a small village in Greenland. As you might imagine, bringing an immersive fine dining experience to a town of 53 on the west coast of Greenland is no picnic. The gripping film, which is available to watch on Scandinavian streaming service Viaplay, follows the struggles and successes as the KOKS team navigates operating in the middle of nowhere, sourcing faraway wines, and pairing with local ingredients like ptarmigan and whale.

The move occurred to accommodate guests as the Faroe Islands spot undergoes renovations. The Greenland outpost will again be open in the summer of 2024, from June 12 to Sept. 7. Beyond that, the restaurant will return to the Faroe Islands, but the daring project has been so captivating that the team might pursue pop-ups elsewhere down the road.

Karis Visth is the restaurant manager and head sommelier at KOKS. We spoke with Visth about the adventurous undertaking that is bringing fine wine to Greenland.

1. What did you learn about the fine dining experience with the restaurant’s move to Greenland?

KOKS has changed locations several times in the last 12 years. We have been open for both shorter and longer periods in various locations in the Faroe Islands, as well as in other places around the world, such as Singapore, Denmark, and now Greenland. Every time we reopen in a new location, we have the opportunity to improve our concept and incorporate new ideas into the existing one. For us, the process of moving and reopening the restaurant is an extremely creative moment where we learn a lot and elevate the restaurant to higher standards.

2. The documentary suggests the locals were pretty welcoming toward the project. How do you think the reception in Greenland was to KOKS?

We felt very welcomed in Greenland and are pleased with the local support we received in Ilimanaq.

3. What was the most challenging part in working with local ingredients?

Greenland is extremely vast, and the distances are enormous. While in the Faroe Islands, we are surrounded by all our suppliers, and the distances are very small, it is much more time-consuming to obtain local ingredients in Greenland. Additionally, building relationships with local suppliers also takes time.

4. What issues did you face in sourcing wine? Was it difficult to ship bottles that far?

Shipping bottles to a place as remote as Ilimanaq, Greenland, takes time, and from the moment I place the order for wines, it can take 5–6 weeks before the bottles arrive. Before Greenland, we were more accustomed to making weekly changes and adaptations in our beverage pairing. Now KOKS Greenland is organized and planned months in advance, and there are no opportunities to make changes or be spontaneous.

5. What wines did you bring to the restaurant and why? Is there a pairing you’re
particularly proud of?

We curated the wine cellar list primarily with classic European wines, focusing on regions like Champagne, Burgundy, Piedmont, Pfalz, and others.

KOKS is also a part of the Lighthouse project of Château d’Yquem in Sauternes, France, which means we have the opportunity to include their amazing wines in our selection, served with a
savory dish. The bottle size we used for KOKS Greenland was 3 liters and was a highlight for many of our KOKS guests.

6. How much focus did you put into creating the wine list in Greenland?

Since the restaurant is only open during the summer, and many guests enjoy our set wine pairing option, we created a smaller wine list with around 120 wines to choose from. We decided to keep the majority of our wine cellar list in the Faroe Islands and ship only a small selection of some of the finest, aged bottles to Greenland. Therefore, most of the wines on the wine cellar list at KOKS Greenland are wines we purchased specifically for our Greenland project.

7. Did you have any local liquids on the menu? Are there beers or spirits from
Greenland?

We chose to brew our own beer for the KOKS Ilimanaq project in collaboration with the Faroese brewery OY. The beer is crafted with two typically Greenlandic products — blueberries and juniper. Thanks to the addition of lactose sugar, it has a slightly sweet taste. From Greenland, we include spirits on our digestive list, infused with Greenlandic herbs such as bog Labrador tea and other botanicals.

8. Are there any wine regions or styles you are particularly interested in at the moment?

There are many smaller wine regions that are less known but are doing wines on a very high level. I would love to use more wines from small island regions/countries like Tenerife or Greece. But also other beverages like sake or sherry can be interesting to pair with our food.

9. Is there another faraway destination you would like to open a restaurant at?

We dream of having a pop-up in Japan one day before returning to our home, the Faroe Islands.

The article Greenland’s KOKS Is Bringing Fine Wine to One of the Most Remote Places on Earth appeared first on VinePair.

The story of non-alcoholic (NA) beer in America actually begins with Prohibition. While some breweries repurposed their refrigeration units and pivoted into the dairy business, many others turned to “near beer” — brews containing 0.5 percent alcohol or less — to stay afloat. Near beer was anything but spectacular, and put a bad taste (pun intended) in American drinkers’ mouths. If this was what beer without booze tasted like, people wanted no part of it.

However, in the decades following Prohibition, a handful of non-alcoholic beers continued to hit the market. While some of them had some staying power, the beverage category never quite shook the stigma of “sub-par product.” Things changed in the mid-2010s, though, as the craft beer boom spread across the country. With the boom came a flock of brewers seeking to redefine the NA beer space. The pioneers of this movement? Bill Shufelt and John Walker of Athletic Brewing Company.

Shufelt had always been a fan of the craft food and beverage world, but had reached a point in life where he was looking to enjoy social situations without having to actually indulge in alcohol consumption. He turned to an online brewing forum where he found Walker, who had been brewing alcoholic beer professionally for years. Since the pair met in 2017, they’ve expanded from brewing non-alcoholic beer test batches in Gatorade jugs in a garage to operating four full-scale breweries. Now, Athletic Brewing Company is by no means the first non-alcoholic beer brand, but it was the first to successfully cross the flavors and aesthetics of the craft beer segment consistently, and at a scale.

Today on the “Taplines” podcast,” Dave Infante is joined by Athletic Brewing Company’s cofounders, Bill Shufelt and John Walker, to discuss the brand’s history and rise to success. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Watch on Youtube

The article Taplines: How Non-Alcoholic Beer Got Cool appeared first on VinePair.

America’s favorite tortilla chip is now available in booze form.

On Tuesday, Doritos announced its collaboration with flavor company Empirical: Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit. According to the brands, the snack-flavored spirit tastes and smells just like the beloved corn chip, delivering savory umami, corn tostada, and nacho cheese notes with a hint of acidity.

“Doritos is all about disrupting culture and bringing our fans unexpected, bold experiences,” said Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing for Frito-Lay North America in a press release. “We’re always pushing our fans to try new things, so we figure it’s time we disrupt the spirits category by offering our iconic nacho cheese flavor in a bottle.”

According to the release, the spirit — made from a pilsner malt distillate base — was crafted using Empirical’s unique production process: flavors were extracted from real Doritos Nacho Cheese chips before undergoing low-temperature vacuum distillation to preserve the chips’ flavor profile.

“Empirical is an ‘uncategorized’ spirits company, so it allows us the freedom to experiment with really interesting flavors and not have to be stuck in a gin box or tequila box or whiskey box,” says Lars Williams, chef, distiller, and CEO of Empirical in the release. “We can take something that has a unique and amazing flavor, like Doritos, and evolve it into something completely new.”

Bottled at 42 percent ABV, the limited-edition Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit will be available in select New York and California markets beginning next month at a suggested retail price of $65. Additionally, bottles will be available for sale at doritos.x.empirical.co with preorder starting December 13.

The article Doritos Just Launched a Nacho Cheese-Flavored Spirit appeared first on VinePair.

Old Forester’s 117 Series has brought a number of covetable and experimental bottles to market. On Tuesday, the bourbon brand released the line’s newest addition: Scotch Cask Finish.

The new 93-proof bourbon is a celebration of Old Forester founder George Garvin Brown’s Gaelic roots, and was aged Scotch whisky casks sourced from Scotland’s Speyside region. The aging casks were also formerly used for sherry and wine maturation, adding a complex depth of fruit to the resulting bourbon.

“This release is special to the family history our brand was built on,” said Old Forester master Taster Melissa Rift in a press release. “We‘ve been creating top-quality, rare and innovative expressions for 150 years, and this scotch whiskey captures our founder’s spirit in another rich and smooth liquid, which I recommend serving neat.”

According to the brand, the limited-edition bourbon offers aromas of smoky char, milk chocolate, and spiced fruit on the nose with toffee, cinnamon, and toasted almond on the palate. Cocoa and oak round out the buttery finish.

Old Forester was founded in Louisville, Ky. in 1870, and has become a fixture in the American whiskey category. Its 117 Series — which is a nod to the distillery’s original address on Louisville’s Whiskey Row — was launched in 2021 with the release of the High Angels’ Share expression. Since then, it’s premiered outstanding bottlings from single-warehouse releases to extra-aged bourbons and more.

Old Forester 117 Series Scotch Cask Finish is available starting Dec. 12. In select Kentucky stores and at the retail shop at Old Forester Distilling Co. for a suggested price of $59.99.

The article Latest Old Forester 117 Series Release Is a Scotch Cask Finished Bourbon appeared first on VinePair.

Paul-Gerhard Ritter was a smart cookie. When the Berlin Wall tumbled in 1989, Ritter, managing director of the city’s Coca-Cola bottling plant, raced to the scene — not to celebrate or pick up a souvenir chunk of masonry, but to hand free Cokes to East Berliners streaming across the Glienicke Bridge. When an East German guard shouted for one, he and a colleague threw a few boxes over the wall.

Ritter’s quick thinking helped secure East Germany for Coca-Cola, but Germans have long enjoyed America’s iconic soda. Since it arrived there in 1929, Coke and its many rivals have carved out a unique place in Germany’s drinks culture, particularly its beer culture — from the popularity of Spezi, a cola-based non-alcoholic drink made by South German breweries, to the national inclination to blend Coke with beer.

That’s right — in the nation where the beer purity law means brewers in stricter southern states can’t use anything beyond malt, hops, water, and yeast, drinkers are adding cola to beer willy-nilly.

How has Coke secured this remarkable position? It’s a long and fascinating story, involving the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, American capitalism, East German copycats, Bavarian businessmen, and much more.

Something Old, Something New

When Hollywood’s top filmmaker, Billy Wilder, arrived in Berlin in 1961 to make “One, Two, Three,” a political comedy in which Coke takes a central role, he was hoping for another smash hit to follow “Some Like It Hot” and “The Apartment.” Alas, his timing was off. While the film was in production the Berlin Wall went up, setting a more tragic than hilarious tone.

By putting Coca-Cola front and center of a story about Germany, though, he got it exactly right. By the early 1960s Coke was huge. Having arrived in 1929 and then disappeared during and immediately after the war (German Coke bosses came up with Fanta to fill the gap), it boomed in the 1950s, an emblematic treat for the thirsty workers driving West Germany’s economic miracle (“Mach Mal Pause” was the advertising slogan: “Take a Break”).

By 1965, West Germans were drinking almost 4 and a half million bottles of Coke a day, nine times as much as the French, according to a report in Der Spiegel that year. While some French regarded Coke as a mortal threat to the Republic, Germans saw something else.

What that was is complex, according to Dr. Jeff Schutts, a historian of modern Germany at Douglas College in Vancouver. He argues that Coke’s success rested on a seemingly contradictory appeal: It was both native and traditional, having been in Germany since the 1920s; and foreign and modern, having returned with American GIs at the war’s end. “It was associated with the United States, but it was also something that [Germans] knew from before the war,” Schutts says.

It continued to be a cultural lightning rod, inspiring East German imitations like Vita Cola and Club Cola — both available today, having been revived in the 1990s — and featuring in films like 2004’s “Goodbye Lenin,” when the appearance of a giant Coke banner represents a key plot point.

Strange Brew

Coke has many rivals, but probably the most potent hails from Bavaria, in the form of Spezi. It’s a blend of Coke and orange soda, a combination that confuses the uninitiated but is beloved by many Germans, especially in the south.

“Whenever I used to take it to a global innovation meeting, people would say, ‘Are you insane? You can’t mix Coke with Fanta! But we can, and it’s one of the biggest categories in Germany.”

The drink was invented there during the 1960s by Brauerei Riegele in Augsburg, Bavaria, taking its name from a beer introduced in 1956. It was inspired by the brewery’s customers, who had begun to make their own Coke-and-orange mix. “They had to open two bottles and some was wasted, so we decided to make a pre-mixed drink,” says Riegele owner and head brewer Sebastian Priller.

Made in six different breweries under license from Riegele, Spezi has enjoyed a significant revival over the past two decades, according to Priller. He says it’s twice as popular as it was 20 years ago; Paulaner, which  acquired rights to make the drink from Riegele in 1974, saw sales rise by more than 35 percent in 2021.

Paulaner’s ability to market its version as Spezi is a sore point for Riegele, especially since a court ruled in the former’s favor last year. Others use different names, like Mezzo Mix, Coke’s own version, introduced in 1973 and only sold in the German-speaking world.

“Whenever I used to take it to a global innovation meeting, people would say, ‘Are you insane? You can’t mix Coke with Fanta!” says former European Coke executive Michael Schwarz. “But we can, and it’s one of the biggest categories in Germany.”

Mixing Your Drinks

It’s not the only Coke-based drink that baffles outsiders. Blending beer and Coke — especially in a nation famous for its rigid Beer Purity Law — is even more out there. And then there are the names for the various blends, which evoke characters in a Guy Ritchie film: Diesel, Dirtbag, Spritzed, Moorwasser, Dirty, Shot, Pilsshot, Krefelder, and so on.

It sounds like a joke, but sales of pre-mixed options continue to rise, going from 1.4 million hectolitres to 4.4 in the past 20 years. The concept started in a similar way to Spezi, with customers mixing their own, but after a tax law change in 1993, the market was open for brewers.

“It’s a huge topic inside the Coca-Cola Corporation. Everybody is aware of it.”

The first to move was Karlsberg from Homburg in Saarland, close to the French border; it introduced Mixery, a blend of Coke and pale lager, in 1996. It remains the market leader. Composed of around 60 percent beer and 40 percent cola, it’s popular among younger drinkers, who use it “on the go,” according to Karlsberg head of marketing Andreas Oster.

“We target consumers in the age group 18 to 29,” he says. “It’s a young product where we always try to innovate to keep the price reasonable.” Sales are “still growing,” he adds, although he wouldn’t get into the specifics.

These beer-cola mixes have become a big part of German beer culture, to the extent that the ability to produce them is now taught and tested in German brewing schools. It’s very open-minded for an industry often characterized as stultifyingly conservative, but one thing, apparently, is beyond the pale: mixing beer with Spezi. “That I haven’t seen at all,” Priller says.

Never?

“Never, never, never!”

The End of the Affair

A lot of things have changed since the 1950s, and Coke’s position at the heart of German culture has undeniably faded. There are so many more options now. “[Germany] has a special role for Coca-Cola, but there are other big markets now,” Schwarz says. “In a recent survey, Italy came out top for the biggest consumer brand love for Coca-Cola.”

Schwarz left Coca-Cola in 2021 to set up FUNQ, producing “superfruit syrups” designed to be diluted with water, with fellow ex-Coke directors Fabian Roschig and Sebastian Kroth. Although two of them are based in Spain, the drink launched back in May in Germany — because it’s a big market, Schwarz says, and because as Germans they have strong contacts there.

The product illustrates Coke’s problem, even in a relatively conservative market like Germany. FUNQ is designed to tackle the two serious issues with soft drinks: excessive packaging and sugar. “It’s a huge topic inside the Coca-Cola Corporation,” Schwarz says. “Everybody is aware of it.”

Coke, of course, has a much more diverse German portfolio now than it did in the 1950s, even if original Coke is still its biggest product. Consumers are less loyal to it, though. “I think younger Germans relate differently to Coca-Cola,” Schwarz says. “It’s now like it was with my and my parents’ generation.”

That’s inevitable. In this age of infinite choice, it’s hard to imagine a drink with the cultural clout Coke once had — but the Berlin Wall seems unimaginable, too, now. Much like the Berlin Wall, Coke is still having a huge impact on German culture.

The article Cola Craze: Germans Love America’s Iconic Soda So Much They Put It in Their Beer appeared first on VinePair.

Grown around the world, Pinot Noir can run the gamut from fresh and bright with tart red fruit to alluring and complex with earthy and savory notes. A darling among sommeliers, Pinot Noir’s prominent acidity and gentle tannins make it a versatile and food-friendly wine.

With holiday feasts on the horizon, we asked sommeliers for their picks when it comes to high–quality, affordable Pinot Noir. The experts’ responses include a global treasure trove that will reward any enthusiast, with under-the-radar regions and producers from California, Germany, and New Zealand. French producers were also heavily favored with plenty of bottles for the Burgundy fan, Loire Valley Pinots, and even a mineral-laced rosé Champagne that will delight family and friends at any occasion.

The Pinot Noir That Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck, According to Somms:

• New Zealand producers: Millton, Dry River, and Neudorf
• Pinot Noir from California’s Central Coast
• German and Austrian producers: Wasenhaus, Salwey, and Johanneshof Reinisch
• August Kesseler Pinot Noir, Rheingau, Germany
• Enderle & Moll Baden Pinot Noir 2021
• Frecciarossa Carillo Pinot Nero 2022, Oltrepò Pavese, Italy
• Sanford Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, California
• Soter Vineyards Planet Oregon Pinot Noir
• Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes
• Bodega Chacra Barda Pinot Noir, Patagonia, Argentina
• Cameron Winery Reserve Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon
• Jean-Baptiste Boudier Les Combes Aloxe-Corton Bourgogne Rouge 2019
• Lioco Pinot Noir
• Pinot Noir from Sancerre and Menetou-Salon
• Domaine Yves Martin Sancerre Rouge
• Viñedos Veramonte Ritual Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley, Chile
• Pas de Problème Pinot Noir, Languedoc, France
• Jean-Pierre Maldant Clos de la Chapelle Bourgogne Rouge 2021
• Burgundy from producer Clarisse de Suremain
• Champagne Moutard Père & Fils Brut Pinot Noir Dame Nesle Côte Des Bar Cépage Rosé

“If you want a crushable Pinot that over-delivers on value you can’t go wrong with New Zealand! Many examples are at or under $30 retail, such as Millton in Gisborne, Dry River in Martinborough, and Neudorf in Nelson. You can splurge if you want; Quartz Reef and Burn Cottage are two high-end Pinots from Central Otago and are still well below most California or Burgundy prices.” —Vanessa Da Silva, wine director, Point Seven, NYC

“I find the best bang for my buck in the nooks and crannies of California’s Central Coast. The area, albeit large, is well suited to growing Pinot Noir, and produces some beautiful examples. Some of the better known AVAs and vineyard designates in the Central Coast may still garner a hefty price, but there are enclaves that remain relatively undiscovered.” —Emily Johnston, sommelier, The Dutchess, Ojai, Calif.

“I think that German and Austrian Pinot Noirs are some of the best bang-for-your-buck wines right now. Producers like Wasenhaus, Salwey, and Johanneshof Reinisch are producing beautiful, complex, and varietally driven versions that compete with any Burgundy and don’t carry as hefty a price tag because they still aren’t as widely sought after.” —Juliette Dottle, sommelier and beverage director, Nōksu, NYC

“I am a huge fan of German Pinot Noir. We have August Kesseler Pinot Noir from the Rheingau on our list, and it regularly outperforms some very expensive examples of Burgundy. Not a lot of people consider Germany a red wine-growing region, but with temperatures rising, Pinot Noir is ripening very well.” —Hugo Bensimon, advanced sommelier, Grill 23, Boston

“Enderle & Moll Baden Pinot Noir 2021. I love this for a few reasons: First, and most importantly, it’s incredibly delicious, complex, and aromatic. It hits all the high points that I love about a great Pinot. Since it’s from Germany — not a place most people turn to for this grape — it’s a crazy value, especially considering how much effort and care are put into it from the producer.” —Dustin Wilson, master sommelier, co-founder, Verve Wine, and founding partner, Apres Cru, Chicago, San Francisco, and NYC

“Frecciarossa Pinot Nero Carillo, Oltrepò Pavese, Italy 2022. When it comes to bang for your buck, there are few wines that check as many boxes as the fourth-generation estate of Frecciarossa. Located in the often overlooked wine region of the Oltrepò Pavese in southern Lombardia, this estate has been a benchmark for nearly 100 years. The second generation of Frecciarossa spent time learning agronomy in Burgundy, which ultimately led to the pursuit of plantings of Pinot Noir due to their unique clay and limestone soils reminiscent of their famed neighbors to the north. Carillo is everything you want in a youthful style of Pinot Noir: a stunning balance of ripeness from the warmer climate with a throughline of mouthwatering acidity. If you love warmer years of Bourgogne Rouge, this would be a dead-ringer for a much more affordable price at $25 retail.” —Sam Bogue, wine director, Flour + Water, San Francisco

“I love a great Santa Rita Hills Pinot and in my opinion, the wines from Sanford punch well above their weight class. They possess the depth and complexity of wines twice the price from Sonoma. Really great fruit from their single vineyards goes into the estate wine, which gives it a great boost.” —Zach Kameron, beverage director, Peak, NYC

“Living in Oregon, we are surrounded by amazing Pinot Noir but unfortunately, none of it is what you’d call ‘budget wine.’ Soter’s Planet Oregon Pinot is one of the few exceptions to that rule — it’s high quality, responsibly made, a major crowd pleaser, and it doesn’t break the bank! My favorite thing about Planet Oregon is that they are a brand built around doing the right thing: All fruit is farmed sustainably, the winery operates mindfully in regards to waste, emissions, and energy, and 1 percent of all sales are donated to environmental organizations. It also helps that the wine is great, too. They manage to capture that quintessential Willamette Valley Pinot style of spicy red fruit — think cranberry, bing cherry and a touch of clove — balanced with earthy, mushroomy savory notes. I love pairing it with dishes featuring local mushrooms (especially chanterelles) and Oregon truffles.” —Kelsey Glasser, owner and sommelier, Arden, Portland, Ore.

“Littorai’s Les Larmes cuvée is, to me, the ultimate undervalued Pinot Noir. Meaning ‘the tears’ in French, Les Larmes is a blend of declassified barrels and press wine from Anderson Valley Pinot Noir vineyards. Proprietor and winemaker Ted Lemon has such a deft hand, having spent his previous life making wine at Domaine Roulot in Burgundy, as well as at Domaine Dujac, Domaine Georges Roumier, and Domaine Bruno Clair. Littorai’s fruit is farmed organically and biodynamically. With Ted’s wine, you’re getting grand cru-quality winemaking for village prices. It feels criminal, but it’s also core to Ted’s — and his wife and business partner Heidi’s — mission of showing that incredibly delicious, quality, ageable Pinot Noirs (and other classic Old World varieties) can be made in the U.S., sustainably, and still be accessible.” —Emmeline Zhao, managing partner and sommelier, Silver Apricot and Figure Eight, NYC

“The best value Pinot Noir I’ve tasted recently is from Bodega Chacra in Patagonia, Argentina. Their Barda Pinot Noir is a blend of the estate’s youngest vines and shows very youthful and fresh. This project is not only from an exciting region but is also a collaboration between two big names in the wine industry: Piero Incisa della Rocchetta (grandson of the founder of Sassicaia in Bolgheri, Tuscany) and Jean-Marc Roulot of Domaine Roulot in Burgundy. The Barda Pinot Noir is a delicate balance of high-toned fruit, minerality, and earth. I haven’t found a guest at Indienne yet who hasn’t fallen in love with it.” —Tia Polite, sommelier, Indienne, Chicago

“I’d recommend Cameron Winery’s Reserve Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon. It retails for about $44 a bottle, which I know is not cheap, but nor is quality Pinot Noir! But as far as being a bang for your buck, you would be incredibly hard pressed to beat this quality at this price. Winemaker John Paul Cameron and Cameron Winery are living legends, yet few besides the geekiest of Pinot-philes have heard of him outside of Oregon. This is in no doubt due to his limited production — about 4,000 cases annually — which is mostly consumed in Portland.” —Joshua Link, general manager, Corrida, Boulder, Colo.

“At the moment, I’m in love with the 2019 Jean-Baptiste Boudier, Les Combes, Aloxe-Corton, Bourgogne Rouge. Jean takes a really soft approach to his wines. The Aloxe-Corton is really finely structured with light tannins and young, ruby red fruit. He shorts his maceration period and does very minimal pumpovers to keep the essence of the fruit and terroir preserved — a hands-off approach for sure. For a village-level Beaune rouge, [this] wine is very approachable and reasonably priced for village-level Burgundy.” —Matthew Brodbine, beverage director, Pasjoli, Santa Monica, Calif.

“You can find great-value, porch-pounder Pinot Noirs by Lioco. There are many single vineyard choices at an unprecedented value. Fantastic Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley fruit with bright flavors and minerality really highlight the acclaimed sources. These wines are an excellent buy with plenty of variation to choose from.” —Scott Taylor, beverage director, Harris’ Restaurant, San Francisco

“Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley delivers super-elegant, vibrant, and classic Pinots at a much lower price point than its neighbor, Burgundy. The two major appellations are Sancerre and Menetou-Salon, though there are a handful of other smaller appellations. These wines are lean and low in alcohol, and are great crowd-pleaser wines that work with a variety of cuisine types.” —Kylie Monagan, sommelier and partner, Amali, Calissa and Juniper at The Vanderbilt, NYC/Water Mill and Westbury, N.Y.

“For those of us seeking a great Pinot without getting sticker shock, one only has to look a bit south to Sancerre in the Loire Valley, better known for their Sauvignon Blanc. Yves Martin has been producing beautiful Sancerre Rouge for years and will be sure to impress your friends at the dinner table.” —Gehad Hadidi, owner, Huda, Brooklyn

“Viñedos Veramonte Ritual. This Pinot Noir comes from the Casablanca Valley in Chile. The wine has tart cherry because of the cool Pacific influence, but still gets rich fruit because of the intense Southern Hemisphere sun [and shows] opulence and restraint, which is incredibly hard to find with a low sticker price.” —Benjamin Oram, sommelier, Rochambeau, Boston

“A go-to for me is the Pas de Problème Pinot Noir out of the Languedoc in France. This lean and unoaked Pinot Noir is a delight by itself with a light chill, or can be more serious, served alongside grilled lamb chops. It’s well made [and sells] at a great price point, but doesn’t compromise the flavors or natural charm that we expect from Pinot Noir. It’s all there: the tart strawberry and cranberry, some lilac and spice. In a market filled with expensive Pinot Noir, this wine is a gem.” —Eric Gallen, sommelier and beverage director, Bardea Steakhttps, Wilmington, Del.

“The best bang for your buck is Jean-Pierre Maldant Clos de la Chapelle Bourgogne Rouge 2021. Although the price of Burgundy has dramatically increased in the past years, while supply stayed limited — as it always has been for over a thousand years — there are still many less-known producers and subregions that make stunning wine.” —Peter Juong, head sommelier, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, NYC

“These days, I’ve found myself strongly recommending any and all Pinot Noirs from Clarisse de Suremain, an absolutely incredible young producer in Burgundy making some of the most gorgeous, texturally rich, more-ish wines I’ve had in years. Her wines are still comparatively quite affordable when looking at Burgundy of this quality, and I strongly recommend seeking her bottles while you can still find any.” —Cody Pruitt, owner, Libertine, NYC

“My favorite bang-for-your-buck Pinot Noir is not your traditional red wine Pinot Noir from Oregon or Burgundy, but is actually from Champagne, France. It is Champagne Moutard Père & Fils Brut Pinot Noir Dame Nesle Côte Des Bar Cépage Rosé. This is one of the least expensive Pinot Noir-based rosé Champagnes, and generally retails around $50 where most other rosé Champagnes will set you back at least $75 or more. This wine is from the Côte des Bar region of Champagne and is characterized by mineral notes more reminiscent of Chablis than other Champagne regions. This is one of my all-time favorite Pinot Noirs.” —Thomas Delasko, general manager and sommelier, Via Sophia and Society at Hamilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.

The article We Asked 20 Sommeliers: What Pinot Noir Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck? appeared first on VinePair.

In 2023, drinkers really knew what they wanted. Espresso Martinis? Obviously. Chilled red wines? Already in the fridge. Everyone had their highly specific Martini specs down to a science and knew which allocated bottle of bourbon they were willing to splurge on. So what could possibly change in 2024?

While existing trends will continue to soar, we also expect some that have lain dormant to re-emerge. Is it possible for other coffee cocktails to take off beyond 2023’s beloved Espresso Martini? There’s one that we’re placing our bets on. Will TikTok trends finally drive cocktail bars to full-fledged influencer insanity? Chances are strong. Will the seemingly unstoppable rise of tequila come to a screeching halt? Not likely, but there’s one market that may be in for a rocky road.

Here are 10 drinks trends to look out for in 2024.

Even More Coffee Cocktails

The last few years have seen every spirits category clamber onto the Espresso Martini hype train. That train is still running full speed, with more bars and brands likely to offer other spiked coffee alternatives. The Carajillo is a great contender for the next build to take over menus and shelves, and it’s already gaining steam, as VinePair editor-in-chief Joanna Sciarrino discussed in a recent VinePair podcast episode. But don’t sleep on other classics like the Spanish Coffee, which could outshine its Irish cousin next year.

Embracing “In-Between” Wines

Rosé, orange, amber, light red — it feels like we’ve encountered a dazzling spectrum of wine over the past few years. But in 2024, expect to see a lot more wines eschewing color-categorization altogether. We bet that innovative producers will continue to push the boundaries of winemaking by experimenting with co-ferments and varying levels of skin contact, resulting in vibrant wines that are somewhat pink or kind of orange (or both, or neither!) Skin-contact Pinot Gris could be your new light-pink summer drink, and bright fuschia co-ferments of red and white grapes will end up on more dinner tables.

Struggles for High-End Tequila

After several years of momentous growth, the category of super-premium tequila may wane in 2024. While tequila is still trending, recent IWSR data shows that volumes of the premium-plus bottles only rose by 4 percent in the first six months of 2023, after several years posting strong, double-digit increases. Now the lower-priced tequila categories, including the standard and value-price groupings, are growing at a similar rate to the premium plus, though they were previously in decline. As economic pressures accumulate, and the novelty of the premium tequila concept wears off, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a high-profile celebrity tequila brand or two quietly call it quits in 2024.

More Nitro Beers on Tap

Though the IPA gets the most makeovers year-over-year, some breweries are showing more love to their other brews with some bubbles. We’re used to seeing stouts and porters served nitro-style, with the most famous example being the perfectly foamy Guinness, but an increasing number of beers are getting the same treatment. Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing Co. has a whole lineup of nitro beers and just launched a nitro Belgian Wit. The Hudson, N.Y.-based Suarez Family Brewery’s Old English Ale is canned with nitrogen to mimic the cappuccino-like head of a classic northern English cask pour.

A Tropical Takeover

From banana-fied Negronis to rum Old Fashioneds, we’re expecting beloved tropical flavors to take center stage 2024. Though we might see more great tropical bars pop up, like New York’s recently opened Paradise Lost, we think this trend will transcend themed establishments. Expect to see these fruity, complex builds on more bar menus across the country, with bartenders embracing beloved tropical cocktails — Mai Tai, anyone? — as well as putting their own spins on the classics.

Craft Cocktails With a Side of Chaos

There’s been an onslaught of over-the-top restaurants over the past several years, shoved to the forefront by influencers and social media’s thirst for high-energy, 30-second reviews. Let’s call this category “chaotic fine dining.” This year we saw full servings of pasta being poured out of cocktail shakers, individually plated pepperoni cups, mounts of uni and fatty tuna topped with gold-dusted caviar, and conveyor belt omakase spots that look more like fun-houses than dining rooms. We expect to see cocktail bars invoking this same level of silliness in in 2024, and while many bar programs will continue to embrace theatrics with skill and grace — like the impressive presentations seen at NYC’s Shinji’s — there are sure to be establishments aiming to go TikTok-viral that will take things too far.

Scotch Scrapping Its Cocktail Aspirations

In recent years, Scotch brands have attempted to stay relevant among young drinkers by insisting the spirit is an ideal cocktail ingredient — especially following tequila’s success with the Margarita and gin’s increased presence through the Martini. This strategy, though, ignores Scotch’s core strength as a premium sipping spirit. The Macallan is one brand that’s stuck to its guns as a luxury product, and has been majorly successful in doing so. We predict that other distilleries will use The Macallan as a guide and return to marketing Scotch as a high-end spirit to enjoy on its own.

The Paloma-fication of Europe

It’s tequila’s time here in North America, but across the Atlantic — much as with bourbon — drinkers have yet to fully take to the spirit. Multiple corporations are looking to correct this, and they’re using grapefruits to do it. Diageo CEO Debra Crew recently spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the company’s plans to “take tequila around the world” by pushing the Paloma during events with bars and in its messaging to consumers. Don’t be surprised if you see a surprising number of pink highballs alongside all those Aperol Spritzes during your next eurotrip.

More Faux Wine Bars

A massive wave of wine bar openings swept the nation this year, but many of the most successful examples barely resemble wine bars at all. These establishments often offer no actual bar seating, and are instead set up like typical restaurants with large dining rooms and extensive food menus. Spots that have followed this format have received a lot of buzz, and there’s also an argument to be made that it’s easier to turn a profit and sell more bottles when you’re offering a large food menu. So even though some true-to-form wine bars will continue to pop up, we’d recommend doing a little research before popping in for a glass at happy hour come the new year.

No Cocktail Will Go Unclarified

There’s no denying that bartenders and bar-goers alike have become enamored with clarified cocktails, and we’re not surprised: They’re easy to serve during service, and there’s something thrilling about seeing a Rum & Coke or a Piña Colada arrive utterly transformed. As more bartenders perfect this technique and more drinkers become familiar with the concept, we’re betting you’ll see menus stacked with clarified versions of classic builds throughout the year.

The article 10 Drinks Trends to Look Out for in 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

Mezcal has been riding shotgun with tequila on its soaring stateside rise, and new expressions are debuting on the U.S. market left and right. But unlike tequila, which can only be produced in Jalisco using Blue Weber agave, mezcal can be distilled in nine different Mexican municipalities with roughly 40 different strains of the agave plant, making it a diverse and terroir-driven spirit. And although mezcal is rarely aged, it’s a spirit built on patience: It requires an involved, multi-day cooking process during which agave hearts are crushed and roasted in underground pits prior to fermentation. Even the agave itself can take up to 25 years to mature, making the mezcal it produces a treat that should be savored in good company.

To help you decide which one to purchase for the agave enthusiast in your life, we’ve put together this list of the best mezcals to gift this holiday season. Check out our list below for recommendations ranging from affordable, entry-level Espadín mezcals all the way to small-batch expressions from the nooks and crannies of the Oaxacan mountains.

Best Budget Mezcal: Agave de Cortés Mezcal Joven
Best Splurge Mezcal: Tlamati Spirits Espadilla Destilado de Agave
Best Mezcal for Beginners: Cruz de Fuego Espadín
Best Mezcal for Geeks: Ixcateco Papalome
Best Mezcal for Cocktail Lovers: Borroso Mezcal Espadín
Best Mezcal to Impress: Mezcal Vago Ensamble en Barro
Best Limited-Edition Mezcal: NETA Tequilana Ramón and Wilfrido García Sánchez

Best Budget Mezcal

Agave de Cortés Mezcal Joven

Noted for its tall, saber-like leaves, Espadín accounts for roughly 90 percent of mezcal production as it’s relatively easy to cultivate and reaches full maturity in six to eight years — a short time span in the agave realm. This 100 percent Espadín mezcal dishes up an earthy profile with undertones of cucumber, citrus, and tropical fruit, making it a great candidate for cocktails and standalone sipping alike. The nose is resoundingly bright with a light, perfumed tilt. Smoke reveals itself on the palate, but certainly doesn’t upstage this mezcal’s fruity core. All in all, this expression is delicious, balanced, and a bargain.

Average Price: $40
Rating: 92

Best Splurge Mezcal

Tlamati Spirits Espadilla Destilado de Agave

On the total opposite end of the price scale, this stunning expression will run you a cool $182, but for the truly committed mezcal head, we urge you to take the plunge if your bank account will allow. Double-distilled in copper pots and clocking in at an even-keeled 47 percent ABV, this option is made with Espadilla, the name given to Espadín that’s grown in the state of Puebla rather than Oaxaca. Fruit makes up the bulk of its core with notes of sugar plum, which are underscored by green pepper and a hint of mesquite barbecue. These aromas carry seamlessly onto the palate, which packs a silky-smooth texture and balance on all fronts.

Average Price: $182
Rating: 95

Best Mezcal for Beginners

Cruz de Fuego Espadín

This mezcal was crafted by mother-son duo Margarita Blas and Carlos Mendez Blas in Oaxaca solely with Espadín agave. Its profile is the dictionary definition of the varietal, making it a great introduction to mezcal. The nose opens with a quintessential, true-to-Espadín swirl of pineapple, mango, oak, and barbecue. The palate follows with notes of green bell pepper, jalapeño, and underripe fruit. For those looking to get acquainted with the workhorse of agave varieties, this is the bottle to share.

Average Price: $43
Rating: 93

Best Mezcal for Geeks

Ixcateco Papalome

If you already have a few Espadín mezcals on your back bar, take this chance to explore the rare Papalomé (meaning “butterfly” in Nahuatl) variety. It’s a wild-harvested agave and often compared to Tobalá, which is smaller and more compact than most varieties. This particular expression is made with traditional, rustic production methods, including fermentation in rawhide and distillation in clay pots that lend themselves to a funky, intriguing palate. Wafts of leather and earthy minerality are prominent on the nose, followed by a sweet-and-savory palate starring fire-roasted corn.

Average Price: $115
Rating: 94

Best Mezcal for Cocktail Lovers

Borroso Mezcal Espadín

This bottle is distilled in Mexico, then packaged and labeled stateside by California-based importer Borroso, which works with smaller mezcaleros that are not able to bottle and distribute their products on their own. The mezcal itself hails from Oaxaca, and pops with bright citrus, fresh herbs, and underripe pineapple on the nose. The palate mirrors this profile, with a light touch of smoke weaving throughout. Some say that mezcal doesn’t belong in cocktails due to its preciousness, but we see it as another way to celebrate the spirit. And given its 49 percent ABV and reasonable price, this expression should be your go-to mixing mezcal. Try it out in a Single Village Fix to bring its fruity character to the forefront.

Average Price: $54
Rating: 92

Best Mezcal to Impress

Mezcal Vago Ensamble en Barro

This blend showcases five different agave varieties from the mountains of southern Oaxaca and was made using traditional clay stills. The nose kicks off with ripe mango and floral aromas before delving into a terroir-driven earthiness on the back end. Upon sipping, jalapeño and cucumber enter the fray, defining its savory, green palate. Smoke plays a supporting role on this one, only appearing lightly on the finish. At 52.3 percent ABV, this mezcal packs a punch, but it demonstrates tasteful restraint and balance. It does break the triple-digits price-wise, but we say it’s well worth a Benjamin.

Average Price: $102
Rating: 93

Best Limited-Edition Mezcal

NETA Tequilana Ramón and Wilfrido García Sánchez

We’re unabashed fans of NETA here at VinePair, and you’ll see why if you get your hands on this home-run release. This one is made from Tequilana (a.k.a. Blue Weber agave), the agave used in tequila production. Produced in Oaxaca by the talented mezcaleros and brothers Ramón and Wilfrido García Sánchez, this rare expression dishes up a plume of tropical fruit, minerality, celery, and peppers. On the palate, the fruit character shines even brighter with a hint of diesel-like funk on the finish. Only a little over 400 bottles of this spirit were produced, but it’s worth the hunt, and should definitely be savored over time. Drink this one on its own or with a side of birria tacos, and you’re in for a treat.

Average Price: $170
Rating: 95

The article The 7 Best Mezcals to Gift This Holiday (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

This episode of “The VinePair Podcast” is sponsored by The Prisoner Wine Company. Give a gift that doesn’t require wrapping with premium gift sets from The Prisoner Wine Company. These are online exclusives that can help elevate a personal collection. Plus, ground shipping is included on all gift sets! Head to theprisonerwinecompany.com to shop now, and order by Dec. 14 to receive in time for the holidays.

In light of recent news that Diageo intends to sell off all beer brands besides Guinness, it appears as if globally distributed beer is weakening. With the exception of a few industry juggernauts, is the only real option for survival as a beer brand to be a local, or regional, operation?

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, imported beers like Heineken, Stella, and Newcastle took the American market by storm, virtually the only available alternatives to the light adjunct lagers of the time. Of course, that all changed when the American craft beer boom took off in the early aughts, and the market became flooded with quality local brews of every style, ranging from stouts and porters to IPAs, saisons, and pilsners.

But these days, the average American beer drinker is more likely to pick up a 4-pack of a fresh brown ale from their favorite local brewery than a 6-pack of Newcastle. And while Heineken and the like are by no means forgotten, the abundance of other options and increased international shipping costs are, frankly, making imported brews less relevant in the modern beer landscape. The Diageo brand selloff could very well be indicative of a larger cycle: a return to the pre-globalization of beer as we know it.

On this episode of “The VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the implications of the selloff, what it says about the future of global beer brands, and whether or not imports were the true casualties of the craft beer boom. Tune in for more.

Zach is drinking: 1994 Columbia Winery Red Willow Vineyard Syrah
Joanna is drinking: E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline
Adam is drinking: Champagne Lanson Le Green Label

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: The Era of Global Beer Is Over appeared first on VinePair.

There’s a time in life for shortcuts — say, a fast pass at an amusement park or jarred tomato sauce. But when it comes to that glass of Bourbon you enjoy around 5 o’clock, you don’t want any corners to be cut.

Luckily, Rabbit Hole agrees with that philosophy and takes pains to ensure that its four core expressions of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Heigold, Cavehill, Dareinger, and Boxergrail — are crafted without compromise at its Louisville, Ky, distillery.

To make good on that promise, Rabbit Hole exercises a high degree of control over every aspect of the whiskey-making process. From its use of distinct, one-of-a-kind recipes to a proprietary grain cooking process to barrels that are charred and toasted to exacting specifications, Rabbit Hole leaves no stone unturned.

And now, if you’ll excuse the pun, allow us to take you down the Rabbit Hole “rabbit hole” to learn just how the Bourbon is made.

This infographic is sponsored by Rabbit Hole. 

The article Rabbit Hole: A Kentucky Bourbon Made Without Compromise [Infographic] appeared first on VinePair.

The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) released its most recent update on wine production data last week, which showcases the changing production patterns of red, white, and rosé wine over the past two decades.

OIV broke down the data to reveal which countries produced the most wine in each category over three time periods: 2000 to 2006, 2007 to 2013, and 2014 to 2021. Italy is currently in the lead for largest producer of red wine, accounting for 17.3 percent of the world’s production. France comes in at second place, producing 13.9 percent of global red wine in 2014 to 2021. But this number marks a decline for the nation, which was responsible for 15.9 percent of the world’s red wine in 2007 to 2013 and led the world in red wine production in 2000 to 2006 with 21.9 percent.

Breakdown of global red wine production by country

The 2014 to 2021 time frame shows that Spain is now closing in on France in the category, producing 13.5 percent of the world’s red wine in the most recent time frame. 2021’s data alone shows that Spain’s production finally surpassed France that year. Following the big three, the surprising fourth-largest producer of red wine in the world is China, which beat out Argentina, Chile, and the U.S. That said, those latter three competitors are all growing at a faster rate than China, Italy, and France, so their status may shift in the coming years.

Similarly for white wine, Italy is the top producer, accounting for 21.1 percent of global production. France still holds the second place for volume, representing 15.4 percent of the total — but just as with red wines, this number has decreased over time. Spain again rounds out the top three, accounting for 14.2 percent of the world’s white wine production.

While the U.S. was the seventh-largest producer of red wine from 2014 to 2021 with only six percent of the total production, it ranks fourth in white wine production with 10.6 percent of the total. Behind the U.S. is South Africa, Australia, and Germany. New Zealand, which is widely known for its signature Sauvignon Blanc, surprisingly brings up the rear, ranking 10th with just 1.9 percent of total white wine.

Breakdown of global white wine production by country

It’s no shock that France remains the top producer of rosé worldwide, and their proportion of total production has actually grown since 2000, rising from 24.4 percent to 31.9 percent. France is followed by Spain and the U.S., which might be a testament to America’s recent obsession with rosé.

The data also examines how these color categories have grown as a whole and changed over these time periods. Red wine production has declined by 25 percent since its peak in 2004. Now, white wine has surpassed red wine production, making up 49.3 percent of all wine production.

Breakdown of global rosé wine production by country

The article The Countries That Produce The Most Red and White Wine appeared first on VinePair.

For many contemporary bars, ice has become one of the most critical and complicated elements of a serious cocktail program. Good ice, which is to say clear cubes carved by hand or produced by specialty machine, not only ensures a quality cocktail but also one that meets or exceeds guest expectations. It also shows well on social media — a crucial marketing tool for the industry — and helps justify the ever-increasing prices that craft cocktails command throughout the country.

Yet balanced against an understandable desire for the best-quality, best-looking ice possible is the very real fact that premium ice requires specialized equipment and/or labor-intensive techniques to produce, leaving many bars either staring at eye-watering start-up prices or turning to dedicated ice purveyors to meet their needs.

But is good ice really all that important? Or can bars still find success without the investment? We spoke with bartenders, bar managers, and operators to get a feel for the role that ice plays in their bar programs depending on their markets, why they do or do not invest heavily in their ice programs, and how their customers do or do not respond to high-quality ice.

Need versus Nice-to-Have

In the hothouse that is the New York City cocktail scene, elaborate ice programs are often viewed as table stakes for cocktail bars, especially newcomers. For the newly launched Tigre in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Premiere Enterprises managing partner and executive bar director William Elliott knew that a different take from his iconic Brooklyn bar Maison Premiere was needed. “Maison Premiere doesn’t have large-format ice, and even when we opened 13 years ago that was kind of a leap of faith” Elliott says, “but with the more architectural focus at Tigre, we need certain kinds of ice and glassware to convey the modern, minimalist look we’re going for.”

For Atlanta’s Jeff Banks, premium ice became so important to him that he started a business around it. “I’ve been managing bars for 15 years, but I originally got into high-end ice when I was opening Brush Sushi Izakaya,” he says. “At the time, there was only one guy delivering clear ice in Atlanta, and he would deliver half a block, which is 150 pounds, and just drop it off.” Processing the block of ice would take hours to complete for the relatively small bar. “I saw the need for a proper business when he delivered at 6 p.m. on a Friday, so suddenly I have to stop what I’m doing to break down all this ice while people are at the bar,” Banks says.

“We get a ton of business travelers from bigger markets like Chicago and New York, and when they come to our bar and see [our ice program], it adds buy-in. They say, ‘I underestimated you, you’re a real cocktail bar, you’re legit.’”

Banks’ company, King Cube, now supplies over 60 Atlanta-area bars and restaurants with ready-to-use cubes, spheres, and other shapes of clear ice, producing over 9,000 pounds of ice a week in a process that takes over three days from start to finish.

Within his market, the impact of that ice can vary widely based on where in the Atlanta metro area a bar is located. “Inside the perimeter, a lot more people sort of expect clear ice from a higher-end cocktail bar,” Banks says of the area that encompasses the city center. “Especially with the bourbon boom, where bars are serving $50, $75, $100 pours, those should be served on something that is really high-end as well,” he adds. “Outside the perimeter, where clear ice hasn’t been widely available on a wider range, some people don’t really understand it yet, and we have to explain that you can’t really get this clarity when you make it at home.”

A Calculated Risk

There’s one way in which large pieces of super-clear ice have an obvious impact: communicating that the bar program employing them is one to take seriously. For operators in smaller markets, that buy-in is well worth the cost. “Fort Wayne is a smaller market that’s not viewed as a destination for food and beverage,” says Trevor Scovel, creative director and CEO of Indiana’s Be Better Hospitality. “We get a ton of business travelers from bigger markets like Chicago and New York, and when they come to our bar and see [our ice program], it adds buy-in. They say, ‘I underestimated you, you’re a real cocktail bar, you’re legit.’”

Large cubes in particular can also provide a platform for a bar to further captivate the drinker. “I’ve always seen like the two-inch cube as kind of a canvas that allows you to garnish a cocktail in a slightly more creative way,” says Ben Purvis, beverage director at Portland, Ore., bars Fools and Horses, Pink Rabbit, and Dirty Pretty. “You can lay something beautiful across it, whether it’s flowers, or, you know, a tiny little origami crane. It could be anything that can just bounce on top of there.” Those are the kinds of flourishes that can create an indelible impression on drinkers, locals or visitors alike.

“Just like a chef cares about the flame they’re using, a bartender has to care about the way we ‘cook’ a drink.”

In other markets, that added cost makes an elaborate ice program unworkable. For Harry Jamison, manager at a.kitchen + bar in Philadelphia, the unique conditions in Pennsylvania play a major role. “In this state, our liquor costs are much higher than in other states because of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, so I think there is less of a margin for spending money on things like ice programs or high-prep ingredients,” he says. As such, Jamison argues that there aren’t a lot of bars in Philadelphia that have fancy ice programs, but it doesn’t seem to hurt business. “Since it’s a novelty, I feel like most guests look at nice ice as something that makes a good Instagram post rather than something that they are expecting.”

While large-format cubes and purchased ice might prompt some disagreement among thoughtful operators and bartenders, where the community is united is in the critical and underappreciated role that high-quality ice plays in drink construction. “Just like a chef cares about the flame they’re using, a bartender has to care about the way we ‘cook’ a drink,” says Scovel. “When you’re ‘cooking’ the drink, the ice you’re using, that’s where the quality really matters.” Purvis highlights what almost all bartenders consider the industry standard, noting that “one-inch draft ice is the best because whether you’re stirring in a mixing glass or shaking a cocktail, the surface area of those cubes are just gonna cool down the cocktail the quickest with the right amount of dilution to the best of your ability.”

In the end, the choices a bar makes about ice have significant impacts on the entire drinking experience. Premium ice can make a drink look better in real life (and on social media), and it can even heighten the drinking experience, but it can also raise expectations and costs at the same time. It’s also not a guarantee in and of itself of a great drink any more than a waxed mustache and suspenders were in 2009. As with every element of a modern cocktail program, different bars can reasonably reach different conclusions about the utility and necessity of premium ice, but its ability to enrich the guest experience and communicate a sense of authority and attention to detail make it compelling for many and a must for most.

The article For Cocktail Bars Across the U.S., Is Fancy Ice Really Worth the Expense? appeared first on VinePair.

From the New Orleans’ historic French Quarter to the bustling bars of a growing New York City to California and its golden era of disco drinks, this country is brimming with cocktail history. That’s why it should be no surprise that a plethora of popular cocktails were created stateside. While some of the more modern creations like the Paper Plane and the Penicillin have very straightforward stories, the origins of older drinks like the Mint Julep are murkier — and many are still in dispute today.

As these drinks evolve and take on new personas in our current drinking culture, it’s sometimes easy to forget their roots. But don’t worry, we’ve mapped out the most iconic cocktails created in the U.S. to help you brush up on your American drinking history. Read on to discover which classic cocktail might be from your hometown.

California

Lemon Drop

Inspired by the old-school hard candies of the 1800’s, the Lemon Drop was invented by Norman Hobday at San Francisco bar Henry Africa’s in the early 1970s. The vodka-based drink also contains orange liqueur, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup. Since its creation, the Lemon Drop has devolved into a shot of chilled vodka served with a sugar-coated lemon wedge — a far cry from the original presentation in a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass.

Mai Tai

Though the Mai Tai is popular due to its association with Hawaii and beachside vacations, the original cocktail was actually created in Oakland, Calif., by Victor Bergeron — or Trader Vic, as he was known in the bar world. The drink originally used Wray and Nephew 17, a 17-year aged Jamaican rum, as the base. After the drink took off, supply of the rare rum began to dwindle, so Trader Vic created his own rum blend to replicate the flavor profile. To this day, many bars still make their own proprietary blends for their Mai Tai expressions. Though it’s rare that they follow the rest of Vic’s original recipe that included lime juice, orgeat syrup, orange liqueur, and mint, as many modern bars opt for a basic blend of orange juice and rum.

Tommy’s Margarita

If you’re making Margaritas but don’t have any orange liqueur on hand, the Tommy’s Margarita is a godsend. This easy-to-make riff on the traditional Margarita can be traced back to San Francisco’s Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant. There, in the 1990s, bartender Julio Bermejo originally made the swap from orange liqueur to agave nectar, and beverage pros and at-home bartenders have been loving the fresh take on the drink ever since.

Zombie

This famous tropical drink was created by an equally iconic person in the tiki cocktail movement: Donn Beach. He first crafted the Zombie in 1934 at his Hollywood bar, Don the Beachcomber. As the establishment was a hotspot for local celebrities, the drink immediately caught some attention. Since the drink was so powerful — with a blend of three types of rum, apricot brandy, falernum liqueur, grenadine, lime, and pineapple juice — Beach was known to only serve two per customer, which only made it all the more appealing.

Florida

Rum Runner

The Rum Runner is an homage to the early days of Prohibition, when captains would illegally run rum from the islands of Bimini to Florida. It’s only right that this drink was created in Islamorada, an island in the Florida Keys, by “Tiki John” Ebert in the 1950s. The tropical drink blends both light and dark rums with both banana and blackberry liqueur, pineapple juice, orange juice, and a splash of grenadine.

Sex on the Beach

It’s no surprise this breezy, beachy drink comes from the shores of the Sunshine State. However, there is some dispute when it comes to the origins of this provocatively named cocktail. One widely accepted version of the tale is that a spirits company called National Distribution hosted a cocktail competition during spring break in 1987 to raise awareness of a new product, peach schnapps. The brand offered $1,000 to the Fort Lauderdale bar that sold the most peach schnapps, and an additional $100 to the bartender who made the most sales. Ted Pizio of the local Confetti Bar took inspiration from his spring break surroundings to create the Sex on the Beach, which combined the peach schnapps with vodka, orange juice, and grenadine. It’s unknown whether or not Pizio won the competition, but the drink rapidly rose to popularity among the college students who sampled it in Florida and recreated it when they returned home.

Illinois

Paper Plane

Named for M.I.A.’s hit track, the Paper Plane flew onto the scene in 2008. Even though Sam Ross of New York City’s Milk & Honey designed the drink, it was first introduced at the Violet Hour in Chicago, cementing it as an Illinois original. The combination of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice has since gone global, and can be found on the menus of high-end bars around the world.

New York Sour

Contradictory to its name, the New York Sour was invented in Chicago in the 1880s. The classic drink didn’t always go by this name, either: It was known as the Continental Sour, Southern Sour, and the Brunswick Sour before it was finally dubbed the New York Sour. This visually appealing riff on the classic Whiskey Sour includes a red wine float that adds an extra punch of complexity.

Louisiana

Grasshopper

Though it’s a surprising shade of green, this blend of green crème de menthe, white crème de cacau, and half-and-half, is easy to love. The minty and creamy concoction was first conceived in 1919 at New Orleans’ Tujague’s, which remains one of the oldest bars in the country. Philibert Guichet, whose family purchased the restaurant from founders Guillaume and Marie Tujague in the 1910s, designed the Grasshopper for a cocktail competition in New York City. Though legend has it that it didn’t win the top prize, the retro cocktail has remained popular, and it’s even had a resurgence over the past few years along with the trend of nostalgic cocktails.

Hurricane

The Hurricane was invented during Prohibition at famous New Orleans bar Pat O’Brien’s. The bar was operating as a speakeasy at the time, and guests had to give the password “storm’s brewin” to be admitted. The boozy combination of light rum, dark rum, grenadine, and fruit juices was served in the bar’s signature glass that was based on the shape of an upside-down kerosene lamp.

Ramos Gin Fizz

Yet another New Orleans classic, this impressive, towering cocktail was first introduced in the late 19th century by New Orleans bartender Henry Charles Ramos. This labor-intensive drink requires an extended period of shaking in order to achieve the desired soufflé top. Legend has it that Ramos had to hire “shaker boys” to assist the bartenders with the bicep-straining shaking.

Sazerac

While New Orleans is clearly home to many of America’s most celebrated cocktails, there might be none more iconic than the Sazerac. Yet its origins are still heavily debated. The story goes that Antoine Amédée Peychaud, the creator of his namesake bitters, created a combination of bitters, sugar, and brandy in the mid-1800s. But as phylloxera started to wipe out vineyards in France, the Cognac supply dried up, and the drink’s brandy core was replaced with American rye whiskey. Improvements were made on the cocktail until it reached the potent and aromatic version we love today, and it’s now made with an absinthe rinse.

Vieux Carré

This cocktail was first recorded at the New Orleans Hotel Monteleone’s famous Carousel Bar in 1937. Named after the city’s French Quarter, the Vieux Carré’s ingredients represent all the different cultures that were thriving in this area at the time: American rye whiskey, French Cognac and Bénédictine, sweet vermouth for the Italians, and bitters to represent the Caribbean.

Michigan

Last Word

The Last Word really has two homes: While it was created at the Detroit Athletic Club in the early 1900s, it was really the late Seattle-based bartender Murray Stenson who revived this old-school drink and made it well regarded in the modern cocktail renaissance. The equal-parts mixture of gin, green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and lime juice has been beloved by the cocktail community ever since.

New York

Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan isn’t just associated with NYC because of its significant presence on the show “Sex and the City.” Industry veteran Toby Cecchini put the drink on the map in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s while bartending at quintessential New York establishment The Odeon. But it was after the drink was featured on TV that it really took off, and it seemed like just about every glass in Manhattan was filled with the visually appealing mixture of Absolut Citron, Cointreau, lime juice, and cranberry juice.

Manhattan

There’s no cocktail more defining of New York City than the Manhattan itself. The cocktail is believed to have been invented in the 1870s or the early 1880s on its namesake island, but where exactly is still brought into question. The most common theory is that it was invented at the Manhattan Club, where a bartender swapped out the sugar in the traditional whiskey cocktail (now known as the Old Fashioned) for sweet vermouth.

Penicillin

The Penicillin was first fashioned in 2005 by bartender Sam Ross at NYC’s Milk & Honey. Ross was experimenting with riffs on the Gold Rush when he split the sweetener base between honey syrup and fresh-pressed ginger juice and replaced bourbon with a blended Scotch. He also floated an additional quarter-ounce of peaty Scotch atop the drink to give the aroma some gusto. The ginger and honey flavors that are often associated with curing the common cold prompted the cocktail’s name.

Pennsylvania

Clover Club

The Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition cocktail thought to be invented at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. However, the stunning pink drink is now most commonly associated with its namesake bar in Brooklyn that pioneering bartender Julie Reiner opened in 2008. Reiner had discovered the cocktail in an old book, and set out to perfect it. And while the bar’s popularity put this combination of gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white back on the map, the drink still holds ties to its home state.

Puerto Rico

Piña Colada

The Piña Colada is the iconic cocktail of Puerto Rico, but there are bartenders at competing San Juan bars who lay claim to its creation. The famous Caribe Hilton Hotel is often given the credit, as it claims bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero created the drink in 1954, but a bar two miles down the road, Barrachina, believes it created the drink in 1963. Though we might never know the drink’s true origins, we can all agree that the Piña Colada is the ideal beach cocktail.

Washington, D.C.

Gin Rickey

It’s no surprise that the history of this Washington, D.C., creation is tied to politics. Legend has it that George Williamson, bartender at the Shoomaker’s bar, crafted this refreshing highball in 1883 for a bar regular: Democratic lobbyist and retired Confederate army colonel Joseph Rickey. It was meant to be a quaffable cocktail that could help cool down the politicians during a particularly sweltering D.C. summer. The original iteration had whiskey for its base, but the recipe evolved to feature gin instead. The combination of gin, lime juice, and club soda is now an essential part of D.C.’s history.

Disputed

Long Island Iced Tea

While this classic party-starter tastes like iced tea, we can assure you there’s no tea involved in this booze-filled concoction. Robert “Rosebud” Butt claims to have invented this wild mixture of vodka, tequila, rum, triple sec, gin, and Coke as part of a cocktail contest in 1972 on Long Island, N.Y. A conflicting story, though, places the drink’s creation in the 1920s in Long Island, Tenn.

Mint Julep

Julep cocktails have a long history that traces back to the Middle East, where the medicinal mixtures of water and infused syrup were commonplace. Though the modern iteration of this drink has since been irrevocably tied to Derby Day, some of the first accounts of its existence can be tied to Virginia. Even if the drink’s history in America is lost somewhere in the 18th century, it remains an iconic and important drink to Kentucky today.

Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary is another drink with foggy origins, but this time, the dispute spans the Atlantic. Both the American entertainer George Jessel and French bartender Fernand Petiot claim to have invented this cocktail. Jessel believed that he first thought up the mix of vodka and tomato juice in Palm Beach, Fla., and he has long been associated with the drink publicly. Petiot, though, maintained that he was the first to add the drink’s signature spices and sauces that made it a true Bloody Mary. Further, Petiot worked at both the St. Regis bar in New York City and Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, so there’s still a debate today over whether it was invented while he was in the U.S. or France.

*Image retrieved from Guys Who Shoot – stock.adobe.com

The article The Birthplaces of Famous Cocktails in the U.S. [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

People like to drink at weddings. With this fact more or less common knowledge at this point, the onus is on the couple to have a decent alcohol situation at the reception. Depending on your wedding priorities, this could mean different things. For those who care more about the florals and decor, maybe this means a Champagne toast, house wine, and well drinks. Or for those who care more about booze, you might prioritize carefully pre-batched cocktails made to spec, top-shelf spirits, and a curated wine selection. At the very least, there should be an open bar.

For those who fall into the latter category of beverage enthusiasts, let’s say, having a different wine list or special bottle for yourselves and the wedding party isn’t unreasonable. Weddings are expensive and providing rare whiskey and/or fine wine for everyone can easily push things over budget — especially when there are some guests who clearly go for quantity over quality. But if it matters to you, picking a few nicer bottles for a smaller, more intimate group (provided you’re all sitting at the same table) can be a special touch for those you’re closest with. Plus it’s your wedding day! And you should celebrate how you want. But take care to be discreet about it. For those other guests who might enjoy a good 18-year-old Scotch or grand cru Burgundy, seeing a wedding party member bragging about drinking one might not leave the best impression, especially if they’re stuck with well whiskey and the house red.

*Image retrieved from gvo3d – stock.adobe.com

The article Ask Joanna: Is It Rude if My Wedding Party Has a Different Wine List Than the Rest of My Guests? appeared first on VinePair.

This episode of “The VinePair Podcast” is sponsored by The Prisoner Wine Company. Elevate the holidays with The Prisoner Wine Company. From daring red blends to lively white wines to juicy rosés, The Prisoner Wine Company’s portfolio of curiosity-piquing wines is right at home at the dinner table, under the tree, and beyond. Head to theprisonerwinecompany.com to shop now, and order by Dec. 14 to receive in time for the holidays.

A recent article was published arguing that the wine world need not focus its marketing efforts on millennials and Gen Z, and instead should refocus those efforts on marketing to Gen X and baby boomers. There’s a lot of talk right now regarding the struggles plaguing the wine world, especially those surrounding its ability to attract younger drinkers, and some members of the older generations are, in turn, feeling neglected. But the argument that concentrating marketing on older generations will fix wine’s problem is a folly.

Sitting at the center of the argument is the impression of brand loyalty among older generations. The idea is that, as these generations have proven themselves to be so faithful to certain brands, wine can leverage that loyalty to build a new following. But if these generations are so brand loyal, as the article argues, it’s unlikely that they will magically become wine drinkers decades after coming of drinking age. They already have the brands they are loyal to.

Additionally, marketing more to older generations reinforces the — however questionable — logic that wine consumers will simply “age into” the beverage. If brands don’t start talking to people about products while they’re young, and build that brand loyalty early, they will never think about reaching for their product in their lifetime, no matter how old they get.

At the same time, it would be foolish to disregard any demographic in wine right now — no one wants to feel like their time has come and gone. Brands should absolutely be making strides to reinforce the love that older generations have had for their products for years, but that does not mean that they can or should avoid marketing to younger generations. If they do, they risk having no one to market to at all in the future.

Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach react to a recent essay stating that the wine industry should double down on marketing to the oldest part of the wine-consuming crowd. Does it make sense for wine to further focus its efforts on a generation it has a longstanding and lucrative relationship with? Does marketing to younger generations really turn others off? Tune in for more.

Zach is reading: Revisiting the ‘Hey Bartender’ Documentary, 10 Years After It Captured the Craft Cocktail Renaissance
Joanna is reading: Is Trying a Classic Cocktail Where It Was Created Actually Worth It?
Adam is reading: How London Claimed the Global Cocktail Crown

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: No, Wine Doesn’t Need to Market More to Boomers appeared first on VinePair.

Whether hosting an intimate soirée with friends, a boisterous family gathering, or a casual gift swap, the holidays are a time to show appreciation and give thanks. All the better if you have creative cocktails that are easy to mix up and can be made with just a few quality ingredients, ensuring you have more time to spend with the people you care about.

That’s where White Claw® comes in. Since launching its original White Claw® Hard Seltzer in 2016, White Claw™ continues to release refreshingly innovative beverages that redefine the alcohol industry. With its latest and most distinctive release of White Claw™Vodka, a Triple Wave Filtered™ 100 percent American grain vodka, your at-home holiday cocktail game will never be the same.

Triple Wave Filtration was conceived by White Claw™ Spirits master blender Andres Faustinelli, who spent decades looking to bring more complexity to the “minimalist experience of vodka,” and involves filtering the vodka with a pressure that’s equal to three 30-foot waves. The unique process, similar to how large ocean waves polish rocks and shells over time, lends itself to a superior velvety texture that smoothes out any rough edges while also revealing the natural sweetness and complex aromas and notes in the grain.

Adding to the collection, White Claw™ Vodka also comes in three flavors — Black Cherry, Pineapple, and Mango — which means there are plenty of flavor combinations to experiment with. Whether you want a juicy, bold berry profile or a tropical hit of ripe pineapple flavor to upgrade your vodka and soda, White Claw™ has you covered.

Short on time and in need of delicious beverages that will keep your guests happy this holiday season? We’ve got four easy-to-mix White Claw™ cocktails that are guaranteed crowd-pleasers. These drinks are sure to take the stress out of planning and ensure your guests a warm welcome for the festivities that lie ahead.

The Blackberry Super CLAW™

Juicy, ripe berry flavor from White Claw® Hard Seltzer Blackberry melds seamlessly with White Claw™ Premium Vodka in this holiday spritz, the perfect welcome drink for any impromptu holiday bash. Served over ice in a highball glass and finished with a blackberry garnish, the Blackberry Super CLAW™ will leave your guests thoroughly impressed.

The Holi-Cherry Martini

The Holi-Cherry Martini hits all the right notes with this twist on a Cosmopolitan. White Claw™ Flavored Vodka Black Cherry features a burst of tart cherry flavor and a smooth texture, while raspberry liqueur in place of the more traditional orange liqueur adds sweetness and a festive pop of magenta to the drink. 

The Cranberry Fizz

Your guests will love this seasonal sparkler with its bright and refreshing flavors featuring White Claw™ Premium Vodka. A quick and easy cranberry syrup adds a lightly sweet and tart flavor, while lemon juice and soda water add a crisp and lively effervescence. Food-friendly and elegant, the Cranberry Fizz is a go-to recipe bound to please any crowd. 

The Mango Royale

White Claw™ Flavored Vodka Mango, fresh mango juice, and chilled Prosecco combine into a rich and alluring spritz perfect for any holiday brunch. Highlighting bright and juicy mango flavor with hints of peach, orange, and cantaloupe, The Mango Royale is served in a Champagne flute for an elevated spritz that will make any celebration memorable.

You can put these recipes to the test with the White Claw® Super CLAW™ Holiday Kit, This kit from White Claw® and Cocktail Courier includes everything you need to create eight easy, refreshing, and delicious cocktails for every holiday party (or the perfect gift for the season), delivered directly to your door for just $39.99*.

 *Kits are $39.99 + tax and shipping. Sales end on Dec. 31 or while supplies last. Must be 21+ to purchase. Not available in AK, AL, AR, HI, ID, MI, NC, OH, TN, UT, and VA.

Premium Vodka. 40% Alc./Vol. Distilled from Grain. Flavored Vodka. 30% Alc./Vol. All registered trademarks used under license by White Claw Spirits  Co., Chicago, IL.

Hard Seltzer with Flavors. All Registered Trademarks used under license by White Claw Seltzer Works, Chicago, IL. Nutritional information available at whiteclaw.com.

This article is sponsored by White Claw®.

The article 4 Holiday Party-Ready White Claw™ Cocktails appeared first on VinePair.

We’re all for buying bottles for our loved ones during the holidays, whether they’re beginner-friendly bourbons, blancos for agave geeks, or stellar Syrahs. But we’re also keen on sharing the knowledge that makes their contents special, and that’s where the best new drinks books come in.

There are all types of drinkers, and for the list below, we’ve found the right handbooks, history lessons, and how-tos for everyone. Among them, you’ll find a deep dive into French wine, a love letter to one of the world’s most underrated spirits, foolproof methods for nailing cocktail techniques every time, and much more. And, if nothing else, all of our picks look handsome on any bookshelf or bar cart.

Here are some of the best drinks books to gift in 2023.

Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals

David Suro Piñera and Gary Paul Nabhan, W. W. Norton & Company, May 2023.

With tequila booming stateside with no signs of a plateau, there’s never been a better time to learn the ins and outs of agave spirits straight from the source. To capture the history, diversity, and innovations of the centuries-old category, restaurateur, founder of Tequila Interchange Project, and VinePair Next Wave award winner, David Suro Piñera, and acclaimed ethnobotanist, Gary Paul Nabhan, journeyed to eight Mexican states and spoke with their producers. What they found and detailed will captivate agave newbies and connoisseurs alike.

The Encyclopedia of Cocktails: The People, Bars & Drinks, with More Than 100 Recipes

Robert Simonson, Ten Speed Press, October 2023.

A cocktail is never just a cocktail — there’s always a story behind the build. Through 100 recipes, James Beard Award-nominated author and drinks writer Robert Simonson offers readers a comprehensive rundown of the places and faces transforming the modern bar industry.

Gin A Tasting Course: A Flavor-focused Approach to the World of Gin

Anthony Gladman, DK, September 2023.

Unless you’re partying with a very specific crowd — or vacationing with one highly ambitious Brit — chances are that gin isn’t dominating any alcohol-adjacent conversations that arise. But good news, gin enthusiasts: Award-winning drinks writer Anthony Gladman gets you, and he created a stunning 200-plus page love letter to prove it. It’s a top-to-bottom guide to the oft-misunderstood spirit and all its nuances, including its murky history, distillation practices, innovations, and a cocktail section that goes beyond — yet still celebrates — the iconic G&T.

How to Make Better Cocktails: Cocktail Techniques, Pro-Tips and Recipes

Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, and Natalia Garcia Bourke, and Andy Shannon Octopus Books, October 2023.

Any home bartender can have the right ingredients and barware, but if their technique is off — or they have no idea why they’re using their tools — it can make for a disappointing cocktail. This elegant yet easy-to-understand handbook takes the guesswork out of drink-making by breaking down the builds and methods used by professional bartenders everywhere.

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails From Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks

Toni-Tipton Martin, Clarkson Potter, November 2023.

Consider this brand-new release your comprehensive tour through the rich history of Black mixology. Crack it open to meet your tour guide, James Beard Award-winning author and culinary journalist Toni Tipton-Martin, highlighting and modernizing cocktail builds from Black cookbooks spanning two centuries. With more than 250 pages and 70 recipes, this deep dive is essential reading for those interested in the evolution of African American drinking history.

The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur

Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, Jordan MacKay, and William Elliott, Clarkson Potter, April 2023.

Oysters and alcohol have an epic love story, and their relationship takes center stage in this hedonistic how-to from Brooklyn institution Maison Premiere. Its pages are filled with recipes, techniques, and lush photos that capture what the cocktail and oyster bar’s team does best: Sazeracs, absinthe, mollusks, and immersing guests in the sensual glamour of New Orleans’ and Paris’s historic drinking scenes.

Modern Caribbean Rum

Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith, Wonk Press, November 2022.

Consider this a masterclass of Caribbean rum in all its glory. This book’s 850 pages are covered in gorgeous imagery from the islands, and will provide both new enthusiasts and long-time rum geeks with new insight. Historian, educator, and author, Matt Pietrek, and designer Carrie Smith cover everything there is to know about the spirit, from its history and misconceptions to its distillation and the business it cultivates.

The New French Wine: Redefining the World’s Greatest Wine Culture [Two-Book Boxed Set]

Jon Bonné, Ten Speed Press, March 2023.

When dining out, there’s often someone at the table who enthusiastically flips straight to the section of the wine list labeled “France.” If that person is in your orbit, look no further than this two-book set written by James Beard Award winner Jon Bonné. The duo itself is the perfect pairing: The first book dives deep into the soil, geography, and winemaking practices specific to each region, and the second focuses on France’s producers and the wines they create. And hey, looks aren’t everything, but this is arguably the most coffee-table-friendly setup we’ve ever seen.

Nightcap: More than 40 Cocktails to Close Out Any Evening

Kara Newman, Chronicle Books, October 2018.

For the friend who always wants to grab “just one more round” — or the one who just loves their brown spirits — this book offers a new bedtime story. With dozens of cocktails that span from sturdy to sweet to slumber-inducing, it’ll keep any giftee dreaming of the last calls to come.

Slow Drinks

Danny Childs, Hardie Grant, October 2023.

The green thumb of your social circle will fawn over this botanical beauty. And whether they’re just an entry-level home bartender or a seasoned homebrewer, the tips and tutorials created by ethnobotanist Danny Childs will have them feeling entirely equipped to pickle, ferment, and forage their way through the seasons and the drinks they demand. The book also makes a perfect cocktail companion for your local plant parent.

Strong, Sweet and Bitter: Your Guide to All Things Cocktails, Bartending and Booze from Behind the Bar

Cara Devine, Hardie Grant, May 2023.

For beginners, cocktail-making isn’t the most intuitive practice. But once you’ve nailed the basics of building flavor in the glass, almost anything is possible. Industry veteran Cara Devine proves this in her new book, where she educates readers on the Flavor Triangle — strong, sweet, and bitter — and how to use it to strike the perfect balance in their drinks. Beyond the fundamentals, Devine shares tips for hosting guests for at-home cocktail soirées.

Trappist Beer Travels, Second Edition: Inside the Breweries of the Monasteries

Caroline Wallace, Sarah Wood, and Jessica Deahl, Schiffer Publishing, March 2023.

Anyone who falls firmly in the center of the history-buff-beer-geek Venn diagram will appreciate this deep dive into traditional Trappist beer-making. This second-edition release also shares new details about the next generation of brothers carrying on the practice.

Tropical Standard: Cocktail Techniques & Reinvented Recipes

Garret Richard and Ben Schaffer, Countryman Press, May 2023.

If you’ve ever visited Brooklyn’s Scorpion Bowl-slinging, shipwreck-themed cocktail bar Sunken Harbor Club, you may have seen this handbook proudly on display. That’s because bar manager and industry veteran, Garret Richard, co-wrote this lesson on craft with cocktail writer Ben Schaffer. Tropical drinks can be complicated — as is their history — but “Tropical Standard” breaks down and reimagines the techniques that make them great. With 84 recipes including vintage classics and new takes on the style, this is a colorful and comprehensive prize for that friend who can’t turn down a Mai Tai.

The Wine List: Stories and Tasting Notes Behind the World’s Most Remarkable Bottles

Grant Reynolds, Union Square & Co., November 2023.

We’re social animals, and for better or for worse, that can dictate which wines thrive and which go the way of the dodo. Sommelier Grant Reynolds explores this complicated intersection of culture, politics, technology, and wine in his sweeping new book. Its pages zoom out, zoom in, and calibrate to give readers a 360 view of why we reach for the significant bottles we drink.

The article The 14 Best Booze Books to Buy This Holiday Season (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

While dark spirits have long been favored for holiday gifting, rum is often overlooked.​​ We consider that a tragedy, as sugar cane- and molasses-based spirits can bring just as much nuance to the table as any Pappy Van Winkle or Rémy Martin release. From the hogo-fueled expressions from the depths of Jamaican dunder pits to the grassy, funky white rums of Haiti and Martinique, there’s a rum out there for everyone, and VinePair has you covered with our picks below.

Keep reading for the seven best bottles of rum to gift in 2023 and the tropical escapism they may bring.

Best Budget Rum: Amrut Old Port Rum
Best Splurge Rum: Rhum Clément Cuvée Homère
Best Rum for Beginners: Don Q Reserva 7
Best Rum for Geeks: Clairin Sajous
Best Rum for Cocktail Lovers: Noël Barrel Aged Rum Tequila Cask Finished
Best Rum to Impress: Black Tot Aged Caribbean Rum
Best Limited-Edition Rum: Rhumb Runner Fernandes Trinidad 18 Year Old Rum

Best Budget Rum

Amrut Old Port Rum

Don’t let the $24 price tag fool you — this is a beast of a well-rounded rum for bar carts. Made with 100 percent domestic molasses, Amrut Old Port Rum is distilled, aged, and bottled in its native India. And while Amrut is best known for its whisky offerings, this phenomenal rum shows the versatility of its producer. It’s sweet on the nose with a tropical palate, packing in concentrated notes of pineapple and dried mango. If you’re to make a nice gesture without breaking the bank, look no further.

Average Price: $24
Rating: 92

Best Splurge Rum

Rhum Clément Cuvée Homère

Uber-luxe packaging can be a red flag in the spirits world depending on what you’re drinking, but this rhum’s gilded stopper is truly emblematic of the high-quality liquid within. Produced in Martinique — a French island with a deep history of rum distillation and the birthplace of rhum agricole — this expression departs from the traditional path of Martinique rhums as it’s a combination of 7- and 15-year-old bourbon-barrel-aged cane rums. Pour it into a snifter glass and the nose opens with wafts of sun-baked raisins, a medley of tropical fruits, and a touch of oaky vanilla. The palate, however, pulls back on the sweetness to allow for drier, more savory notes to shine through. Given the abundance of cloying aged rums on the market these days, we understand some reluctance to fork over a hefty sum for a bottle like this — but rest assured, this one delivers balance on all fronts.

Average Price: $120
Rating: 94

Best Rum for Beginners

Don Q Reserva 7

This Puerto Rican rum is aged for seven years in American white oak, making for a sweet, vanilla-kissed nose redolent of baking spices and caramel. It holds its own as a standalone sipper and a cocktail component alike, with its flavor far surpassing its $25 price tag. For newcomers to the category who want to get a little taste for premium aged rums, this is a perfect segue bottle. Not to mention, this rum works wonders in baked goods. Rum cake with Don Q 7? Hell, yes.

Average Price: $25
Rating: 90

Best Rum for Geeks

Clairin Sajous

Hailing from Haiti and clocking it at a whopping 56.5 percent ABV, Clairin Sajous is produced at Distillerie Chelo in the countryside of Saint-Michel-de-l’Attalaye, which many consider to be the grand cru of clairin. For those unfamiliar with clairin, it’s a subcategory of rum that uses wild sugar cane juice and indigenous Haitian yeasts in its distillation. This particular expression is made from Canne Cristalline cane juice, providing it with a distinct sense of Haitian terroir. Notes of grassy funk, tree-ripened stone fruit, and diesel fuel evolve from nose to finish. For only $45, this complex, still-proof rum gives die-hard spirits geeks plenty to nerd out about.

Average Price: $45
Rating: 95

Best Rum for Cocktail Lovers

Noël Barrel Aged Rum Tequila Cask Finished

Noël’s Tequila Cask-Finished rum is certainly a departure from the norm, but it’s by no means gimmicky. Bottled in the U.S. and made with molasses-based rums from North and Central America, this expression spends six years resting in white American oak before a finishing period in tequila casks. That last step imparts this expression with a bouquet of green, peppery agave aromas followed by a fresh and vibrant palate, fully living up to the expectations set by the spirit’s bright golden color. Feel free to sip this one neat to explore its unique character, but we urge you to take it for a spin in a Daiquiri, Margarita, or even a Cuba Libre.

Average Price: $47
Rating: 92

Best Rum to Impress

Black Tot Aged Caribbean Rum

Crafted with a blend of rums from Barbados, Guyana, and Jamaica, Black Tot’s Aged Rum is like a multi-island distillery tour in one bottle. The nose bursts with rich hogo aromas — likely from the Jamaican rum influence — exuding notes of brûléed banana, followed by clove, chocolate and a hint of coffee. On the palate, the Guyanese and Barbadian components shine with hints of vanilla, baking spice, and black peppercorns. This rum is outstanding in every sense of the word — even the bottle itself is dressed to impress with its nautical, embossed black label. This rum makes for a decadent after-dinner digestif, but also holds its own when mixed in cocktails. Try it out in a Painkiller or a Kingston Negroni and thank us later.

Average Price: $66
Rating: 94

Best Limited-Edition Rum

Rhumb Runner Fernandes Trinidad 18 Year Old Rum

There are only 237 bottles of this rum out there in the wild, but if you manage to track one down, you’re in for a treat. Distilled in Trinidad, aged for 18 years, and bottled at cask strength, this unicorn release flexes its complexity in spades. The nose hits like a tropical fruit basket, with concentrated aromas of banana, guava, passion fruit, and mango making up the spirit’s core profile. As it unfolds across the palate, pepper, licorice, and light notes of mesquite BBQ make a welcome appearance, but don’t upstage the produce promised on the nose. This rum clocks in at 67.3 percent ABV, so feel free to proof it down with a few drops of water to unlock its full potential. Be warned: This bottle is already hitting the resale market at an inflated price, so try and get it at the suggested $140 while you still can.

Average Price: $140
Rating: 96

The article The 7 Best Rums to Gift This Holiday (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

Resist the urge to call it “The Capitán” — it’s “El Capitán,” and for years, it was the go-to cocktail for cavalry captains who patrolled Peru’s Puno mountains in the early 1900s. In simple terms, El Capitán is a Manhattan made with pisco and garnished with an olive. However, as is so often the case, this drink is also so much more than that. El Capitán is a snapshot of Peruvian history and a celebration of the country’s iconic national spirit.

Unlike mezcal and tequila, there isn’t a governing body regulating pisco production, so there’s an air of mystery around it, particularly regarding exactly what grapes go into it. Regardless, as our guest today explains, there’s very little bad pisco out there on the market, and a quality bottle can cost as little as $20. Its low price point is all the more reason for cocktail culture to rediscover the spirit and give it a new life. Luckily, El Capitán is fighting the good fight as a rallying cry to usher pisco into the modern cocktail zeitgeist. The best part? It’s just as easy to make as it is delicious.

Today on the “Cocktail College” podcast, host Tim McKirdy is joined by Chicago-based Mike Ryan, the corporate director for Acurio International, to discuss El Capitán. The two break down pisco (from Puro to Acholado), the evolution of El Capitán, and its rotating cast of garnishes. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Mike Ryan’s El Capitán Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Acholado Pisco
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Garnish: green olive

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
2. Stir until chilled.
3. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
4. Garnish with a green olive.

The article The Cocktail College Podcast: El Capitán appeared first on VinePair.

The American brewing industry is such a shitshow these days that I sometimes forget there’s a vast world of international drinkers out there who have barely reached adolescence in their craft brewing careers. But such rank chauvinism stops today, reader, because today, we turn our collective Western gaze eastward. Over there, past Hawaii, the international date line, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, lies a nation of 1.4 billion people, the majority of whom are over legal drinking age. China’s thirst for American craft beer hasn’t yet peaked (unlike Americans’ own) and its drinkers’ interest is piqued.

My own interest in the current state of Sino-American IPA relations was piqued by a recent report from the market-research firm IWSR, which noted that after the past few years of pandemic-related challenges, Chinese drinkers were returning to premium-price-point beers. “China’s higher-end beer market also returned to growth in [the first half of] 2023 vs 2022, boosted by strong performances from local brands, and from international products in the reopening on-premise.”

Higher-end international products, you say? With American demand posting small but concerning year-over-year declines as omnibibulous domestic drinkers quench their boredom with all manner of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, the idea that U.S. craft brewers have over 500 million potential customers just a hop, skip, and a two-week container-ship ride away is tantalizing to consider. Some already have.

“It’s consistently a top-five market for us,” says Steve Parr, the Export Development Program (EDP) manager at the Brewers Association. U.S. craft brewers (as defined by the BA) shipped some 12,000 barrels of beer to China in 2022, according to data assembled by the trade group. That makes up just over 6 percent of this country’s overall craft beer exports last year. Chinese craft beer imports from the U.S. trail Canada (25.2 percent), the United Kingdom (7.3 percent), and Sweden (7.1 percent); the country has a slight lead on Japan (4.2 percent). All in, American craft brewers collectively exported $71.1 million worth of beer last year, and the Chinese drinking public is a growing contributor to that not insignificant bottom line.

It’s possible that China’s uptake on American beers would comprise an even bigger slice of the overall export pie if not for the pandemic. The country’s beer business was not exempt from the dramatic effects of its Covid policies — and imported American beers weren’t, either. “In 2018, there were about 21 breweries exporting to China,” Parr tells Hop Take in a recent phone call. “Fast forward to this last year, it was 27 breweries.” That’s a 30 percent increase, which seems pretty promising! “But if we compare to 2019, when we really saw China picking up for us and we were really investing in the market, we saw those 21 breweries jump to 32,” he says, a high-watermark of participating U.S. firms that trails today’s figure by 15 percent.

Covid’s kick in the teeth forced many American breweries to focus on shoring up their core business rather than invest in market-development abroad, and the Chinese market specifically was locked down. Exports to China suffered apace: Shipped volume declined 27 percent between 2019 and 2022.

“Importers [of U.S. beer to China] took a hit and things really slowed down,” Parr says, but now, they’re picking back up.

“We started importing American craft beers in 2021, but since it was still during Covid, we were on a small scale,” says Luca We, owner of BBM, a Shanghai-based importer, in an email exchange. (The firm has imported European craft beers since its founding in 2018.) “This year, we attended the GABF in Denver, and met with a lot of great breweries. We are hoping to expand the brands we work with by the dozens in the coming year.”

We tells Hop take that hazy and West Coast IPAs are among the most popular styles BBM imports. His assessment of the most popular brands among Chinese drinkers reads like a who’s who list of hop-forward American heavyweights, including Russian River Brewing Co., Tree House Brewing Co., and Other Half Brewing Co. Those trendier brands join major established marques that have been wise to China for years, like Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Left Hand Brewing Co., and Founders Brewing Co.

Parr agrees that IPAs are “the clear leader” of the styles that American firms ship to China (typically from a West Coast port to Shanghai.) But more flavor-forward, adjunct-driven stuff plays there, too. “Fruited sours, sweeter stouts, and even wheat berries are more popular among the Asian markets,” he says. Of course, more complex beers mean more challenges to shipping them halfway around the world. Adjuncts can cause questions and delays at customs, and even once it’s arrived at retail, a beer can sit.

“In China, beer is often sold in the absence of refrigeration,” says Parr. “The expectation is that [imported beer] will come with a long shelf life, that it’ll last for 12 months. I’ve been in China and found two-year-old IPAs sitting on the shelf.”

Exporting any product to any market comes with challenges. We says keeping BBM’s margin around 15 percent “could be the biggest challenge we have,” though he notes that there’s no base cost for partner breweries. “We try to contain those costs ourselves. The [most] we could do right now is to ask for the best price,” he says.

Parr is emphatic that he doesn’t want craft breweries to sell their beer in China, or anywhere else, unless it makes good business sense. “Brewers need to consider whether they have the capacity, the product range, the pricing, and the resources to support all those things like regulatory compliance, marketing, a trade relationship when that could otherwise be supporting your domestic market,” he says. But the potential upside is considerable. “China is certainly a huge market … [and] despite the economic challenges, there’s a segment of the population that has the money to pay for premium products.”

On this, American craft beer may have an advantage in the Chinese marketplace, particularly as the country’s middle class retrenches amid gloomy economic forecasts. “Despite the overall downturn, there is still evidence of premiumisation in H1 2023, particularly in spirits and beer,” said IWSR’s chief operations officer of research Emily Neill in the firm’s report, which notes beer’s resilience to broader economic price points at higher price points in Asian markets. “Beer may be a category that benefits as consumers trade down from other categories.”

And what of Chinese microbrewers, which have carved out their own niches for full-flavored beer in a field dominated by titans like Snow, Tsingsao, and Harbin? Are American craft beer exporters crashing a party, or helping to take it to the next level? “From consumers’ or local retail outlets’ point of view, the two segments together provide more options, and thus complement each other,” says We. “From importers’ perspective, it’d be more of a competition between the two segments.”

But with Chinese craft beer culture still developing, there’s still a sense of camaraderie in the marketplace. “Whether competition or not, we enjoy working with the breweries and bringing good beers to more people,” says We. Or as American craft brewers were fond of saying a decade ago, a rising tide lifts all boats.

🤯 Hop-ocalypse Now

The craft-beer business is tough sledding right now, with the segment shedding volume and dollars as the (legal-drinking-age!) kids turn their attention to spirits-based canned cocktails, wine-based riot punch, and maybe even sobriety. So of course struggling breweries are seeking out growth from unorthodox partnerships. But new reporting from Kate Bernot at Good Beer Hunting suggests that there’s at least one partner brewers should think twice before signing a deal with: Bevana. The start-uppy firm has a mixed record scaling brands into chain retail across markets like it says it can, as well as alleged quality-control issues that in one instance forced it to dump $500,000 of bad beer. At least one brewery, Georgia’s Pontoon Brewing, claims Bevana’s failure to pay its bills forced it to close and file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. All right, maybe think thrice.

📈 Ups…

Happy 20th birthday to Heady Topper, the pioneering hazy IPA from The Alchemist in Vermont…Colorado’s Westbound & Down acquired Aspen Brewing Co. and Capitol Creek Brewery in a Rocky Mountain roll-up…

📉 …and downs

Ultra-Right 100% Woke-Free Beer a) still exists, and b) is doing open transphobia for attention now… In “classified” videos, Armed Forces Brewing Co.’s CEO called the firm’s community opponents “truly evil” “extremists”… The “Vanilla Vigilante” was held in contempt, as the future dims on longshot hard-seltzer lawsuits…

The article China Isn’t the Answer for U.S. Craft Brewers’ Woes, but It Could Be Part of It appeared first on VinePair.

Chelsea Wine Storage is under investigation by the New York State Liquor Authority after its customers reported a large number of bottles stored by the brand as missing, the New York Post reported Thursday.

The New York-based wine storage company recently faced backlash from customers when they discovered that their valued wine collections were covertly moved from the company’s original Manhattan facility to an unknown location. On November 30, The Post reported that customers were anxiously trying to get in touch with the company’s storage facility to retrieve their purchased wine to no avail by sending emails, calling, and knocking on the door of the original location.

“With no response, I am afraid my wines in storage are gone for good,” a Chelsea Wine Storage customer posted on Yelp on Oct. 23.

As the situation developed further over the past week, several businesses have decided to sue Chelsea Wine Storage owners Amelia and Michael Gancarz for the missing inventory. A wine brokerage firm called Grand Cru filed a lawsuit claiming that it had purchased $349,000 worth of Burgundy in May, and though they paid in full, they never received the order.

Other customers claim they were instructed to go to a former TGI Friday’s basement at 777 Seventh Ave. to pick up their wines, but when they arrived, no one was there. One source did tell The Post that the wine is indeed being stored in that location inside cardboard boxes stacked on wooden pallets.

Chelsea Wine Storage finally addressed their patrons in an email after days of being unresponsive, claiming that the business was experiencing staffing issues but the wine collections were safe and being correctly stored. The business also claimed that issues with its landlord, Delshah Capital, was another factor in the delay.

Lyle Fass, a wine importer and a customer of Chelsea Wine Storage for 25 years, mentioned that he knew something wasn’t right when he submitted a request in early October to have three cases of wine delivered to him from storage and never heard back, according to The Post. When he went to the original Chelsea Market location to look into the situation, he found that it had been relocated without warning.

Whether this is a case of misplaced wine and disorganization or of actual fraud or stolen bottles remains to be seen, but those still struggling to access their wine hope that the investigation will shed light on the matter.

The article Investigation Launched Over $300K of Missing Burgundy From NYC Wine Storage Facility appeared first on VinePair.

When one thinks of Macy’s or any large department store, perhaps certain material associations come to mind: toys, clothing, kitchenware, furnishings. One thing that probably doesn’t leap to mind: booze.

That wasn’t always the case. In the mid-20th century, a Macy’s shopper could have left with bags full of not only ties and slippers, but gin and bourbon. And not just any gin or bourbon. Macy’s brand gin and bourbon. And not just one kind, either. Macy’s once carried a full line of bourbon expressions, including Old Whaler Bourbon (five-year-old, 86 proof); Supremacy Bonded Bourbon (six-year-old, 100 proof, sourced from Nelson County, Ky.), Old Landmark Bourbon (four-year-old, 86 proof, from Illinois); and Macy’s “40” Whiskey (a blend containing 40 percent Kentucky juice, 86 proof). It also sold two brands of in-house rye, two types of Scotch, a vodka, brandy, and several cordials. Many bore the name “Red Star,” after the star-shaped asterisk that still adorns the Macy’s logo.

Macy’s was not alone. From the 1930s to the 1980s, many department stores, liquor shops, and restaurants had their own private labels of various spirits that they sold to customers. Macy’s arch rival, Gimbels, matched Macy’s bottle for bottle. (My favorite brand name of theirs was Greeley Square Vodka.) I was recently gifted a bottle of Bostonian Gin, a London Dry made for the Milwaukee-based Boston Store chain, and bottled at a Milwaukee distiller owned by the same family that brewed Schlitz. I was frankly stunned that this family-oriented store my parents often shopped at had its own brand of gin. I was also surprised that it wasn’t bad.

The Stitzel-Weller Connection

“Private labels were pretty common,” said Eric Witz, a prominent collector of vintage spirits. “Their heyday was after Prohibition through the 1960s. Liquor stores often had bottles prepared for them by distillers.”

The distillers most associated with furnished juice for private labels are Stitzel-Weller and Willett (then Kentucky Bourbon Distillers), two of today’s most revered producers of bourbon and rye. Stitzel-Weller whiskey — that same stuff that went into the now fetishized Pappy Van Winkle line — furnished innumerable private labels. Among them, according to Witz, were: Chateau Cellars Brand Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey for Chateau Liquors in Denver; Old Eastwood Bonded for the Taylor drug store chain in Louisville; the Waldorf-Astoria hotel’s in-house bourbon; Hotel Muehlebach 13-year Bourbon for the Hotel Muehlebach in Kansas City, Mo.; and the Cherry Circle Private Stock for the Chicago Athletic Association.

“With off-premise consumer demand down, producers and bottlers were looking for unique ways to grab market share. Giving a restaurant their own private bottling was a smart move in that regard.”

Marco’s, a famous liquor purveyor in Chicago, whose operators published the 1937 cocktail book “The How and When,” sold its own brand of four-year-old bourbon. Tony Sachs, the spirits writer, once acquired and drank a bottle of straight bourbon bottled exclusively for the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Appropriately enough, he drained it on the 40th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation.)

Private labels were good business for some Kentucky distillers during the days of the whiskey “glut” in the late 20th century, when few American cared about or drank quality bourbon. “Julian Van Winkle was happy to clear out barrels of whiskey for them,” says writer Aaron Goldfarb, whose book on vintage spirits and the obsessive collectors who seek them out, “Dusty Booze,” will be published in March 2024.

“Stitzel-Weller was trying to make ends meet,” points out Christopher Donovan, the owner of the House of Glunz, a family-owned liquor store that has been in business since 1888. “Times were tough. Everyone worked hard and bourbon wasn’t a shoo-in like it is now.” Donovan knows of what he speaks. For many years, Glunz was a “merchant bottler,” acting as a sort of middleman between distillers and other businesses. It bought, aged, and bottled Kentucky whiskey for itself and other concerns (such at the old Italian Village restaurant in Chicago, for which it furnished a 20-year-old bourbon) and private individuals.

The most famous of all the Stitzel-Weller private-label bottlings is doubtless the bourbon sold for decades at The Berghoff, a legendary German restaurant in the heart of downtown Chicago. Van Winkle first provided liquid for multiple whiskey brands for The Berghoff. When Norton Simon purchased the Old Fitzgerald distillery from the Van Winkle family, they carried on the tradition. Later on, in 1992, Van Winkle resumed the Berghoff business. “It was a nice piece of business for a small guy like me,” Julian Van Winkle told the Straightbourbon.com forum in 2000.

“There were short runs of bottling Stitzel-Weller for Macy’s and Hilton hotels in the 1960s.”

According to Kristopher Peterson, the general manager and spirits archivist for Mordecai, a bar in Chicago that specializes in vintage spirits, the majority of private-label bourbons debuted in the 1980s, when bourbon sales were poor. “With off-premise consumer demand down, producers and bottlers were looking for unique ways to grab market share,” Peterson says. “Giving a restaurant their own private bottling was a smart move in that regard — especially in boilermaker-friendly environments.”

Neither Witz nor Goldfarb has ever found or tasted a Berghoff bourbon. Since bourbon fanatics found out the whiskey inside was the same as went into Pappy Van Winkle, the bottles have become impossible to find. “The price has soared in recent years,” says Goldfarb.

Stitzel-Weller also once bottled the bourbons for Macy’s. “There were short runs of bottling Stitzel-Weller for Macy’s and Hilton hotels in the 1960s,” says Peterson, who has laid his hands on the Macy’s but never seen the Hilton bottles.

Bourbon may have been the most common spirit to receive the private label treatment, but it was hardly the only one. According the Witz, the Waldorf Astoria hotel also carried a Cuban rum (both white and gold varieties) in the 1940s. Hearn’s Department Stores, once prominent in New York City, had its own rum. And famed tiki bar chains like Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s also had their own lines of rum. (That tradition has continued in a small way with Hamilton Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Blend Rum, a spirit produced by rum importer Ed Hamilton and named after Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, the owner of the New Orleans tropical bar Latitude 29.)

From Private Label to Single Barrel

Private labels became less and less common as the 20th century gave way to the 21st. “I don’t know if it became more trouble than it was worth,” theorizes Witz, “or maybe they didn’t see a return on it.”

Still, there are some prominent modern examples. In the late aughts, Brooklyn boutique liquor store owner LeNell Smothers sourced well-aged barrels of rye whiskey from Willett and bottled them as overproof Red Hook Rye. Bottles of Red Hook Rye now sell for tens of thousands of dollars. And Danny Meyer’s Manhattan barbecue restaurant Blue Smoke carried its own Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon, sourced from Van Winkle. The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville also sourced from Willett, selling Speakeasy Select and Rathskeller Rye in the late aughts.

“They’re barrel picks and there can be some amazing things. But it’s not like the old Berghoffs. The original people were doing unique things, unique to them.”

Today, the private-label tradition is largely continued by small liquor stores and cocktail bars that source a barrel of whiskey from various Kentucky distilleries, which bottle it and label it to be sold at said shops and bars. With the rise of interest in American whiskey, this habit — first initiated by cocktail bars — has become increasingly common.

“That is a continuation of what we’re talking about,” says Witz. “But it’s more focused on single- barrel selections.”

“They’re barrel picks and there can be some amazing things,” Donovan agrees. “But it’s not like the old Berghoffs. The original people were doing unique things, unique to them.”

As for the old examples, one thing seems certain. Unlike other kinds of dusties, collectors seek out old bottles of private label solely for the quality and provenance of the liquid within. They have little or no interest in the brand’s mercantile history. In other words, they care about the bourbon, not The Berghoff.

“They are after the juice,” says Witz.

The article Whiskey From… Macy’s? Decades Before the Bourbon Boom, Department Stores Sold Private-Label Booze appeared first on VinePair.

Champagne is the ultimate celebration wine, adding some bubbly spirit to holidays, birthdays, or even an average Tuesday night. But the category’s premium price tag can sometimes be intimidating. To help make sure you’re shelling out for the right bottle, we’ve compiled a list of the best Champagnes to buy right now, whether you’re looking to splurge on bubbles well over $100 or find a great value for $50.

The bottles on this list range from classic blends made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, to sparkling rosés and blanc de blancs. There are also some new wines that hint at the future of the region, focusing on organic agriculture and single-vineyard or vintage expressions. The list also showcases some notable bottles made with 100 percent Pinot Meunier, a grape that has historically been considered the third wheel of the region, but now has a growing presence.

All bubbles here were judged non-blind by VinePair’s tasting panel in order to determine the best wines across all price points and categories. Here is VinePair’s list of the best Champagnes for 2023.

Best Champagnes Under $50

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut NV

This wine needs no introduction. Its iconic yellow label has made it one of the most recognized wines on the planet. And for good reason. It’s ripe and fruit-forward with lively bubbles and slight hints of richness. The palate is balanced, refreshing, and ready to please a crowd.

Average price: $49
Rating: 90

Best Champagnes Under $100

Champagne Chavost Blanc de Meunier NV

Chavost used to be a typical cooperative winery in Champagne, making volume-oriented, conventional wines. But when the spirited chef de caves Fabian Daviaux took over the winery in 2019 he shifted the estate’s mindset. He urged all of the winery’s growers to convert to organic farming and started making wine with no added sulfites, no fining or filtering, and no dosage. This wine is the perfect example of Chavost’s new direction. It’s made from 100 percent Pinot Meunier grapes, and is tart and bright with a slight hint of strawberry fruit. The bubbles are assertive, but not overwhelming, showing off a softened tartness.

Average price: $65
Rating: 90

Champagne Chavost Assemblage NV

Chavost’s Assemblage bottling is a blend of 50 percent Chardonnay and 50 percent Pinot Meunier, and we’re over the moon with the balance in this wine. The nose is alive and mineral-driven with notes of fresh apples. The palate is crisp and structured with good texture and overall balance. A wonderful value for Champagne.

Average price: $60
Rating: 93

Champagne Legras & Haas Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV

A fruit-forward and citrusy blanc de blancs, this wine lands with creamy texture and complex depth. Savory notes arrive on the finish, along with a heavy helping of rich brioche. This wine is made using only fruit from grand cru vineyards and showcases multiple details surrounding its production on the back label — Champagne geeks will love this wine.

Average price: $65
Rating: 93

Champagne Mandois Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut 2017

Vintage Champagne this good, coming from several prestigious villages, at this price? It’s a triumph. This Champagne sees a little bit of oak and some stainless-steel aging to bring us a wine with great depth balanced by bright appley notes. The bubbles are even and persistent — a great value, but also simply a great wine.

Average price: $66
Rating: 90

Vincent Charlot La Dune 2019

Vincent Charlot makes this wine from certified organic and biodynamic Pinot Meunier vineyards. His goal is to show this variety’s sense of place. The nose is all apple tartness that calms on the palate, giving it a creamy mouthfeel. The laser-like acidity keeps the palate refreshing while still showing some depth.

Average price: $69
Rating: 90

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve NV

One of the most expressive and textured non-vintage Champagne bottles out there. It delivers some serious bang for your buck. It’s very mineral-driven with crispy bright fruit vibes on the nose. The palate is creamy yet somewhat austere, allowing it to fit many different palate preferences.

Average price: $70
Rating: 93

Champagne Jeeper Cuvée Blanc de Blancs Grande Réserve Brut NV

If you’re a basketball fan, this is the Champagne for you. Hall of Famer Tony Parker is a partner in this historic Champagne estate, but that’s not the only reason we love this wine. This blanc de blancs is straightforward with a lovely nose and crisp palate. There are some floral notes and sliced apples to boot. The palate is serious yet casual with active bubbles and balanced fruit. A great glass to serve as a welcome to guests or to serve with food.

Average price: $70
Rating: 90

Champagne Louis Roederer Collection 244 NV

Though Louis Roederer is best known for Cristal, this Champagne house also has a long line of more affordable wines that still hit. It has a density on the nose and palate with hints of pastry dough that’s contrasted by bright pear notes and nice active bubbles. Mouth-watering acidity livens up the palate.

Average price: $70
Rating: 91

Champagne Delamotte Brut NV

Chardonnay acts as the structural backbone of this wine, with the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier adding great depth of fruit. It has an earthy nose that evokes the unctuous aroma of an artisan cheese shop with subtle hints of flaky baked pastry dough. The palate is drying and refreshing, with lively acidity keeping everything balanced.

Average price: $71
Rating: 92

Champagne Lanson Le Green Label Organic NV

This Pinot Noir-based blend comes from Champagne Lanson’s certified organic and biodynamic vineyards. It has some nice depth, with aromas of toast and golden apples. It’s the palate that brings the focus with great acidity and lively bubbles.

Average price: $75
Rating: 90

Best Champagnes Over $100

Champagne Laurent-Perrier Millésimé 2012

This expressive vintage wine is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay harvested across multiple grand cru vineyards. The 2012 vintage presented an exceptional harvest after a dry and sunny summer season. There’s a hint of pastry on the nose tinged with fresh citrus. It has a finesse on the palate with fine bubbles and a slight mineral edge. The wine is aging nicely and will only improve and deepen with time.

Average price: $100
Rating: 91

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2015

Since 1842, Moët & Chandon has released 76 vintage Champagnes, each expressing the cellar master’s interpretation of a specific year. The 2015 vintage is a blend of 44 percent Pinot Noir, 32 percent Chardonnay, and 24 percent Pinot Meunier that’s aged for six years. The result is a bright nose of apples and lemon zest with a mineral tinge. The palate is quite tart and assertive with smooth bubbles and well-balanced acidity.

Average price: $110
Rating: 94

Ruinart Blanc Singulier NV

Winegrowing is an industry on the frontlines of climate change. Ruinart is seeing it firsthand and has created a new wine in its lineup to reflect the fluctuating environmental conditions in Champagne. Ruinart’s Blanc Singulier is made every year with 80 percent base wine from the current vintage and 20 percent from reserve wines to show how Chardonnay expresses itself in Champagne at the current time. This wine shows bright candied fruit aromas on the nose with hints of honeysuckle blossom. The palate is tart and fresh with tight perlage. A very cool Champagne with a message.

Average price: $122
Rating: 91

Champagne Palmer Grands Terroirs 2015

This cuvée is crafted as an expression of Champagne Palmer’s sense of place across Montagne de Reims. The blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier comes together in this delectably rich Champagne. Notes of brioche, lemon curd, and cheese rind rise out of the glass, and the palate brings an incredible creamy texture with even perlage.

Average price: $145
Rating: 94

Champagne Henriot L’Inattendue 2016

Champagne Henriot is one of Champagne’s last family-operated houses. Today, eighth-generation Gilles de Larouzière Henriot continues the estate’s tradition, while also starting new cuvées. For example, this bottle is the first in the estate’s history to feature a singular terroir. This wonderfully expressive wine is the definition of what the world has come to expect from quality Champagne. A nose of pastry dough welcomes the senses and is balanced by subtle citrus lifted by the bubbles. The palate is aging nicely with well-integrated brioche and a delicious note of lemon curd.

Average price: $155
Rating: 95

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Louis Salmon 2009

This blanc de blancs is named in tribute to Louis, Elisabeth Salmon’s brother, who was passionate about winemaking. An annual expression of the best parcels of the estate’s holdings in the Côte des Blancs, this wine is all about minerality. It’s refreshing with hints of citrus and lemon oil, but finishes with a creamy mouthfeel that has just the right amount of depth. It’s aging wonderfully, and is a pleasure to sip now.

Average price: $220
Rating: 93

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015

It is impossible to overstate how influential Madame Clicquot is to the Champagne industry as well as our enjoyment of this bubbly wine region. This is the latest vintage release of the Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame (named after the pioneering widow herself) line of Champagne and does not disappoint. There are slight hints of brioche with some candied pineapple and pear on the nose. That fruit is countered on the palate with extremely bracing acidity that calms the sweetness. The mouthfeel has a nice texture beneath the rapidly rising bubbles. The perfect bottle for your next celebration.

Average price: $220
Rating: 93

Champagne Christophe Baron Le Dessus du Bois Marie 2018

In Champagne’s Marne Valley, Christophe Baron makes a case for wines made with 100 percent Pinot Meunier. The result is something quite special. This wine is refreshing in its depth. Across the nose and palate, a saline quality lingers among citrus and slight marzipan aromas. The fine mousse on the wine gives it a supple mouthfeel. For a wine made from the third most popular of the three mainstays in the region, it’s a success. And as a plus: It’s only available in magnum format, so it’s ideal for larger get-togethers.

Average price: $250
Rating: 91

Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition NV

Every year Krug makes the best wine it they can based on that year’s harvest with a different proportion of their reserve wine that harmonizes with that year’s vinification. It’s like freeform jazz — every wine is different. This bottle is the 171st edition and it is beguiling. The rich bready nose is contrasted with hints of red berries and tart white cherries. The mouthfeel has elegance, finesse, and depth. The easy perlage takes a back seat to the creamy texture and rounded fruit notes.

Average price: $250
Rating: 96

Best Rosé Champagnes

Champagne Palmer Rosé Solera

This unique rosé is made from Pinot Noir drawn from a solera system, a technique most widely known for its use in sherry production in southern Spain. The result is a wine with exceptional depth and character. The nose is deep with notes of pastry dough and the brambly aroma of wild strawberries. But the fine bubbles do the work of keeping the wine refreshing and lifted.

Average price: $92
Rating: 93

Champagne Delamotte Rosé NV

This wine is crafted with a special selection of the house Chardonnays, which makes up 88 percent of the blend, and the remaining 12 percent is rounded out with Pinot Noir that’s vinified red. The nose is welcoming with floral and red berry notes. The palate shows depth with good acidity, but not so much as to take away from that concentrated fruit.

Average price: $96
Rating: 93

Champagne Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé NV

Laurent-Perrier’s deeply hued rosé is iconic, and one of the best you can find in the category. Made with 100 percent Pinot Noir, this Champagne smells like strawberry jam on a doughy croissant. It has good, balanced bubbles with a mouthwatering palate. It’s a great bottle to gift — but make sure you get a sip.

Average Price: $100
Rating: 94

Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Rosé 2015

This is part of Louis Roederer’s limited-edition lineup created in collaboration with Philippe Starck where they focus on zero-dosage bottlings. The result is a mineral-driven wine with focused notes of guava and honeysuckle. The palate is angled with sharp corners softened slightly by that round Pinot Noir fruit. It has wonderful acidity and will awaken the senses.

Average price: $105
Rating: 92

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rosé 2012

While all the wines under this legendary house are unique, this line is named after the matriarch herself. It has so much fruit depth with a savory note flitting about the rich raspberry jam and hints of cream. That depth is undeniable on the palate as the wine shows just the right amount of weight. Gentle yet persistent bubbles rise gracefully, adding refreshment. A wine that is worthy of the Dame herself.

Average Price: $320
Rating: 94

Krug Rosé 27th Edition

The dedication to quality in each of Krug’s wines is apparent in this outstanding rosé. The nose is shy at first but tart berry notes emerge with some unique notes of cranberry and the most artisanal sea salt you can find. The palate has a comfortable depth with an almost umami vibe that really sinks into your senses. The classic hint of brioche is there but as a supporting player. An impeccably balanced wine, well worth the splurge.

Average Price: $399
Rating: 96

The article The Best Champagne for 2023 appeared first on VinePair.

The Martini definitely had its moment this year. Whether it’s loaded with olive brine or served dry with a twist, drinkers fell head over heels for the drink’s elegance and endless options for customization. If one of the loved ones on your gifting list happens to be one of those drinkers, a quality bottle of gin is a great place to start. Beyond the Martini, though, gin has great range on the bar cart, and is an important component in cocktails from the bright aperitivo-hour Negroni to the refreshing Corpse Reviver #2.

Though it’s a requirement that juniper plays the leading role in any gin, an increasing number of innovative producers are highlighting more complementary botanicals, which means there’s a wider range of flavor profiles than ever before. The list below showcases gin’s versatility, with some bottles bursting with fresh floral and citrus flavors and others leaning more into the savory side (did someone say pickle Martini?). There are bottles made in the traditional London Dry style as well as more experimental gins from the U.S., Spain, Mexico, and beyond. So, get in the holiday spirit and celebrate the year of the Martini with these seven bottles.

Best Budget Gin: Aviation Gin
Best Splurge Gin: Abrojo Gin Dry Gin Ancestral
Best Gin for Beginners: Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon
Best Gin for Geeks: Xoriguer Mahón Gin
Best Gin for Cocktail Lovers: Sipsmith London Dry Gin
Best Gin to Impress: Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry
Best Limited-Edition Gin: Citadelle ‘Vive le Cornichon’

Best Budget Gin

Aviation Gin

For the cocktail enthusiast who’s also a Ryan Reynolds enthusiast, this gin brings ample character at a great price point. It has aromas of fresh citrus and pepper and a delightfully smooth palate with notes of orange peel and a touch of juniper. Name any classic build — a gin Martini, Last Word, or even the Aviation itself — this option will deliver.

Average price: $25
Rating: 91

Best Splurge Gin

Abrojo Gin Dry Gin Ancestral

This distinctive gin from Mexico departs from the spirit’s typical flavor profile, and it totally works. It’s made with spent agave fiber that’s refermented with wild yeast and spring water, and the resulting gin evokes the smoky flavor of mezcal. The palate also brings a melange of vibrant botanicals like lemongrass and lemon verbena while still managing to deliver the spirit’s signature juniper note. It’s the perfect gift for a gin enthusiast seeking something new, or a mezcal drinker looking to explore a new category.

Average price: $84
Rating: 94

Best Gin for Beginners

Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon

The original Bombay Sapphire is renowned for its citrus-forward profile, and this new release packs an even more intense flavor. It’s crafted with lemon, mandarin, and sweet orange sourced from Murcia, Spain, resulting in a pop of zesty citrus notes. These generous fruit flavors and bright aromas make this a more approachable bottle that’s ideal for those just starting to dip their toe in the spirit.

Average price: $35
Rating: 92

Best Gin for Geeks

Xoriguer Mahón Gin

Introduce your friend who thinks they’ve tried it all to this out-there bottle this holiday season. It’s made on the Spanish island of Menorca, distilled from grapes in wood-fired alembic stills that range from 70 to 270 years old. And the juniper berries used for this bottling were aged for up to four years in open crates at the distillery, exposing them to the salt-rich sea air. The ocean influence comes out in the gin through its mineral-driven notes of citrus, pepper, and salt. Yes, your gin-geek pal will absolutely eat this up.

Average price: $37
Rating: 95

Best Gin for Cocktail Lovers

Sipsmith London Dry Gin

Do your friend who’s really into mixology a favor and add this quintessential London Dry gin to their at-home stash. It’s accessible and affordable while still providing that craft spirit feel. Brimming with bright notes like lemon zest, black pepper, and crushed juniper berries, this gin adds great character to a cocktail, whether it’s a strong Martini or a refreshing G&T.

Average price: $33
Rating: 94

Best Gin to Impress

Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry

Crafted in Germany’s Black Forest mountain range, Monkey 47 ranks among the most renowned and sought-after gins for spirit enthusiasts. True to its name, it’s made with 47 botanicals, most of which are hand picked from the distillery’s surrounding woodlands. And high-quality ingredients really come through in this intensely expressive gin: Aromas of dried cranberries and raspberries jump out of the glass with hints of spices and herbs. The palate is expertly balanced with notes of orange blossom, grapefruit peel, and coriander seeds, all tied up with a punch of juniper on the finish. As one of the best high-quality gins on the market right now, it’s sure to impress as a holiday gift.

Average price: $66
Rating: 95

Best Limited-Edition Gin

Citadelle ‘Vive le Cornichon’

France’s Citadelle distillery recently added this playful flavor to its limited-edition Les Excentriques collection, and we’re here for it. If there’s a dirty Martini lover in your life (or pickle enthusiast, for that matter), this bottle was built for them. While the idea of cornichon-flavored anything seems frivolous, this is no gimmick — it’s well balanced and has a solid juniper backbone to support the prominent pickle aromas.

Average price: $35
Rating: 92

The article The 7 Best Gins to Gift This Holiday (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

Sometimes, terms become so commonplace that we take them at face value, and without giving too much thought to how they came to fruition. Take, for example, the Russian imperial stout — a beer style synonymous with the ominous jet-black, velvety, and rich brews that break through the double-digit ABV threshold. Along with sours and IPAs, Russian imperial stouts (RIS) have become one of the most coveted styles on the American craft beer market. We’ve seen ones touting a laundry list of adjuncts, from peanut butter, coffee, and cinnamon to potato chips; some that have spent a few years in bourbon barrels; and others in their pure, unadulterated glory. When we really break down the term, though, the name doesn’t totally add up. Stout? Sure, like Guinness. Imperial? Makes sense, high-ABV like an imperial IPA. And Russian? Surely they must have been invented in Russia. Well, as it turns out, that’s not the case.

From Porter to Stout

The origins of the Russian imperial stout are a bit shaky. The supposed story begins in 1698, when a young Peter Alekseyevich Romanov — who went on to become Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia — visited England and fell in love with stouts. However, historical evidence clashes with this theory, as actual records of the first porters and stouts didn’t appear until the 1720s. It was in 1721 that porters were first brewed in the U.K. as a darker, more robust version of an English brown ale designed to warm up the local seaport workers during long shifts. It wasn’t long after that the extra stout porter was introduced as a beefier, high-ABV, heavily hopped version of the beer that could be shipped overseas to Russia and the Baltic countries without spoiling in transit. At the time, given their slightly pricier ingredient bill, stout porters were viewed as the more premium offering in the stout lineup, which inherently contributed to its popularity among the wealthy.

This is where the Anchor Brewery of London enters the picture. Under the ownership of politician Henry Thrale, the brewery was among the first to ship its beer overseas to Russia in the mid-1700s. Some of the beer made its way to the Imperial Court of Russia, where then-Empress Catherine the Great took quite a liking to the style and its warming effects in the notoriously frigid nation.

Concurrently, in 1781, Anchor Brewery was purchased by Robert Barclay and John Perkins, who subsequently renamed the brewery Barclay, Perkins & Co. That year, the brewery began regularly sending shipments of its stout, called “Entire,” directly to Catherine. According to “The Oxford Companion to Beer,” a 1796 diary entry from artist Joseph Farington reads: “I drank some porter Mr. Lindoe had from Thrale’s brewhouse. He said it was specially brewed for the Empress of Russia.”

For the next 100 years, the style enjoyed major popularity in Russia, and the Barclay, Perkins & Co. stout became the epitome of the style. In the “Oxford Companion,” a recipe from 1856 shows that the brew was over 10 percent ABV and included over 10 pounds of hops per barrel, proving that this beer was a truly bitter, menacing, flavor bomb of a stout. In 1882, Russia established a ban on British imports, but made an exception for porters and stouts. Allegedly, Russian and Baltic brewers were unable to successfully replicate the style at the time, as their water sources didn’t have the necessary profile to mimic the U.K. style.

All the while, the term “imperial” was adopted by British brewers and retailers in the 1820s and ’30s. The full title of Russian imperial stout didn’t appear in beer vernacular until the 1970s when Barclay, Perkins & Co. debuted its Courage Russian Imperial Stout, named after John Courage, the brewer who supposedly brewed the batches of stout that Catherine the Great was so fond of.

The Americanized RIS

This marks the pivotal moment when the style and name made its way out west. A beer importing company called Merchant du Vin in Seattle came across the newly coined RIS in the early ‘80s, and convinced Samuel Smith Old Brewery in England to brew an imperial stout for the American market. It wasn’t long before the U.S. fell for the style as well. The serendipitous combo of the RIS’s introduction and the U.S. craft beer boom of the ‘90s and 2000s led to the rampant creation of domestic Russian imperial stouts.

Guinness had been enjoyed in America since the early 1800s, but one of the earliest examples of an American-brewed Russian imperial stout is the 1996 release of North Coast Brewing Company’s Old Rasputin. It wasn’t long before other early American movers and shakers in craft beer started producing their own takes on the style. Indiana’s 3 Floyds Brewing released its first batch of the coveted Dark Lord RIS in 2002, and Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery debuted Ten Fidy — named for its 10.5 percent ABV — in 2007. In true American fashion, these beers tend to be more bold, bitter, and hoppier than the malt-forward, old-school Russian imperial stouts from the U.K. To this day, plenty of American craft breweries still pride themselves on their Russian imperial stout game, but in the mid-2010s, The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) redefined RIS terminology with a pen stroke.

The BJCP Steps In

In 2015, an update of the BJCP’s style guide shortened the RIS title to simply imperial stout, presumably to avoid confusion about its origin. Another edition of the guidelines arrived in 2021 and made no changes to the name but included more info about the style’s roots. Right under the title, the imperial stout entry reads: “Traditionally an English style, but it is currently much more popular and widely available in America and internationally, where it is a craft beer favorite, not a historical curiosity.” Later on, the entry includes a small call-out to the former title, admitting that the style is “sometimes known as Russian imperial stout or RIS.”

Many American breweries — like the aforementioned 3 Floyds — have since dropped “Russian” from the names of their imperial stouts. Unsurprisingly, there’s been little backlash from folks overseas — but the 23andMe results are in, and these beers simply aren’t Russian.

*Image retrieved from Todd Taulman via stock.adobe.com

The article Wait, Russian Imperial Stouts Aren’t Russian? appeared first on VinePair.

Small victories, little joys. Glimmers of happiness and gratitude that bubble up unexpectedly, making an everyday moment shine. If you could bottle those, you’d have La Marca mini bottles, an adorably festive, fun-size version of a wonderful Italian Prosecco. Because it’s not always about the big milestones and grand gestures. The day-to-day pauses deserve a “cheer break,” too.

This is especially true during the holidays. Every task checked off an interminable list is a win, and every minute taken to be present is a reason to raise a glass in gratitude. 

Here are five lovely ways to take a time out, make a connection, or simply share thanks for another holiday season — one made extra glittery with La Marca minis, which allow us to “cheer fully” with smaller sips. 

Add Fun and Fizz to Any Holiday Task

No matter if your role in the holidays is as host or guest, there’s always a lot to do this season. Why not give it the “Mary Poppins” treatment with a cheer break? Twist and pop a La Marca mini to add a “spoonful of sugar” to duties like rolling out dough with friends and family or doling out warm wishes as you address holiday cards with your partner. While waiting for your homemade cranberry sauce to bubble, get bubbly yourself with a perfectly portioned pour.

Sip some Prosecco to remind yourself of the pleasure in the pause. Remember, you’re working on crafting — not tasking! 

Add Sparkle to a Gift Basket

Gift baskets can feel a bit generic and impersonal when purchased pre-made. There’s the piece of fruit here, cheese and sausage there, and maybe some chocolate. But you can just as simply design a delightful and far more personalized basket with La Marca minis as your base. From there, ideas come easily to help you develop a thoughtful theme that brings a sparkle to the recipient’s eye (and glass).

For example, your resident foodie would love to open a box of gourmet Italian pastas, sauces, and cheeses with their Prosecco. Put a La Marca mini in a gift bag with Belgian chocolates, Parisian macarons, and British “biscuits”  — sparkling wine is perfect for offsetting the butteriness and sweetness of rich snacks. It can also work as a romantic gift basket, or you can dial it up by pairing La Marca minis with a pair of new flutes, satin pajamas, and a scented candle that complements the honey and white flowers of the Prosecco. Swap those for creature comforts like fuzzy slippers, soothing body lotion, and a silk sleep mask for a self-care package for a friend or family member.

Raise a Glass and Your Professional Profile

It makes sense to come up with a curated gift assortment for those you’re close to, but what about more casual connections, like coworkers? The good news is you don’t have to go the whole nine yards to gift something little. La Marca minis are the perfect way to show just the right amount of thanks to colleagues, work spouses, and the other people who make your work life brighter. The bottles are big and fancy enough to “cheer fully,” allowing you to show your appreciation (and show off your taste), but small enough to remain casual and appropriate. They’re a considerate desk drop-off that proves you don’t need a company happy hour to raise a glass to all that your coworkers do.

‘Thank You’ at Your Door

As this festive season winds up, your delivery drivers are working harder than ever. As we prep for the holidays at home, they’re braving the hazardous, often too-packed roads while safeguarding the packages we just can’t seem to keep ourselves from buying. So what better way to show them a little bit of gratitude than with a small toast to their efforts? 

La Marca minis come in multi-packs, which means you don’t have to stop at just your Amazon driver. FedEx and UPS drivers, like postal workers, are often assigned set routes, which means that chances are you’re someone’s regular without even knowing it. 

Attaching a small envelope to a La Marca mini is also a brilliant way to leave a gratuity for your doorman, sanitation worker, and other folks you might want to take care of after a year of them doing just that for you. Don’t worry about misplaced or overlooked envelopes — there is no mistaking a bottle of bubbly left out with a thank you note attached.

Do Yourself a (Party) Favor

If you’re hosting a holiday gathering, it’s customary to give your guests something they can bring home — beyond to-go containers of your famous cooking. Some people like to bake and bag cookies or other dessert treats. Others make ornaments, and even more people hand out cute cookie cutters.

Why not give guests something that doesn’t take up a lot of room, is guaranteed to be used, and is easy to package? La Marca minis are the perfect door gift, letting you do away with the goodie bag and instead, give guests something that will help them relive the warm memories you made that night.

It’s easy to add some personalization to your parting gift. Twirl a ribbon around the neck of the bottle and tie a gift tag with a short personal message for a memorable holiday greeting. 

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Those are a lot of ideas, but finally, it’s time for a breather. Holidays are stressful, and self-care is important, especially now. So, while you’re working hard to make this a fantastic holiday for others, don’t forget to treat yourself, too, with a cheer break of your own.

Set your phone on “Do Not Disturb,” then go ahead and take an indulgent bubble bath. Turn off the TV, turn down the lights, and break out that soothing playlist. Make this time your time with a glass of La Marca Prosecco in hand. Then get back to doing what you do best: kicking butt and winning the holidays. 

This article is sponsored by La Marca Prosecco.

The article Big Things Come in Small Packages: 5 Ways to Get Bubbly This Holiday Season With La Marca Minis appeared first on VinePair.

This episode of “Wine 101” is sponsored by La Marca. Meet Prosecco Rosé, the newest official category from the historic region. La Marca’s Prosecco Rosé is the standard-bearer in Northern Italy when it comes to this type of wine. If you wanna surprise and delight your friends with what’s sure to become an instant staple in their bubbly lineup, this is the one for you. 

What does it mean to have diversity in wine? What does it look like? How can we continue to work toward absolute equality in this industry? We know about diversity in wine grapes and production, but we haven’t covered diversity among the people in the wine business. 

For a long time, Virginia-based wine professional Reggie Leonard III thought that wine was reserved for “people with art history degrees.” From the outside looking in, it seemed inaccessible, as if there was some barrier to entry around it. Though, after attending a few free tastings at a local wine shop, he quickly realized that that wasn’t the case. Leonard saw that a wine-learning journey doesn’t have to be uptight or gate-kept; it can be as simple as tasting, deciding what you do and don’t like, and creating conversation around the wines you want to learn more about.  

However, he knew he couldn’t be the only one who had reservations about getting into wine in the first place, so he’s made it his mission to show the world that wine is for everyone — of all creeds, colors, and socioeconomic backgrounds. “People need to see people that come from a background like theirs, which means a lot of different things. Diversity means as many versions of representation as possible in this industry,” he explains. 

In the last episode of the season, Keith sat down with Reggie Leonard III, co-founder of Virginia’s Oenoverse and the Two Up Wine Down Festival, to talk about what inclusivity in wine means and what we can do to further promote it. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith on Instagram @VinePairKeith. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. It really helps get the word out there.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. Listen to this. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week. 

E& J. Gallo Winery is excited to sponsor this episode of VinePair’s “Wine 101.” Gallo always welcomes new friends to wine with an amazingly wide spectrum of favorites, ranging from everyday to luxury and sparkling wine. (Gallo also makes award-winning spirits, but this is a wine podcast.) Whether you are new to wine or an aficionado, Gallo welcomes you to wine. Visit TheBarrelRoom.com today to find your next favorite, where shipping is available.

The article Wine 101: Terms: Diversity in Wine appeared first on VinePair.

Legendary IPA Heady Topper debuted in 2003 at The Alchemist brewpub in Waterbury, Vt., and customers immediately began pouring their pints into bottles for offsite consumption. Illegal? Yes. A testament to how amazing of a beer it is? Also, yes. Though many years have passed since, Heady Topper remains as the pioneering example of the New England Double IPA, and its popularity has been at a fever pitch ever since. And as 2023 marks 20 years since The Alchemist’s inception, the brewery just released its first of an amped-up, special edition of its flagship double IPA to celebrate.

In a video posted on Thursday to The Alchemist’s Youtube account, co-owner and head brewer John Kimmich announced the release of 20th Anniversary Heady Topper.

“I wanted to design a beer that is gonna clearly be a nod to Heady Topper, but at the same time forging its own path,” Kimmich explained. In describing the process behind concocting this special brew, Kimmich admitted that he and his team will occasionally make subtle tweaks to batches of Heady — so subtle that customers don’t even notice — and release it as normal Heady Topper. After much experimentation, they landed on the recipe for the 20th Anniversary edition, which the brewery has described as “everything you know and love about the original brought to a whole new level.”

20th Anniversary Heady Topper comes in a revamped can that reveals more of the silhouette of the signature “Heady Topper guy” with hops exploding out his upper cranium. It arrives at 10 percent ABV, pours a bright golden hue, and bursts with fruity notes of Simcoe hops — all with the same balance and drinkability of the original.

Kimmich plans to brew three more batches of the 20th Anniversary brew throughout the course of the year, each with little tweaks and improvements made along the way.

20th Anniversary Heady Topper is currently available for curbside pickup at The Alchemist Brewery in Stowe, Vt. It costs $20 per four-pack, with a limit on three packs per customer.

The article The Alchemist Releases Special-Edition Heady Topper for its 20th Anniversary appeared first on VinePair.

Espresso heads have long argued over how to achieve the ideal pull, from which beans to use, how to grind them, and what snazzy machines to invest in. Now, a new study published in material sciences journal Matter seems to have identified the key to the perfect pull, and it’s much more simple — and inexpensive — than you might think.

According to the study, researchers discovered that adding a splash of water to coffee beans prior to grinding them results in a more delicious and more consistent espresso. The scientists say that this technique has the potential to help industrial coffee brewers and baristas alike overcome a major obstacle in brewing espresso.

“Water not only reduces static electricity and therefore reduces mess as you’re grinding, but it can also make a major impact on the intensity of the beverage and, potentially, the ability to access higher concentrations of favorable flavors,” says Christopher Hendon, associate professor of chemistry at University of Oregon.

The process of grinding coffee beans generates electricity through friction, which causes coffee grounds to lump together and remain in the grinder rather than making their way to the espresso machine. However, when water is added before the beans are ground, there is less friction between the beans and thus less electricity generated, resulting in less waste and a stronger concentration of flavor in each espresso shot.

During the study, researchers evaluated various types of coffee beans, considering their country of origin and color of the roast. Scientists also factored in various processing methods for coffee beans including whether or not they were washed and if they’re natural or decaffeinated. These factors were not found to have an impact on the amount of electricity produced during the grinding process.

In addition to determining that water can help concentrate flavors, researchers also determined that various grinding methods have an impact on the resulting espresso. In order to learn more about how electricity can affect the taste of the coffee, the study’s researchers teamed up with volcanic experts who examine electrical activity during eruptions. According to these scientists, the electricity generated during these volcanic eruptions is remarkably similar to that generated during coffee brewing.

“During an eruption, magma breaks up into little particles that come out of the volcano in this big plume. Those particles are rubbing against each other and charging up to the point of producing lightning,” explains Joshua Méndez Harper, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Portland State University. “In a simplistic way, it’s similar to grinding coffee, where you’re taking these beans and reducing them to a fine powder.”

As these scientists have seemingly determined that water can significantly improve the quality of espresso, they’re now focused on creating the perfect cup of joe.

“Now we know what grind settings to use to make reproducible espresso,” Hendon says. “We can start to try to understand what factors give rise to sensory differences in coffee taste.”

So, whether you’re pulling a shot for an afternoon pick-me-up or tossing it in an Espresso Martini, be sure to add a few drops of water before grinding for optimal enjoyment.

The article Scientists Have Discovered the Key to Making Perfect Espresso Every Time appeared first on VinePair.

As with all things in life, not all tequilas are created equal. Some are perfect for Margaritas while others are meant for sipping neat, and some tequilas aren’t actually tequila at all (looking at you, Jose Cuervo). No matter what purpose they serve, there is no denying that tequila’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. And with an abundance of labels available on shelves, tequila drinkers have no shortage of options to choose from.

To determine where the tequila market stands, magazine Drinks International rounded up the top 10 best-selling tequila brands at 100 of the world’s top bars. Rather than displaying raw sales figures from each global market, the Drinks International Brands Report reflects responses to a detailed questionnaire completed by a targeted list of bars featured on major accolade lists and a small percentage of bars chosen by the Drinks International’s editors.

While a handful of brands have continued to dominate the sector, recent years have seen celebrity influence drastically alter the top-shelf tequila scene. The tides, though, seem to be turning. As celebrity tequila brands become more associated with diffuser production and artificial additives, many agave aficionados — including those at the world’s top bars — are turning to more traditionally produced spirits. Casamigos is the sole celebrity tequila on this year’s list, a possible indicator that high-end bars have brought it onto their back bars as a familiar bottle for guests. Its 10th-place position also challenges the withheld narrative that the celebrities are controlling the tequila industry.

Curious to see what the top 10 best-selling tequila brands are in 2023? Check out the list below to see if your favorite made the cut.

10. Casamigos

Co-created by George Clooney in 2013, Casamigos is arguably the most well-known celebrity tequila on the market, and its $1 billion sale to Diageo just four years after its founding only furthered its success. The brand now offers blanco, reposado, cristalino, and añejo expressions.

9. Tapatio

Distilled at the world-renowned La Alteña in the highlands of Jalisco, Tequila Tapatio was founded in 1940 by agave farmer Don Filipe Camarena. Produced using the traditional tahona method to this day, Tapatio is available in blanco, reposado, and añejo expressions. Also among its offerings: Blanco 110, one of the booziest tequilas in the world, and Tequila Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva Extra Añejo, one of the oldest. It’s those last two selections that allowed Tapatio to attract a cult-like following and secure its position as many bartenders’ top choice.

8. Herradura

Herradura, which translates from Spanish to “horseshoe,” was established in 1870 in the lowlands of Jalisco near the base of Tequila Volcano. The tequila is produced using 100 percent Blue Weber agave and the brand actually created the reposado and extra añejo categories.

7. Fortaleza

Founded in 2005, Fortaleza has catapulted in popularity in recent years, cementing itself as a bartender favorite for its lush agave notes that can only be achieved through tahona production. The brand was started by Guillermo Erickson, whose ancestors were the first to utilize steam to cook blue agave and were responsible for the creation of the tequila appellation. The spirit is currently available in blanco, blanco still strength, reposado, and añejo expressions.

6. El Jimador

El Jimador is produced from 100 percent Blue Weber agave harvested in Amatitán in the lowlands of Jalisco. The brand’s name pays homage to this harvesting process, as “jimador” is the title for the tequila farmers who have worked in the region for generations. The spirit is currently available in silver, reposado, and añejo offerings, each of which is distilled twice before being bottled at the estate.

5. Jose Cuervo

As one of the most well-known tequilas on the market, it’s no shock that Jose Cuervo ranks in the top five. The brand rose in popularity in the U.S. following the repeal of Prohibition, during which tequila was smuggled across the Mexican border. While undeniably linked with lower-end mixto varieties, Jose Cuervo does offer some traditional tequilas such as its plata, reposado, and añejo expressions, as well as the Reserva de la Familia collection.

4. Tequila Ocho

Tequila Ocho was founded on the belief that tequila has a terroir of its own, which can be better expressed through a more traditional, slow-style method of tequila production. Currently offered in plata, reposado, añejo, añejo single barrel, and extra añejo single barrel, each bottle of Tequila Ocho is labeled with the spirit’s agave selection location and year of production.

3. Olmeca Altos

Olmeca Altos was founded by bartenders Henry Besant and Dre Masso, so it should come as no surprise that the brand would become highly favored among those in the trade. Produced at Destilería Colonial de Jalisco in Los Altos in partnership with Maestro Tequilero Jesús Hernandez, Olmeca Altos is available in plata, reposado, and añejo expressions.

2. Patrón

Ubiquitous on back bars around the globe, Patrón is one of the most famous tequila brands in the world. While the popularity of Patrón clearly can’t be denied, Drinks International suggests it could be mellowing conversation-wise: When it came to the top 10 most trending tequila brands, Patrón came in 10th out of 10. The tequila giant currently offers silver, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo expressions in addition to super-premium selections like El Cielo, El Alto, and the Gran Patrón line.

1. Don Julio

For the eighth year in a row, Don Julio tops the list as the top-selling tequila brand. However, Drinks International did reveal that the brand maintained only a slight lead on its competitors. The brand touts itself as the world’s first premium luxury tequila, with that reputation upheld with the wildly popular and oft-mimicked Don Julio 1942. In addition to the super-premium expression, the brand also offers a blanco, reposado, añejo, the 70 Añejo Claro, and the Real, as well as special releases including its Double Cask, Private Cask, and Double Cask Lagavulin.

The article The 10 Best-Selling Tequila Brands for 2023 appeared first on VinePair.

Since the dawn of craft beer, bars have played a pivotal role in the boom of American brewing. Nowhere is this more true than at the more specialized spots: the beer bars, as we know them, with their thoughtful selections across tap lines and bottle lists, and their dedication to service, atmosphere, and education. The best ones are learning institutions —places of discovery and retention, from the emerging trends to the established tastes. Quite simply, they treat beer serious AF. They espouse the industry’s creativity and flavor-first focus to their thirsty disciples, spreading the gospel of great liquid and the passionate people behind it. And, like the breweries they champion, many are must-visit destinations for beer diehards.

So, as the year comes to a close, we surveyed these informed professionals about the beer producers hitting right right now. We assembled a similar list at the end of 2022, but these past 12 months have been nothing if not a sobering time for craft brewers. Sales have slowed. Competition has increased, especially in the broader alcohol market. The cost of all inputs has gone up and stayed up. Lately, brewery closures seem to occur on the daily, no size or stature spared. There’s a palpable sense of uneasiness and worry about what else is to come.

Yet, at the same time, nearly 10,000 breweries are currently operating in the U.S. — an all-time high. Great beer is being made everywhere now, from rural pockets to large metropolises, and it’s easier than ever to access (even at gas stations, as you’ll read below).

So, what breweries are defining the moment, however uncertain that moment may be? We consulted publicans, beverage directors, and buyers from some of the country’s top beer pubs. Their answers, gathered below, showcase both new and well-established names and, within this group, present a wide range of focuses and specialities.

North Park Beer Company

San Diego, Calif.

“When North Park Beer Company was recognized as Brewery of the Year for its size category at last year’s Great American Beer Festival, it merely confirmed to the outside world what locals had grasped long beforehand. Set in the eponymous neighborhood — a hub of craft-beer culture in San Diego and home to a dozen fully fledged production facilities or satellite taprooms — founder Kelsey McNair’s brainchild brewery makes flawless IPAs of all stripes, as well as delightfully clean lagers and decadent barrel-aged imperial stouts. A willingness to tinker with recipes (beloved flagship Hop-Fu! has seen dozens of iterations) and embrace new-wave hop additions has ensured ongoing relevance and innovation in the crowded IPA landscape. The brewing trio of Tyson Dennis, John Peacock, and Zachary Donald are not only supremely talented in their art, but also our friends and neighbors, while the taproom staff consistently displays the highest forms of professionalism and hospitality. It’s a daily solace to gaze out the window of Bottlecraft North Park at the brewhouse across the street and know that a place of respite and camaraderie lies just steps away.” —Gene Fielden, beer buyer, Bottlecraft, San Diego

Arkane Aleworks

Largo, Fla.

“The beer scene in the Tampa Bay area has never been more dynamic and entertaining to be a part of than it is right now, and we are incredibly fortunate to have access to so many breweries that are able to pump out beers so hyped they create a gravitational pull to our taps and coolers. But the one brewery that makes us want to write poems while we braid its hair, the razzle with the most dazzle, is the all-hits-and-no-misses Arkane Aleworks out of Largo. Owners and longtime friends of ours Joe Scheibelhut and Dan Graston carefully infuse every single beer they brew with, in their own words, ‘science and stuff,’ and these dudes absolutely f*cking nail it with every style they make, whether it’s iconic and classic or iconoclastic. Arkane is probably best known for their sours and we’ve made three with them, the most popular of these collaborations being the Biggie Smalls-inspired Enough to Feed the Needy, made with peanut butter and jelly to make all your dreams come true. Yet one of my favorites is their Largo Gold, a California Common that’s easy like Sunday morning. Founded in 2016 and on our shelves since the day we opened in 2017, Arkane is doing it right, and we’re looking forward to fawning over their beers for many more years.” —Amanda King, co-owner, Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Masthead Brewing Company

Cleveland

“Masthead’s core lineup is fantastic, a personal favorite being their West Coast-style IPA, simply called IPA. But they also make phenomenal lagers, stouts, and barrel-aged beers. From the light and crushies to the decadent dessert beers, they really don’t make a beer I haven’t loved. We always keep at least a few in stock, including limited-release and rotating seasonals.” —Sara Levin, co-owner, The Barrel House, Dayton, Ohio

OEC Brewing

Oxford, Conn.

“We just had OEC’s Oktoberfest on, but my current favorite beer is its Coolship Lager. It’s cooled in a coolship and then open fermented. Very rustic and reminiscent of the beers I had in small breweries in Czechia. OEC also produces some clean beers in foeders, and they helped inspire us to convert our foeder from mixed-culture use to clean lagers and some British-style ales on our brewery side.“ —Brent Hernandez, owner and brewer, Redlight Redlight, Orlando, Fla.

Halfway Crooks

Atlanta

“Common sense suggests that hazy IPAs and fruited sours will usually be the most popular beers on a tap list. But one of our early surprises here at The Daily was a realization that our lighter offerings — lagers, kölsch, and low-ABV saisons — actually move very quickly. As a pilsner evangelist, I’m thrilled that we get to keep a steady supply of excellent lagers on tap. And I’m doubly thrilled that Halfway Crooks is regularly distributed to North Carolina. I’ve been familiar with Halfway Crooks for several years, having initially been won over by their excellent branding and design. But the skill and craft of founders Joran Van Ginderachter and Shawn Bainbridge keep me coming back for more. They quickly became one of the country’s best lager breweries but they also happen to release a variety of incredible traditional European beers like Belgian IPAs, mixed-fermentation farmhouse ales, and more. It’s this combination of breadth and depth that confirms Halfway Crooks as one of the country’s best craft breweries. Basically, if there’s a Halfway Crooks keg on the distro sheet, I’m buying it.” —John Paradiso, owner, The Daily Beer Bar, Durham, N.C.

Schilling Beer Co.

Littleton, N.H.

“Schilling, out of Littleton, N.H. — the quintessential ‘cute little New England town,’ as I like to call it — makes some excellent Northern and Central European-style beers, including some of the best lagers in the entire country. At the beginning of 2023, we hosted a beer dinner featuring the brewery, and we learned that when they opened in 2013, they were told that they would never make it because they didn’t place a heavier focus on IPAs (they didn’t even have any). Now I do enjoy IPAs, but I’ve seen many breweries cave in to market pressures wherein they open their doors with a plan to focus on more traditional European styles, only to find that their tap list gradually evolves into a hop lover’s paradise. Ten years later, Schilling is still putting out the same traditional world-class beers while sticking to their guns. My personal favorites from them include the Czech-style pilsner Alexandr and the Belgian tripel Erastus. As a beer buyer for a bar that focuses on food, beer, and other drinks with an international focus, I know that I can always find an excellent option from Schilling’s portfolio.” —Rich Spoehr, manager, Burgundian, Attleboro, Mass.

Ghost Town Brewing

Oakland, Calif.

“So, with the caveat that we work alongside some world-class breweries without which we’d be nothing, and that at various points of our 16-year history we’d answer this question with any number of them, including Moonlight, Russian River, and Cellarmaker, I’d have to say that the last couple of years we’ve increasingly been incredibly impressed by Ghost Town in Oakland. First it was their IPAs. We always have several on tap, rotating frequently, and the staff will unofficially decide what beer wins the week, and Ghost Town slowly moved up the ranks on that front with offerings like Monkey’s Paw and Wraith. Then we started using their lagers, especially West Coast pilsners, in our rotation, which are top notch and raised eyebrows. And more recently, we sampled their sour lineup, including the dark-smoked Tomb Spawn, which blew the staff away and are featured more frequently in our rotation as a result. We love a brewery that can hit on all points (and there are many), and Ghost Town has solidified its place on that list.” —Christian Albertson, owner, The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco

Birmingham District Brewing Co.

Birmingham, Ala.

“To say you won’t find a bad beer at the small but much beloved Birmingham District is an understatement. Brewmaster Jimmy Sumpter has developed an impressive variety of styles that he brews deftly, from excellently balanced fruited sour ales, to the best cold IPAs around. Production remains small, as the brewery rests in a relatively tiny footprint behind arguably the best fried chicken shop in town. But the word is definitely out among locals. Do not miss the Birmingham Pilsner. It is crisp, clean, and hits a really great balance of German and American takes on the classic style.” —Jake Herron, package beer manager, Hop City Beer & Wine, Birmingham, Ala.

Light the Lamp Brewery

Grayslake, Ill.

“The sign of an excellent brewery, to me, is the ability to innovate and thrive in a variety of styles. Light the Lamp and head brewer Dan Ray are able to do this with hoppy, dark, sour, and light brews. Their Idiot Sandwich IPA uses dip-hopping to marry hazy and West Coast proclivities in a remarkably drinkable and flavorful brew. Bad Finale, meanwhile, is a lovely throwback: a hoppy, roasty American stout that doesn’t need to lean on adjuncts or barrel aging; it’s a marriage of malt and bitterness that exists perfectly on its own. Chicagoland has no shortage of excellent brewery options, and we believe that Light the Lamp is one of those diamonds in the suburbs that deserves a bit more attention.” —Austin Harvey, co-owner and buyer, Beermiscuous, Chicago

Suarez Family Brewery

Hudson, N.Y.

“For many reasons, Suarez Family Brewery will forever be a favorite of ours here at the bar. Lately, what really has us excited is their attention to English-style beers. Proper cask-conditioned old ale served on a beer engine with a sparkler attachment is just the kind of experience that got Lauren [Slezak, co-owner] and I excited about beer in the first place.” —Colin Pratt, co-owner, Delaware Supply, Albany, N.Y.

Good Word Brewing & Public House

Duluth, Ga.

“There are so many great breweries it’s hard to choose just one. One of my favorite events that our brewery, Salud Cerveceria, gets to pour at every year is Little Beer Fest in downtown Duluth, put on by Todd DiMatteo and the team at Good Word Brewing & Public House. Whenever their beers come to our market we love to feature them as Todd brews a wide range of beers including classic English styles along with an amazing cask program. These are the types of people and breweries we love to feature at the Salud Beer Shop downstairs from our brewery, putting out the product they love to drink and not just brewing whatever is the hottest trend. If you brew what you love to drink, I truly believe that comes through in the product. Whenever you are in or near Atlanta, stop at Good Word. You won’t be disappointed.“ —Jason Glunt, owner, Salud Beer Shop, Charlotte, N.C.

Offset Bier Co

Park City, Utah

“As a beer-bar owner whose menu features well over 400 beers from 21 different countries, I am asked what my favorite beer is quite regularly. It’s easy to fall into the trap of recency bias and replying that a new arrival is my latest favorite. But when I stop to think, it’s those beers I order when I can’t decide, the beer that brings comfort and consistent enjoyment without fail, that are my actual favorites. For the last few years these beers that I go to regularly have all come from Offset Bier in Park City. While Offset makes some absolutely amazing IPAs, it’s their beer-flavored beer that really warms my soul. Founded by Conor Brown and Patrick Bourque back in 2021 and hidden away in an industrial park area, Offset never ceases to impress. Both founders were avid homebrewers and Patrick actually worked at our sister homebrew shop, the Beer Nut, for many years before and while being a professional brewer at different breweries in Salt Lake City. Their passion combined with incredible skill and focus has blessed us with amazing beers like the North American Brewers Association gold-medal-winner Altbier and silver-medal-winning dark lager Tmavé Pivo. It’s these two beers that I find myself drinking more than any other on our menu and that’s saying something as a self-proclaimed Belgian beer nerd.” —Mark Alston, owner, The Bayou, Salt Lake City

Jackie O’s Brewery

Athens, Ohio

“One brewery immediately comes to mind: Jackie O’s. This is a brewery that refuses to cut corners and produces world-class beer in a wide variety of styles. From monster barleywines like BBA Brick Kiln to crispy lagers like Uptown Pils, they knock everything out of the park. When Jackie O’s entered the West Virginia market shortly before Summit’s ninth anniversary, I immediately made up my mind that we would feature them for our anniversary celebration. I reached out to their director of sales, Kevin Coffield, and he agreed without hesitation. Being that they just entered the market, I assumed they would want to focus only on core brands. Nope! In addition to their core brands, they sent us about two dozen different beers, including kegs of Appervation, Prodigality, and their fantastic Italian-style pilsner, Piazza. They’ve had a permanent place on our draft and bottle/can lists ever since. Art Oestrike and his crew at Jackie O’s just do it right. World-class beer from world-class people.” —Jeff McKay, owner, Summit Beer Station, Huntington, W.Va.

Oxbow Brewing Company

Newcastle, Maine

“If there’s one brewery we’ve consistently sought to occupy our farmhouse draft line, it’s Oxbow, the small brewery located roughly an hour northeast from Portland. Oxbow’s name is inspired by its nearby winding rivers, with all beer brewed using the soft spring water pulled from an artesian well on the property. The forest and farmlands provide a perfect backdrop for a day at the brewery, but more importantly play a central role in the superb quality of Oxbow’s beer. Terroir is queen, evident in their superb mixed- and spontaneously fermented ales. Many of their barrel-aged farmhouse delights can only be enjoyed in Maine, at one of their two locations. But I highly recommend any sent past state lines: Farmhouse Pale Ale, Crossfade, and Effloresce, to name a few. However, it’s their annual grand cru release, Liquid Swords, that I most look forward to. If you see Liquid Swords on draft at your favorite bar, you’ll certainly be a genius to grab a pour.” —Chris Maestro, owner, BierWax, Brooklyn

Drekker Brewing Company

Fargo, N.D.

“I would have to give the nod to Drekker. We haven’t had access to their stuff for terribly long, but in the short time we have they have become all the rage with our patrons. The big, fruity, smoothie sours are a huge hit, to the point that if we post anything about them on our socials, people show up looking for them. The Chonk series, in particular, is the most sought after. If I were to pick one Chonk, which is nearly impossible, I’d maybe go back to the peanut butter and jelly version we had several months ago. Currently, we have the Birthday Cake and Strawberry & White Chocolate versions. We even sing songs with ‘Chonk’ inserted into the lyrics. It’s become a whole thing now!” —Mike Williams, general manager, Craft Brew Underground, Auburn, Maine

IMBĪB Custom Brews

Reno, Nev.

“In the rural state of Nevada we can proudly say some of our favorite beer in the country is brewing and barrel aging right in our own backyard at IMBĪB Custom Brews. It’s pretty incredible the range of different styles they make and execute flawlessly out of their small space. Some of our favorites include any of their Belgian-influenced sours aged in foeders, German lagers, and smoked beers. These really speak to us as our beer list is heavily European-focused. Owners and brewers Matt Johnson and Jason Green are the real deal. They’re down to earth, thoughtful, passionate people, which makes loving the beer an easy choice.” —Rose Signor, owner, The Silver Stamp, Las Vegas

Allagash Brewing Company

Portland, Maine

“Throughout the 21-year history of The Publick House, we have always admired and respected
the creative talents of Rob Todd and his team at Allagash. Their beers are mainstays in our beer program. Whether enjoying their flagship witbier, Allagash White, or savoring one of their mixed-fermentation or spontaneously fermented beers, you will not be disappointed. Great thought and effort shine through the presentation and tasting notes of their beer. They are always complex yet remain balanced and transformative, and pay homage to their Belgian counterparts perfectly. Allagash continues to grow and pivot its brewing portfolio with the addition of new beer styles often developed from suggestions made by their talented team members. There is a style for every beer drinker and for every season at Allagash. From a wheat beer to a barrel-aged triple to a stout, all are created with great attention to detail and quality. As we approach winter, my chosen beer would be Triple, a Belgian-style golden ale. It has that classic Belgian yeast aroma at first followed by spice notes of clove, pepper, and more subtle notes of caramel, banana, and passion fruit. It’s complex yet smooth and refreshingly dry, a soothing beer for the changing seasons upon us. Not to be left out is the company culture of Allagash, revered by many. Their commitment to supporting the Maine community by brewing primarily with Maine-grown grain and investing in clean water conservation, as well as minimizing their carbon footprint, is admirable. There is a family feel to their brewery and always a knowledgeable and friendly team member to help guide your beer choice. Allagash is made up of an amazing group of creative individuals whose focus is to brew the highest-quality craft beer possible with innovative strategies while remaining true to their vision. It is not difficult to see why Allagash has won so many awards and has accomplished so much.” —Ailish Gilligan, co-owner, The Publick House, Brookline, Mass.

New Heights Brewing Company

Nashville

“We love local brews at Hops & Crafts, and New Heights is just around the corner from us. We frequently rotate local, high-quality craft beers and New Heights fits the mold perfectly. Primarily specializing in IPAs, New Heights brews our house hazy IPA, Damguday. Owner Jeff Fountain got his start at Mission Brewing in San Diego so his West Coast influence makes his IPAs dry and hoppy. However, you still get the citrusy, floral bits that everybody loves in hazy IPAs. Outside of IPAs, New Heights always has a unique variety ranging from light beers to sours, dark and malty to wild specialties. We usually have a couple New Heights beers at any given time and can’t wait to see what they come out with next!” —Lindsay Hanson, manager, Hops & Crafts, Nashville

Brewery ARS

Philadelphia

“Good beer is pretty ubiquitous these days. To differentiate between the quality of the liquid can at times require more consideration for nuance than a pint should warrant. Deciding if you like a beer shouldn’t require any thought really. You like it or you don’t. Get a second or switch it up. When thinking about our ‘favorite’ current brewery, Cassie Cameron (our beer buyer) and myself immediately zoomed in close to home here in Philly. Provincial pride may have helped narrow our focus but the old cliched story about relationships and knowing who is behind your beer is more impactful today than it’s ever been. Brewery ARS is a brewery here in South Philly whose beer, especially their Wayne’s Pale Ale, could land on the top of any list of favorites, even if liquid was the only determining factor. Add in the fact that ego isn’t an adjunct in their process and that pretension is nowhere to be found in the brewery and you have a special recipe. The brewery is in a real-deal neighborhood and it fits right in. Only good people can make truly good beer. The people at ARS make truly good beer.” —Evan Clancy, co-owner, Fountain Porter, Philadelphia

Fluvial Brewing

Harrison, Maine

“Fluvial is one of those breweries that you stumble upon every once in a while and think, ‘Wow, this place gets it.’ They make approachable beers that are consistent from the first sip to the last. They are located in a rural part of Maine that is almost exactly one hour from Portland. Their brewery is welcoming and encompasses all the things I love about a brewery. It is medium-sized, has small snacks including a charcuterie option, and a yurt onsite that you can cozy up in, in the colder months. But what I love most are the owners Shaun and Lisa Graham. They have gone above and beyond to make Fluvial not only a destination brewery due to the beauty of the brewery itself, but a destination brewery for the beers they produce. Fluvial offers a few different styles, but the style that I enjoy the most is their IPAs. In a landscape where every brewery has a flagship IPA or at least one IPA on their menu, Fluvial has been able to not only produce IPAs that stand out, but ones that are truly flavorful and carefully thought out. My favorite IPA of theirs is Tropic Dancer, a hazy IPA that is smooth and sweet and has notes of papaya and mango, truly an easy drinker. Or there is the double IPA Summit Sipper, using a majority of Maine-grown malts and dry hopped with five different varieties. It’s somehow still subtle and smooth and you would never guess it clocked in at 8.3 percent ABV. In an extremely competitive market in Maine, Fluvial has separated themselves by doing what they enjoy, in a community they love, and the passion shows in every facet of their operation. So much so that we run their beer on a consistent line at our Queens Head location and usually have one of their offerings at Kings Head on a weekly basis. I will add as someone who has been doing beer buying for the last three years, and been in the craft beer scene for the last 15, I don’t normally get impressed by a lot of breweries. But Fluvial is one of the exceptions. Truly great people, making great product.” —Michael Black, beer buyer, The King’s Head, Portland, Maine

Structures Brewing

Bellingham, Wash.

“Being in the Seattle area we have almost too many breweries to choose from. (Not complaining!) Some of my favorites don’t have much draft availability, though. There are a few I try to always have on draft. Structures is one of them, because owners James Alexander and Bryan Cardwell are wizards with hazy IPAs. We’ve done multiple collabs with them, including Loam Temple, with proceeds going to PNW trail work, and Fresh Wave, highlighting fresh hops.” —Nat Pellman, general manager, Brouwer’s Cafe, Seattle

Jester King Brewery

Austin

“In Ghost Whale’s seven-year history, we have stocked a huge range of incredible American breweries. But the availability is inconsistent and once a brand has sold out, we may not see another shipment arrive for six months or more. (An honorable mention goes out to San Francisco’s Laughing Monk, which proudly produces Belgian-influenced beer styles to sit alongside an incredible range of hoppy beers. We love them as a brewery and as people.) However, our pick of the U.S. breweries has to go to the mighty Jester King. Jester King is the only American brewery Ghost Whale has been able to keep constantly in stock since I opened the store. From their astonishing ‘Spon’ range of Lambic-style beers — which are more than good enough to stand toe-to-toe with the best in Belgium — through to their fruited saisons and everything in between, I am constantly in awe of what they produce as are our customers. We always have a range of Jester King bottles in stock and often will have a keg pouring, too. As a final accolade that shouldn’t go unmentioned, any American brewery who is prepared to make a farmhouse version of a classic British mild and call it Commercial Suicide deserves a medal. Long live the King!” —Stuart Anderson, owner, Ghost Whale, London

Bottle Logic Brewing

Anaheim, Calif.

“I’ve got very little space at the shop, which means I sell through more than half my shelf stock every single week. This requires me to constantly rotate new product and different breweries through my inventory. But, Bottle Logic always finds a spot. They’ve long been recognized as the House of Stouts, but in recent years, they’ve become so much more with their innovation and constant development of other interesting beer styles. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying their barrel-aged, cocktail-inspired Lightning in a Bottle lineup and their Old World-style lagers informed by their research trips to Germany. Bottle Logic has always held an extremely high standard for their beers, and seeing the amount of R&D they put into their craft is astounding. They hold true to their motto of ‘Always Exploring!’” —Shibli Haddad, owner, Replicant: Shell, Pasadena, Calif.

Gezellig Brewing Company

Newton, Iowa

“Gezellig Brewing Company, based in Newton, Iowa, is our current favorite brewery. ‘Gezellig’ is a word that means a cozy feeling in Dutch and boy, are their beers cozy. The brewery is located just 30 minutes from us, which makes it our most local, and their beers hit every single time. Gezellig is 100 percent female-owned, and, double bonus, their head brewer Joe is like a beer wizard and is a longtime award-winning brewer in the Iowa brewing scene. Our current favorite Gezellig beers are Magic Carpet Ride, a dank, citrusy, and fruity double IPA, as well as their flagship beer, Liquid Hug, a lager that is consistently our best seller. Cheers to great Iowa beer!” —Marty Duffy, owner, The Cellar Peanut Pub, Pella and Newton, Iowa

Hella Coastal

Oakland, Calif.

​”We adore Hella Coastal not just for their great liquid​, but also for their significant role as the only black-owned brewery in Oakland. They are beacons of light for the diversity and inclusion we hope to see continue to grow and expand in beer, especially in the production and ownership space. Chaz Hubbard and Mario Benjamin are truly part of our local community​, going from homebrewing and talking about their brewery ambitions sitting at our bar, to having their beer be among our best sellers. They started ou​t collabora​ting with the likes of Rare Barrel, Henhouse, Humble Sea, and Cellarmaker, a​nd now they’ve moved into their own production, ​putting out beers like Shock G Forever ​Golden Ale and Bomba Nights​, a ​coquito​-inspired stout. The staff favorite is for sure their Ice City, a take on cold IPA​ featuring Nectaron, Citra, and Mosaic​. Crispy and delicious. They are still relatively small but we are absolutely ecstatic to watch them grow.​” —Alyson LesPucci, general manager and beer buyer, Degrees Plato, Oakland, Calif.

Fox Farm Brewery

Salem, Conn.

“Hyperbole or not, there isn’t enough battery life in my laptop to describe how incredible Fox Farm is. Anything they throw in the tanks is absolutely world class. It almost seems like it’s impossible for them to miss on any creation. Regardless of style, any time their beers are available they will end up on our board. Scatter Brown Ale, Annata Farmhouse, and Wile IPA are crowd and staff favorites. But if Gather, a German-style pils, was the only beer I could drink for the rest of my life, I’d die a happy man. Delightful humans and incredible beer. It’s their world, we’re just lucky enough to live in it.” —Lukasz Nowakowski, manager, Blind Tiger Ale House, New York City

Inner Voice Brewing

Decatur, Ga.

“Inner Voice Brewing in Decatur has become one of my favorite breweries over their two-plus years of operation. Josh Johnson and Rhett Caseman, the folks behind Inner Voice, have been part of the Georgia beer scene for many years and their brewing and industry acumen shines in everything they do. There’s authenticity in their branding and serious talent behind their beer, no matter the style. They’ve made a name for themselves as a premier IPA brewery in the state, but Power Nap, their Czech-style dark lager, is my favorite of their beers. It’s got an incredible depth of malt complexity for a low-ABV beer and just enough Czech hop flavor and bitterness to balance it out. Their taproom is one of the coolest spaces to drink beer in Atlanta, and it’s made even better with a slice of Glide Pizza from the kitchen inside the taproom. You’ll see these guys at the occasional national beer festival but do yourself a favor and enjoy a pint of their exceptional beer down here in Decatur.” —Neil Callaghan, beer director, Brick Store Pub, Decatur, Ga.

Forager Brewery

Rochester, Minn.

“Austin Jevne and the entire Forager crew are not only some of the best beer makers in the U.S., they are also some of the nicest people. Obviously they are known for massive imperial stouts. But that is not the only style they excel in. Lagers, IPAs, wild ales, and even fruited sours, it’s all awesome. They also seem to be a favorite among all the great guests at Peders, as they of course should be. Not all hop juice, not all BA stouts, not all funky wild ales. Pretty much all of the above.” —Jonas Kobberø, owner, Peders Craft Beer, Copenhagen

Tactical Brewing Co.

Orlando, Fla.

“Tactical Brewing from Orlando is really impressing me recently. With all of the beer available these days, I find it difficult to be impressed by the same brewery on a consistent basis. But, Tactical has been doing just that. In my opinion, they aren’t overly hyped, not often talked about. But the beer ends up wowing me, my co-workers, and our guests. We have had a variety of their offerings at 99 Bottles — lagers, hazy IPAs, sours, seasonals — on draft and in cans. Melancholy, a gluten-free watermelon sour ale, has been a fan favorite since it became available; we have had it on draft multiple times. Most recently, Night Shift, a gluten-free caramel apple sour ale, blew my socks off with its amazing flavors and fun light green color. Their label art and beer names are great, too.” —Mark Tuchman, owner, 99 Bottles, Sarasota, Fla.

Stoup Brewing

Seattle

“One brewery who has become an integral part of our three shops is Stoup. They are one of our favorites because they aren’t hyper niche in the styles of beer they produce. They make something for everyone: a robust porter; a crispy Citra-hopped IPA; a perfectly balanced Northwest red ale; clean, well-made lagers; and hazy, juicy IPAs. You will nearly always find their cans on our shelves, and their drafts pouring at our bars.” —Jordan White, general manager, Chuck’s Hop Shop, Seattle

The article The 30 Best Breweries in the Country Right Now, According to Beer Bars appeared first on VinePair.

With its warming notes of baking spices, rich caramel, and herbs, it’s no wonder that rye whiskey is a popular choice for winter sipping. This spirit perfectly captures the cozy vibes of curling up by the fire with a good book, making the holiday season an ideal time to find a special bottle to gift — or keep for yourself.

Though bourbon continues to be the darling of the American whiskey category, rye has also boomed in popularity over the past several years. And with the ever-increasing number of impressive options on shelves, the spirit shouldn’t be overlooked as a gifting option. From classic expressions that can help build the perfect Manhattan to more experimental bottlings that tinker with unique aging regimens in exotic casks, there’s a bottle out there for every type of whiskey drinker.

In honor of the season, we rounded up some of our favorite ryes to help your friends and family achieve peak winter bliss. Here are the seven best rye whiskeys to gift this year.

Best Budget Rye: Old Forester Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Best Splurge Rye: Hinterhaus Distilling Trapper’s Oath 18 Year Rye
Best Rye for Beginners: Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey
Best Rye for Geeks: Old Potrero 6 Years Old Straight Rye Whiskey
Best Rye for Cocktail Lovers: Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
Best Rye to Impress: Angel’s Envy Finished Rye
Best Limited-Edition Rye: A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11

Best Budget Rye

Old Forester Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

This bottle offers an impeccable value at its price. Its mash bill — 65 percent rye, 20 percent malted barley, and 15 percent corn — is relatively rye-heavy for a Kentucky-crafted bottle, giving it a delightfully expressive profile. It opens with aromas of dried bananas and fresh bread on the nose, and the palate delivers rye’s signature spicy kick. At an average price of $26, this bottle is a home-bar all-star that can be sipped neat or used in a wide range of cocktails.

Average price: $26
Rating: 92

Best Splurge Rye

Hinterhaus Distilling Trapper’s Oath 18 Year Rye

This rye veers off the spirit’s typical path. Aged for 18 years and finished in stout casks, it carries aromas of tart cherries and flavored bubblegum that really pop in the glass. The palate has rich notes of toasted bread, strawberry jam, and cherries. It’s an incredibly well-balanced option at 49 percent ABV, making it well worth the price tag.

Average price: $130
Rating: 93

Best Rye for Beginners

Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey

The mash bill for this Heaven Hill-produced bottle comes in at just 51 percent rye, making it the perfect introduction to the spirit for beginners. While it still maintains rye’s signature spicy kick, it also offers a soft and subtle cereal note on both nose and palate with complementary aromas of toasted oak and herbs. Encourage your bourbon-adjacent friends to try it in a rye Old Fashioned, and watch them be converted to the rye fan club.

Average price: $33
Rating: 91

Best Rye for Geeks

Old Potrero 6 Years Old Straight Rye Whiskey

This bottle’s for the loved one who keeps both craft spirits and beer close to their heart. Its San Francisco-based distillery was founded in 1993 by Fritz Maytag, the same pioneer who started the craft brewing movement with his purchase of Anchor Brewing in 1965. After reviving Anchor’s iconic steam beer, Maytag set his sights on recreating the original whiskey of America, using copper pot stills and a mash of 100 percent rye malt. The result is a rich rye with a weighty texture and a spicy finish. And as the much-beloved Anchor Brewing shut down this year, there’s no better time to celebrate its history with a thoughtful gift that reaches into the brewery’s past.

Average price: $65
Rating: 93

Best Rye for Cocktail Lovers

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

Though this bottle boasts the name of a popular rye cocktail on its label, it has a well-balanced flavor profile that lends itself a vast array of drinks. The palate offers a heavy dose of spice with hints of tropical fruit and grain, as well as a rounded texture that can add depth to even the simplest concoction. It’s perfect for a Manhattan, Remember the Maine, and, of course, its namesake New Orleans classic.

Average price: $32
Rating: 90

Best Rye to Impress

Angel’s Envy Finished Rye

This whiskey’s distinct characteristics are immediately apparent on first pour. Angel’s Envy sets itself apart by aging this rye in rum casks, lending aromas of maple syrup, brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon to the nose. All of these notes are intensified on the palate, resulting in a truly impressive expression packed with character. Sipping this spirit neat evokes the feeling of lighting a winter-spiced candle, so the holiday season is naturally its time to shine.

Average price: $90
Rating: 93

Best Limited-Edition Rye

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11

This limited-edition rye from Utah’s High West Distillery was literally created for cold-weather sipping. A Midwinter Night’s Dram aims to deliver the nostalgia of the season in the glass with a delightful mix of sweetness and spice. The mix of straight rye whiskeys is finished in ruby and tawny port barrels, and comes in at 49 percent ABV. The nose brings ample fruitcake notes including allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and the influence of the port barrels is apparent on the palate with chocolate, cooked figs, dark cherry, and baking spices all coming through beautifully.

Average price: $150
Rating: 93

The article The 7 Best Ryes to Gift This Holiday (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

By some metrics, Blue Moon is the best-selling craft beer of all time. But is it actually a craft beer? When the orange-garnished witbier started booming in the early aughts, terms like “crafty” and “phantom craft” were tossed around as ways to describe premium beers coming out of mega macrobreweries, much like Blue Moon. While it had the look, feel, and taste of a grassroots craft brew, the Brewers Association attempted to dethrone the witbier with a slew of guideline changes as to what truly defines a craft beer in a logistical sense. However, the charade did little to slow the Coors-brewed “crafty” juggernaut’s rise. And, as our guest today would argue, Blue Moon’s inception actually helped the American craft beer renaissance take hold.

Not only did the brew prime the taste buds of American drinkers for the full-bodied beers that were to come, but it showed early soon-to-be craft brewers that there’s more to beer than light lagers. In short, it was a source of inspiration.

Today on “Taplines,” Dave is rejoined by Keith Villa for the second installment of our two-part episode about Blue Moon’s historic, controversial rise. The two discuss the brand’s soaring success after its rocky first few years in the Rocky Mountains, and how once Blue Moon found its footing in Coors’ portfolio, it started facing criticism from some members of the craft brewing industry. Tune in for more and check out part one here!

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Watch on Youtube

The article Taplines: How Coors Capitalized on Craft Brewing’s Boom appeared first on VinePair.

While the holidays are traditionally a time for spiced ciders, creamy eggnogs, and hot buttered rums, this year we suggest you ditch the high-maintenance cocktails and switch it up with a drink that’s brighter, colder, and bolder.

Something like White Claw®.

Of course, it is the season of giving, so we’re not (just) suggesting you grab a 6-pack for yourself. With flavored vodkas, mixed drinks, and, of course, the brand’s game-changing hard seltzer, there’s a White Claw® product for every of-age person in your life, and each can serve as the refreshing foundation for a gift basket that’s anything but boring.

Below, find four ways to package and present a few of our favorite drinks and revel in your role as a hard seltzer-gifting champion.

Twelve Days of Crispness

Rather than 12 drummers drumming, treat a loved one to a dozen of something far more delicious: a White Claw® Hard Seltzer variety pack featuring the fizzy and flavorful classics that first put White Claw® on the map: Raspberry, Ruby Grapefruit, Black Cherry, and Natural Lime.

This variety pack is already a party in a box — making it the perfect gift for the enthusiastic host — so when building a basket around the beverage, you’ve got to think fun. Whip up some homemade snack mix, toss in a card game guaranteed to get the laughs going and the conversation flowing, then add a miniature speaker to ensure that wherever the night leads, the music can follow.

A Taste of the Tropics

Though wintertime begs for a sunny escape, the costs and the crowds mean that seasonal travel is anything but easy. Instead, help your friends step up their staycations by transporting them to the tropics via delicious beverages.

For a taste of paradise, grab a bottle of White Claw™ Flavored Vodka Mango (featuring additional fruity notes of orange, cantaloupe, and peach) and Pineapple. When building the rest of the basket, summon vacay vibes with salty snacks and summery items that will instantly add tropical vibes to their home. A few ideas: fun sunglasses, macadamia nuts, silly straws, a sea breeze-scented candle, and a surf rock album on vinyl. Don’t forget paper umbrellas for extra presentation punch.

While we encourage you to get creative, there’s one thing you won’t need — a mixer. Besides being packed with flavor, White Claw™ Vodka promises a smooth and clean finish with a little sweetness thanks to Triple Wave Filtration™ —a process perfected by White Claw’s® master blender that employs the pressure equivalent to three 30-foot waves.

The Ultimate Cocktail Kit

While White Claw™ Vodka is enjoyable on its own, it can also serve as the base for some pretty epic cocktails, making it the perfect gift for professional and amateur mixologists.

Grab a bottle of White Claw™Premium Vodka, a classic vodka balanced with slight citrus notes, and White Claw™Flavored Vodka Black Cherry, featuring bold dark fruit flavor and a velvety mouthfeel, in a basket along with a shiny shaker, some funky Martini glasses, and leveled-up versions of home-bar basics (stuffed olives, edible flowers, interesting liqueurs). Then, sit back and serve as the official taste tester while the giftee gets behind the bar.

Need some inspiration? For those who prefer to booze by the book, White Claw® has a selection of recipes featuring these and other products. The Holi-Cherry Martini puts a fruity spin on the classic, while The Cranberry Fizz is a festive, crowd-pleasing cocktail perfectly suited for any holiday get-together. There are also options like The Holiday Super CLAW™, which features White Claw™ Flavored Vodka Black Cherry and White Claw® Hard Seltzer Black Cherry, so be sure to throw in a 6-pack of the latter for bonus fun and extra sparkle.

Tailgating To Go

If you want to be the No. 1 friend to a No. 1 fan, forget the beer. Next game day, transform their tailgate experience with a selection of White Claw™Vodka + Soda.

Made with White Claw’s Triple Wave Filtered™ vodka and a splash of real fruit juice, these canned cocktails are pre-mixed for ultimate portability and drinkability. Available in four flavors — Peach, Pineapple, Wild Cherry, and Watermelon — there’s something for everyone at the tailgate. Plus, like all White Claw® products, they’re high-flavor and ring in at 100 calories, two grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of protein, and zero grams of fat in each 12-ounce can.

Here’s the game plan: Grab a variety 8-pack of your friends’ favorite flavors, a football, koozies, chips and salsa, and some sporty swag. Then, for bonus points, package it all in a cooler in the home team’s colors.

And just like that, you’re ready to head to the stadium — or at least the living room — to cheer them on. No matter what the final score is, White Claw® is always a win.

Please Drink Responsibly. All registered trademarks used under license by White Claw Spirits Co. and White Claw Seltzer Works, Chicago, IL.

This article is sponsored by White Claw.

The article Make a Splash This Holiday Season With 4 White Claw® Gift Baskets appeared first on VinePair.

The holidays are here. And that means — in no particular order — good food, good friends, sweatpants, too many parties, and tasty drinks. But since we’re celebrating, we’re not settling for some run-of-the-mill hard seltzer flavor of the week. No, friends, we’re making cocktails — delicious bubbly ones at that. Because, even when we’re stretched out on the couch in our finest comfy clothes, exhausted from all that celebrating, we’re keeping it classy.

And just in time for the festivities, we’re gifting you five delicious cocktails elevated by the addition of Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Diamond Collection Prosecco. The legendary winery of the iconic director has entered the chat with its first Prosecco offering, and let’s just say, these are some mixed drinks you won’t be able to refuse.

Although the Francis Ford Coppola Winery brand wasn’t officially started until 2010, Coppola and family have been making wine since the late ‘70s. Located in Geyserville, Calif., the winery was designed for the wine lover and movie buff. Complete with two pools, two restaurants, and a marketplace, the winery also has a trove of movie memorabilia from some of Coppola’s 37 directorial credits.

Typically, Coppola wines are made from grapes grown throughout Napa and Sonoma Valley appellations. In this case, the winemakers went all the way back to la Patria — the homeland — Italy.

The sparkling wine, which clocks in at a wonderfully accessible $19 a bottle, is produced from the Prosecco DOC region in northeastern Italy between the Dolomites and the Adriatic Sea. The Glera grape blend is a refreshing, effervescent wine with flavors of white peach, citrus, and apple. It’s delicious as an apéritif or with a meal, and its sumptuous versatility means it can pair with a variety of dishes.

So whether you’re entertaining at home or deciding what to bring in addition to your killer green bean casserole, here are five bubbly cocktails to ring in the holidays in tasty style.

Coppola Sour

A riff on a traditional whiskey sour, the richness of the whiskey, touch of cinnamon, and egg white is made light and refreshing thanks to the Prosecco.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce whiskey (we prefer a spicy rye)
• 3 ounces Coppola Diamond Prosecco
• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce cinnamon syrup
• 1 egg white (or ¾ ounce chickpea aquafaba)
• Garnish: cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a cocktail shaker, add whiskey, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, and egg white.
2. Dry shake without ice for 10 seconds to emulsify the egg and incorporate ingredients.
3. Add ice and shake vigorously for another 10 seconds.
4. Pour over ice into Collins glass, top with Coppola Diamond Prosecco, and garnish with a dusting of cinnamon.

Meet Me at Dusk

Two staples of the old country: Prosecco and Limoncello. When mixed with the bold-but-not-too-rich sweetness of maple syrup, you’ve got yourself a heavenly holiday combination.

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces Coppola Diamond Prosecco
• 1 ounce Limoncello
• ½ ounce maple syrup
• Garnish: orange slice and cherry

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a Collins glass.
2. Top with ice and stir to incorporate. Dash of aromatic bitters on top.
3. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

The Apearitivo

The slight acidity of the fresh lime juice, coupled with the autumnal flavors in the pear liqueur, makes for a festive start to the meal or cocktail party.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Coppola Diamond Prosecco
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice
• 1 ounce pear liqueur
• Garnish: rosemary sprig and candied ginger

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a double Old Fashioned or Julep glass.
2. Fill with crushed ice.
3. Garnish with rosemary sprig and candied ginger.

Eleanor West

The elegant bitterness from the amaro and sweetness from the elderflower liqueur marry perfectly with the effervescence of the Prosecco, vodka, and two citrus juices. A pinch of salt dials up the flavor and fun.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Coppola Diamond Prosecco
• 1 ounce vodka
• ½ ounce artichoke-based amaro
• ½ ounce elderflower liqueur
• ½ ounce grapefruit juice
• ¼ ounce fresh lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• Garnish: grapefruit peel

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except Prosecco, to your shaker tin.
2. Add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled coupe.
4. Top with Prosecco and garnish with grapefruit peel.

Pumpkin Spiced Prosecco

Before you roll your eyes, hear us out. Pumpkin spices, when used appropriately, are divine. Mulling spice syrup and lemon juice in combination with the robust flavors in the aged rum and smoky rhubarb from the Sfumato amaro make for a delicious but not-too-rich drink. The Prosecco adds a bit of sparkle and balances everything out.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce aged rum
• 3 ounces Coppola Diamond Collection Prosecco
• ½ ounce mulling spice simple syrup
• ½ ounce amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro
• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
• Garnish: clove-studded orange peel

Directions:

1. Measure ingredients, except Prosecco, and add into a shaker tin.
2. Add ice and shake vigorously for five seconds.
3. Strain over ice into a Collins glass and top with Prosecco.
4. Garnish with an orange peel studded with cloves.

Ingredients for Mulling Spice Syrup:

• Peel of 1 orange
• 8 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ nutmeg (roughly chopped)

Directions for Mulling Spice Syrup:

1. Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil until sugar is melted.
2. Add ingredients, bring to a simmer for five minutes.
3. Cut the heat and cover to steep for 20 minutes.
4. Strain off ingredients, let cool, and add to the cocktail.

Be sure to have a safe and happy holiday season wherever you’re celebrating. Next order of business? Add some Diamond Collection Prosecco to your holiday table, make some delicious cocktails, and stretch out on that couch in your coziest loungewear after all that celebrating. You earned it.

This article is sponsored by Francis Ford Coppola Prosecco. 

The article 5 Sparkling Holiday Cocktails Featuring Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Diamond Collection Prosecco appeared first on VinePair.

Welcome to the luscious world of Côtes du Rhône wines and Comté cheese. It’s a place where generational knowledge reigns supreme, respect for the environment is paramount, and food and wine are taken very, very seriously.

The practice of making Comté and Côtes du Rhône is a celebration of human ingenuity, one that dates back thousands of years. The production of Comté in France’s mountainous Jura region dates back to the Neolithic period, and Latin texts reference that Jura cheese was enjoyed in ancient Rome. Similarly, wine production in the Côtes du Rhône dates back at least 2,000 years when Greeks and Romans settled the area. Today,  these two products are responsible for nearly 70,000 jobs in France.

Comté can be a delightful cheese for the seemingly simple pairing of a piece of Comté with a glass of Côtes du Rhône — many options exist depending on the Comté. In culinary preparation, from quiche to grilled cheese to noodle dishes, there’s a lovely Côtes du Rhône to pair with each of these dishes made with Comté.

On today’s episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Zach is once again joined by dairy farmer Jean-François Marmier and winemaker Raphael Pommier to discuss the interconnected legacies of Comté cheese and Côtes du Rhône wine.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or FranceAgriMER. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.  

This podcast is sponsored by Comté x Côtes du Rhône. 

The article The VinePair Podcast: The Craftsmanship of Côtes du Rhône Wines and Comté Cheese appeared first on VinePair.

Nearly two decades have passed since the first Charleston Wine + Food festival kicked off in South Carolina in 2005. Nineteen years and hundreds of popped bottles later, the 2024 iteration of the annual celebration,  like the wine and spirits served to attendees every year, has only improved with age.

The 2024 gathering will take place next spring from March 6 to 10, building on what made the 2023 fête the place to enjoy high-quality Lowcountry fare and introducing new and additional ways for guests to have their wine and sip it, too.

What Makes Charleston Wine + Food a Coveted Culinary Destination?

Charleston Wine + Food was founded to shine a spotlight on the fact that the American South — specifically the Lowcountry of South Carolina — has a lot to offer in the realm of luxury dining and drinking experiences. The organization’s mission statement proudly boasts that the festival was created to “celebrate, educate, enrich, and promote the Lowcountry’s diverse culinary + hospitality community through world-class experiences.”

Though not every chef, sommelier, brewer, and winemaker who breaks bread at Charleston Wine + Food is a South Carolina native, the Lowcountry is dutifully represented, and the others appreciate the recognition the state has carved out for itself in the food and drink realm. That appreciation culminates in the festival’s Culinary Village, a creative playground of diverse flavors and community.

Located at North Charleston’s Riverfront Park, sitting pretty by the water’s edge, the Culinary Village invites guests to sip, savor, and play during the last three days of the festival (single-day and weekend tickets are available). Guests looking to wine and dine at the Culinary Village get to do so in style for four hours. They can indulge in cuisine from local chefs, have their pick of beers, wines, cocktails, and non-ABV beverages, dance along to a silent disco, shop the wares of local artists and authors, consider larger dishes for purchase, watch cooking competitions, and enjoy comedy sets on a demo stage.

And to keep the day hassle-free, getting to and from the Culinary Village is made easier thanks to a dedicated shuttle service, available for $35, between downtown and Riverfront Park. Outside the Culinary Village, festival attendees have their pick of Brunches + Lunches, Beverage Workshops, live music, and some new offerings that already promise 2024 will be the best festival yet.

What Can Attendees Expect at the 2024 Charleston Wine + Food Festival?

For the first time since the festival’s inception, sobriety will play a key role in offerings to attendees. A dedicated zone for non-alcoholic drinks at the Culinary Village, dubbed the Zero Proof Garden, will be available for those who choose to pass on imbibing. The rise of mocktails and non-alcoholic cocktails at bars and restaurants has been substantial over the last few years, showing that alcohol isn’t the only way to have a  great time at the festival.

For guests who do feel like imbibing, the return of the Rosé Garden will be a welcoming surprise. Not to forget the countless bars, tents, and dedicated beverage stations highlighting the top wine, spirits, and beverage talent from around the world. 

For guests who want to live just a bit more lavishly, they can do so with the Culinary Village’s CV Pass, available not just as a single-day and weekend option but also as a Weekend PLUS+ option. Being a CV VIP gets you everything included in general admission, plus add-ons like one-hour early access to the Culinary Village, an exclusive lounge with food samples, a complimentary bar experience with mixologists,  a complimentary round-trip shuttle from downtown Charleston, and more.

Between the Culinary Village, Bar Takeovers, Signature Dinners, and Brunches + Lunches, the number of wine offerings available has increased since last year’s festival. 

Guests get to step into the shoes of a beverage expert during the 2024 Beverage Workshops, which will feature in-depth presentations like VinePair’s Gin from Around the World, The New Face of American Wine, and The Next Wave of Craft Whiskey. 

Signature Events, next to the Culinary Village, remains one of Charleston Wine + Food’s most enticing offerings, allowing guests this year to indulge in Spanish tapas, wine, and sangria or to sip whiskey and kick back with BBQ done the Lowcountry way or slurp on freshly shucked oysters while also enjoying your favorite beer, wine, or spirit.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Charleston Wine + Food Festival. For more information, visit the festival website.

This article is sponsored by the Charleston Wine + Food Festival.

The article The 2024 Charleston Wine + Food Festival Returns With Elevated Bubbles and Bites appeared first on VinePair.

A study published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications Chemistry revealed that a new algorithm was able to correctly identify which chateau red Bordeaux wines were from with 100 percent accuracy by analyzing their chemical profiles. This research has implications for both determining the quality of a wine as well as its authenticity, with a potential application for detecting wine fraud.

The study was conducted by Alexandre Pouget at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where he and his colleagues used machine learning to analyze the chemical composition of 80 red wines, from vintages ranging from 1990 to 2007 from seven estates in Bordeaux.

“We were interested in finding out whether there is a chemical signature that is specific to each of those chateaux that’s independent of vintage,” Pouget said to NewScientist. “Meaning one estate’s wines would have a very similar chemical profile, and therefore taste, year after year.”

Each wine was vaporized and separated into its chemical components, which resulted in a gas chromatogram — essentially the wine’s chemical fingerprint. The team used 73 of these chromatograms to train the machine-learning algorithm, and then gave the system information on the estate and vintage those wines were from. They then tested the algorithm on the seven remaining wines 50 times each, alternating their order. The algorithm correctly guessed which chateaux the wines were from 100 percent of the time, and was 50 percent accurate at guessing the wines’ vintages.

Even more impressive: the algorithm could also successfully determine which estate the wine was from with only five percent of the chromatogram data, using portions of the data that didn’t present any notable peaks or differences discernible to the human eye.

“This shows that a wine’s unique taste and feel in the mouth doesn’t depend on a handful of key molecules, but rather on the overall concentration of many, many molecules,” Pouget told NewScientist.

The program also accurately grouped wines near each other that are from similar areas of Bordeaux. (For example, it clustered wines from the right bank, including Pomerol and St. Emilion, separate from the left bank estates.) This finding validates the claims of many wine aficionados that wine can express a certain sense of place. The validity of “terroir” and its effect on wine’s flavor is often brought into question, but this study strongly suggests that wines do have different properties depending on where they come from. That said, it would be interesting to see this study replicated in a region like Burgundy, where wines are made with one varietal instead of blends, meaning the only variables would be vineyard site and producer.

This technology could also be applied to detecting fraudulent wines. This research was conducted with some of the top houses of Bordeaux that are often imitated and sold as fakes. With the accuracy of this algorithm, there’s hope it could one day be used to l suss out imposter wines and prevent rampant fraud.

The article AI Correctly Identifies Bordeaux Wine Chateaus, But Does This Prove Terroir Is Real? appeared first on VinePair.

As integral as the cocktail is to contemporary culture, it’s surprising to learn that its exact origins are still subject to much debate. Many archivists point to an 1806 news column out of Hudson, N.Y., explicitly defining the term as a “a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” But long before the wording was coined, the concept of a mixed drink was widely embraced in British punch houses throughout the 18th century.

Scholars may never form a consensus on where the cocktail was invented. There is little debate, however, as to where it was perfected. Those geographic boundaries lie squarely within London. Today the city honors this liquid legacy by proudly donning the crown of world’s best cocktail destination. The journey to the top has not been without its ups and downs.

A 160-Year Heritage

“Only after working in London was Jerry Thomas inspired to write ‘The Bartender’s Guide,’ the first book to contain cocktail recipes,” explains Jared Brown, cocktail historian and master distiller at Sipsmith Gin. “He included many recipes he discovered while here.”

Even before Thomas’s tome hit shelves in 1862, the British capital was already an aspirational destination for bartenders, according to Brown. The skillset initially developed out of dire necessity. During the “Gin Craze” of the mid-1700s, some 15,000 sipping shops sprang up across the city. The great majority of them were serving spirits of questionable quality. It was up to merchants to subterfuge the swill with whatever additives they could get their hands on. The more elaborate the disguise, the more clientele they could attract.

And as the British Empire expanded, so too did international importation. Rums began arriving from the New World, joining French brandies, fortified wines of Spain and Portugal, and Irish whiskeys already lining London backbars. In other words, bartenders here had a wide array of ingredients with which to craft their creations. Customers, in turn, could now lay claim to worldliness, simply by spending more time with their local publican. The act of imbibing, then, assumed a more aristocratic veneer.

“The drinking class in the U.K. has always been held to a high level of decorum, and has brought civility and elegance to bars and even the drinks,” Brown says. “The Martini found its black tie image here versus, for example, its green apple identity in Los Angeles. When cocktails lost to wine and craft beers in the 1980s, London hotel and restaurant bars remained entrenched in tradition.”

The city served it in spades, leaning into the folklore of its most iconic venues, like the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel and Dukes in Mayfair. At the former, the memory of homegrown talent such as Harry Craddock and Ada Coleman was enshrined by a new generation of masters. At the latter, Salvatore Calabrese launched a drinks program devoted to recreating liquid history. Preservation of the past sustained the local scene even as cocktails faced an uncertain future on the global stage.

Tradition-Tweaking-On-Thames

Of course, with the birth of the modern cocktail revival — beginning in the late ‘90s — those fortunes changed quite considerably. But the nascent movement favored innovation, more so than traditionalism. And it was taking off in places far beyond British borders. Namely: New York, San Francisco, Portland, and Paris. To keep up, even the most staunchly conservative drinking parlors had to pivot to incorporate playfulness. They found an audience that was instantly receptive.

“English people are especially inclined to be adventurous,” says Alessandro Palazzi, who has been playing to their preferences since 1975. “About 25 years ago I started making a white truffle Martini at Dukes. If I had done that in Italy, they would have thrown me in the sea, hoping that the sharks eat me!”

While the scene benefits from a perpetual openness on the consumer side of the stick, the biggest boon for experimentation comes from behind the bar.

“Although other cities have interesting cultural mixes, London layers together more variety in such a seamless way,” says Noel Venning of Three Sheets bar in Dalston. “This has led to a much richer food and drink scene, and one which owes so much to the people that have brought their brilliance to the mix. As a result, you have such a complexity that gives confidence to people investing and pushing things further.”

“London is a multicultural hub that welcomes creativity, connections, and innovation. It’s impossible not to be inspired by the diversity of influences and the endless opportunities that the city offers to those people who seek to express themselves.”

When it comes to beverage specifically, London has worked hard to leverage its international standing to attract top talent. In 2010, it became the first place on Earth to launch its own dedicated Cocktail Week. The 10-day-long confab, which now occurs annually in mid-October, cemented the city’s status at the vanguard of drinks culture. Two years later, it hosted the inaugural event for World’s 50 Best Bars. Since that time, the city has never failed to land at least one of its bars in the top three of the annual ranking (there have only been four instances when a London bar didn’t take home the top spot).

The age of innovation accelerated into high gear in 2014 with the debut of Dandelyan along the South Bank of the River Thames. There, head bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana helped normalize the concept of a cocktail lab. He incorporated clarified additives, nitrogenated produce, and other components that seemed more like leftovers from a science experiment than ingredients in a mixed drink. Today he continues to push the envelope at the reconceptualized Mr. Lyan, inside the same space.

His efforts are now echoed by Remy Savage and co. at A Bar With Shapes for A Name. The drinks are inspired as much by art as they are by flavor profile. But execution never takes a backseat to presentation. Monica Berg and Alex Kratena of Tayēr + Elementary encourage their guests to step outside the bounds of familiar without having to use fancy scientific tech. Everything is craft by hand, at the center of the bar. And at Kwānt — newly reopened in Mayfair — Eric Lorincz fuses classical with modern, delivering billowing clouds of smoked hickory atop carbonated sherry preparations.

“The inclusivity of our bar culture is like no other I have witnessed. We’re the best cocktail city in the world because it is a community, a family.”

“London is a multicultural hub that welcomes creativity, connections, and innovation,” says Ago Perrone, director of mixology at the award-winning Connaught Bar. “It’s impossible not to be inspired by the diversity of influences and the endless opportunities that the city offers to those people who seek to express themselves.”

A Rich Tapestry of Tastemakers

So many of the talented folks pushing things forward are bartenders who arrived from beyond the English Channel. But Perrone — who himself is an Italian immigrant — doesn’t seem too worried that the self-inflicted barrier of Brexit is affecting the city’s status as top tastemaker.

For now, that belief is backed up by a battery of exciting openings across the landscape. At Nipperkin in Mayfair, bartender Giuseppe Destefano is heading up one of the most exciting new drinks programs anywhere. A zero-waste ethos is implemented by working leftovers from the upstairs kitchen into a number of infusions and distillates, which work their way into drinks in the subterranean drinking parlor. Other notable additions include the whisky-centric Dram Bar in Soho, as well as Paloma, with its agave and rum-focused offerings.

“The diversity of bars within London is amazing, there is a place for everyone,” says Sophie Bratt, who manages the bar at the Nobu Hotel in Portman Square. “The inclusivity of our bar culture is like no other I have witnessed. We’re the best cocktail city in the world because it is a community, a family.”

It is everything, everywhere, all at once. You can imbibe centuries worth of history, unfettered. Or you can absorb the avant-garde, as you wish. A diverse array of talent from across the globe is here, drawing from a broad spectrum of styles, pouring it all in a multitude of environments. And it’s all accessible in equal measure. Just like the commendable combination of spirit, sugar, water and bitters you’ll find at any of these venues, the supremacy of London’s drink scene all boils down to balance.

But if you’re an avid drinker simply surfacing for a visit, be forewarned: You might never want to leave. “My fate was determined back in 1996, when Peter Dorelli at the Savoy made me the best Martini of my life,” recalls Brown. “I knew then I would one day live in the U.K. And while I travel the world enjoying great cocktails, I am always happy to return home once again.”

The article How London Claimed the Global Cocktail Crown appeared first on VinePair.

In case you haven’t heard, tequila is hot right now — so hot that it’s on track to overtake vodka in on-premise popularity. So, if you have an agave lover in your life, there’s never been a better time to surprise them with a bottle that will knock their socks off. Still, with the ever-growing hoard of celebrity launches, old-school brands, and newcomers on shelves today, narrowing down the best bottle to gift can be tough. That’s why we picked out the seven best choices for gift-giving.

From budget-friendly picks to splurges for those special to you, this is the ultimate list for the best tequilas to gift this holiday season.

Best budget tequila: Mi Campo Blanco
Best splurge tequila: Destileria Santanera Tahona Blanco
Best tequila for beginners: Teremana Small Batch Blanco
Best tequila for agave geeks: G4 Tequila Blanco de Madera
Best tequila for cocktail lovers: Gran Centenario Plata
Best tequila to impress: Patrón El Alto Tequila Reposado
Best high-ABV tequila: Tequila Tapatio Blanco 110

Best Budget Tequila

Mi Campo Blanco

Aged for three weeks in used French oak barrels, Mi Campo Blanco is uncommon as far as blancos go, making it a great expression to give to someone looking to further experiment in the agave arena. Rich and deep, the blanco is great for sipping on its own, but it also really shines in cocktails. And at just $24, it’s the perfect pick for big-batch Margaritas.

Average Price: $24
Rating: 90

Best Splurge Tequila

Destileria Santanera Tahona Blanco

Looking to impress with a big buy this season? Look no further than Destileria Santanera’s Tahona Blanco. As its name suggests, the expression is made using the tahona process, a traditional method of tequila production in which volcanic stone is used to crush Blue Weber agave and extract its juices for distillation. The process is known for producing slightly smoother and sweeter profiles, and its results can be tasted here. Bottled at 41 percent ABV, this blanco carries a luscious mouthfeel and notes of agave and black pepper that make it versatile enough for sipping neat, over ice, or in a cocktail.

Average Price: $106
Rating: 94

Best Tequila for Beginners

Teremana Small Batch Blanco

Teremana Small Batch Blanco is an ideal starting point for those just dipping their toes into the world of agave spirits. Launched by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in March 2020, the brand kicked off its portfolio with a blanco and a reposado. The former delivers approachable aromas of pineapple, pepper, and vegetal agave with a fruit-forward palate.

Average Price: $31
Rating: 92

Best Tequila for Agave Geeks

G4 Tequila Blanco de Madera

Bottled at 45 percent ABV, G4 Tequila Blanco de Madera is a stunning selection for the tequila-heads in your life. Fermented using wooden vats — a departure from G4’s typical fermentation in stainless steel — this tequila teems with earthy and vegetal notes sure to please agave aficionados. If you come across this bottle, be sure to snag it.

Average Price: $60
Rating: 95

Best Tequila for Cocktail Lovers

Gran Centenario Plata

Not only does Gran Centenario Plata deliver flavors suited for shaking into a Paloma or topping off with Topo Chico for a Ranch Water, but its bottle is also beautiful enough to take center stage on your giftee’s bar cart. The tequila, which is blended in French Limousin oak barrels, brims with bright, citrusy agave notes.

Average Price: $28
Rating: 90

Best Tequila to Impress

Patrón El Alto Tequila Reposado

If you really like someone — and we mean really like them — consider splurging on Patrón’s El Alto Tequila Reposado, one of the newer additions to the beloved brand’s lineup. While the name may suggest this tequila is another reposado, it’s actually a blend of reposado, añejo, and extra añejo distillates, resulting in a luscious spirit with a seductive flavor profile. With green agave on the nose and palate that’s rounded out by vanilla oak, El Alto is definitely an investment, but it’s certain to earn you some favor this holiday season.

Average Price: $200
Rating: 93

Best High-ABV Tequila

Tequila Tapatio Blanco 110

When it comes to high-ABV tequilas, Tequila Tapatio Blanco 110 is the gold standard. Bottled at 110 proof, or 55 percent ABV, Tapatio Blanco 110 maintains the highest legal alcohol content for the tequila category but still doesn’t singe the taste buds. Instead, it delivers fresh agave and minty aromas before washing the plate with notes of vegetal agave, cinnamon, and a splash of citrus.

Average Price: $70
Rating: 92

The article The 7 Best Tequilas to Gift This Holiday (2023) appeared first on VinePair.

Pata and David Airaudi loved drinking sparkling wines, but didn’t feel connected to the brands available on the market. So in 2012, the California-based married couple set out to craft their own bubbly, incorporating classic Champagne traditions with their West Coast philosophy. The result was Sapere, a sparkling wine that’s distinctly Californian.

Pata has always loved surfing and spending time in the Golden State sun, and it’s evident that she applies her passion and respect for the land into making Sapere wines. The brand’s website greets you with the duo’s ethos: “To make wine is to make a pledge with the earth, to accept that at best we may briefly align with all that nature endows and capture a moment, as nature moves on unconcerned.” By paying attention to the region’s climate and biodiversity, Sapere crafts terroir-driven sparkling wines with minimal intervention.

We spoke with Pata to learn more about her approach to making the environmentally driven, bright, and bubbly Sapere wines. Read on to learn more about the inspiration behind the brand as well as its future.

1. What inspired you to create Sapere Wines?

I have an eclectic crew of family and friends in L.A. — musicians, artists, entrepreneurs from all walks of life — and we found ourselves drinking more and more sparkling wines and rosés. But nothing spoke to us, flavor profile or brand-wise, and this was 2010, so pre-rosé boom. We had a couple of Napa-based friends, so we decided to make a wine that fit what we were looking for ourselves.

2. Why sparkling wines?

Who doesn’t love bubbles? You can’t help but smile when you say bubbles. Honestly, I didn’t really know about sparkling wines, as it wasn’t in my or my family and friend’s world, but the more I tried them, the more obsessed I became. It was grower Champagnes that really inspired me. They’re still hard to find in the U.S., but back then, it was nearly impossible. I would stumble on these wonderfully vibrant and creative sparkling wines that tasted nothing like the traditional Champagne. It made me realize the same innovative spirit could be applied to bubbles in California.

3. You worked apprenticeships in Tuscany and France. Did this influence your winemaking style?

Absolutely. There’s so much knowledge there, so when the opportunity allows, I learn what I can and try to apply the principles here in California. I say “principles” since too many wines try to copy what’s done there, but you can’t copy climate and soil and history. I feel having studied in the field as opposed to the classroom works best for me, as it has given me the freedom to think outside the box. I would really like to go to study in Georgia as they have thousands of more years of history in winemaking than Western Europe. Could you imagine Sapere Saperavi bubbles?

4. Why was it important for you to take a no-additives approach to the wines?

Additives just don’t make sense. It doesn’t help the wine, but it does hurt the body, so why? My goal is to make great wines that people love while they are drinking them, the next morning, and 40 years later.

5. How does your connection with nature influence Sapere Wines?

Wine is agriculture. We dress it up pretty, but we grow fruit in the dirt. And in that process, nature is your partner. [From] crushed rocks from billions of years ago and a cloud formation from last week, we are reliant on things much bigger than us. You have to respect it and carry that respect through the whole of the journey.

6. You’re also a surfer. Do you find any commonalities between surfing and winemaking?

I only surf when it’s warm and I’m on vacation, so these days that’s far and few! But being based in Venice, most of the crew are surfers. Both [surfing and making wine] are about harmony with nature, not being afraid to fall down and get back up, and ultimately being reminded by the earth that as much as you try, you are not in control! Shout out to Ebony Beach Club, Color the Water, Yoniswell Crew, and SoFly Surf School — all wonderful surf collectives that are all about bringing more diversity to the surfing community.

7. What is your goal for the future of Sapere?

We want to include a whole new generation of wine drinkers into world-class bubbles. There’s such a misplaced desire to copy Champagne and the Old-World euro luxury that goes with it, but that’s not us, that’s not the true story of bubbles. We want to expand the story.

The article Sun, Surf, and Sparkling: How Pata Airaudi California-fied Sapere Wines appeared first on VinePair.

This episode of “The VinePair Podcast” is sponsored by The Prisoner Wine Company. You’ll find everything you need to cross off your gifting list at The Prisoner Wine Company’s website. From stocking stuffers to gift sets, bar tools, and show stoppers, give the gift of premium California wine this holiday season. Head to theprisonerwinecompany.com to shop now, and order by Dec. 14 to receive in time for the holidays.

Since 2020, there has been a palpable shift in how service plays into the overall dining-out experience. It’s tough to pin down exactly what is going on, but as the VinePair Podcast team suggests, it’s more of a vibes thing. Carrying that vibe? The fact that servers are now generally less attentive and friendly than they used to be.

There’s also the social media of it all. These days, over 55 percent of Gen Z gets their news from TikTok, and food critics have started falling behind social media influencers as the tastemakers in the restaurant world. As such, having an “Instagrammable” spectacle of a dish on a menu is worth its weight in gold, while receiving a glowing review from a well-respected publication becomes increasingly irrelevant. It should come as no surprise that building hype and the potential for internet virality are taking priority over stellar service. After all, an engaging experience with a server won’t harness many views on TikTok, but a carbonara served tableside in a flaming cheese wheel certainly will.

Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate whether or not restaurant and bar hospitality has changed since Covid. Could the increasing importance of TikTok and Instagram be driving a new type of customer engagement, or has attrition in the workforce since the pandemic had a lasting impact? Tune in for more.

Zach is drinking: Brooks Wine Sparkling Riesling
Joanna is drinking: Vodka Martini with Tequila
Adam is drinking: Hoste Cocktails Gold Fashioned

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: Has Hospitality Changed Since Covid? appeared first on VinePair.