February 2020
Departments
Editor’s Note
Creativity at the Margins
Contributors
Fined & Filtered
Biodiversity Matters by Joshua Greene
Special Reports
Soave’s Volcanic Revival
Stephanie Johnson reports on the new Unità Geografi che Aggiuntive, an official recognition of Soave’s 33 distinct crus, and presents the top new releases from our latest Soave tasting.
Roussillon’s Rancio Sec
Tara Q. Thomas reports on the rise of Rancio Sec, a Catalan specialty that had fallen into obscurity over the last century. Our New York panel found 11 exceptional wines in our first Rancio Sec tasting.
Tastings
Year’s Best
US Syrahs & Rhône-Style Blends
Northern Rhône
McLaren Vale
Mosel Rieslings
Focus On
South Africa’s Cape South Coast
Central Portugal
Uruguay
New Releases
Imported
US
Best Buys at $12 or Less
Editorial Features
WSNY
Where to eat and drink well in NYC right now.
Crozes-Hermitage Nord & Sud
Josh Raynolds parses the northern Rhône’s largest appellation, highlighting the region’s bipolar terroir.
Syrah in the Sta. Rita Hills
Once considered too marginal a climate to ripen syrah, the Pacific-facing Sta. Rita Hills has become a mecca for the variety’s most ardent producers. Patrick J. Comiskey reports.