Fined & Filtered: October 2020 - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Fined & Filtered: October 2020


NOPAR KING

Corey Warren reports on the explosion of outdoor dining in New York, which has changed the city streets for good and may change the role of a sommelier in restaurants.


WINE WINDOWS

In Florence, an architectural curiosity has found new life: In an effort to adhere to social distancing guidelines, the city has opened its previously-defunct “Wine Windows.” Buchette del vino became common in Florence during the 17th century as an effort to slow the spread of the bubonic plague: Citizens would knock on the shutters of the windows and hand their flask through the opening to be filled with wine, leaving their payment in metal trays which were then disinfected with vinegar. Many windows were destroyed in floods during the mid-20th century, and a cultural association was formed in 2015 to preserve those that remained. Today, restaurants and cafés are using over 150 re-opened windows to dispense varied offerings such as wine, espresso and frozen treats. Find a map of them at buchettedelvino.org. —C.W.


COCKTAILS SIMPLIFIED

Dee Charlemagne and Alex Doman want to simplify your home—or outdoor—mixology, with Avec. They canned mixers need nothing more than a double shot of your preferred spirit and some ice. Available in five flavors—Hibiscus & Pomegranate, Jalapeño & Blood Orange, Ginger & Pineapple, Yuzu & Lime, Grapefruit & Pomelo—the mixers are lighter and lower in sugar than classic cola mixers, so you can still taste the spirit in your cocktail.

Photo by Toga Cox

$18/per 6 8-ounce cans, avecdrinks.com —C.W.


BaroloMGA 360°

Alessandro Masnaghetti, the Barolo scholar, has launched BaroloMGA 360, a collection of drone photography of the crus of Barolo.

See our full story here.


REMEMBRANCES:

Barry Sterling, 1929-2020

Tony Terlato, 1934-2020

Milla Handley, 1951-2020


NEWS IN BRIEF, OCTOBER 2020

  • Remi Cohen has been appointed CEO of Domaine Carneros after founding winemaker Eileen Crane has stepped down. Cohen started her viticulture career in Carneros at Saintsbury back in 2001. Most recently, she was COO at Lede Family Wines.
  • Quintessential Wines, a Napa-based importer, has purchased the trademarks and existing inventory of Geyser Peak and Atlas Peak from Accolade Brands, an Australian company. The deal also includes two other brands, Outlot and XYZin. Warner Henry, who founded the Henry Wine Group in 1985, passed away in August. He was 82. He built his California company focused on wine distribution at a time when many wholesalers prioritized spirits sales over their wine portfolios. In 2016, he sold the company to the Winebow Group.
  • Julien Fayard has been named head winemaker for Somnium, Danica Patrick’s winery on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley.
  • Silver Oak in California and Alma Carraovejas in Spain have joined the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), an organization formed by Torres Family Wines and Jackson Family Wines in February 2019. IWCA members must be powered by at least 20 percent onsite renewable energy, reduce 25 percent of CO2 emissions per unit of wine produced and complete an annual greenhouse gas audit.
  • Michael Brughelli, who co-founded Scar of the Sea Wines, is now winemaker at Folded Hills Winery in Santa Ynez Valley. He takes over from Angela Osborne, who has left to devote more time to her own brand, A Tribute to Grace. Finger Lakes winery Heron Hill has named Jordan Harris as winemaker. Harris, who studied winemaking in Ontario, Canada, spent the past 13 years at Tarara Winery in Virginia.
  • E. Guigal has acquired two properties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Domaine Mercier (18 acres in La Crau and Saintes Vierges) and Domaine Les Clefs d’Or (45 acres, including land in La Crau and Piedlong). Both will become part of Château de Nalys, a 125-acre estate acquired in 2016. Ralph Garçin, former GM of Château La Nerthe, will manage de Nalys, including the renovation and expansion of the current cellar.
  • Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) announced several leadership changes this spring: At Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Duhart-Milon, Eric Kohler is now Technical Director, managing the transition to organic operations; At Château L’Evangile in Pomerol, Olivier Trégoat has taken on the same role. Trégoat, who oversees the group’s estates outside of Bordeaux, will also manage Château Rieussec in Sauternes and Château Paradis Casseuil in the Entre-deux-Mers.
  • Delphine Nathalie Gardère is now the head of Barbancourt, Haiti’s iconic distillery of rhum agricole. Gardère, 36 years old, worked as a stock analyst at Société-Générale as well as in brand development for luxury companies including Dior, Hermès and Annick Goutal before returning to the company her family founded more than 150 years ago.

This story appears in the print issue of October 2020.
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