NWR Weekly: NYE Sparkling Wine Advice, A Pairing Puzzle and Why You Should Drink More Oregon Wines

Happy Holidays! There’s much to cover in this end-of-the-year edition of the newsletter, so let’s get to it!

YOUR LAST-MINUTE GUIDE TO NEW YEAR’S EVE SPARKLING WINE SUCCESS

The season for sparkling wine is upon us, and The New Wine Review is here to help:

• For Champagne, we’ve turned to David White, author of But First Champagne, who’s got lots of advice on where to find great values, worth-it splurges and savvy gifts (partial respective answers: underhyped growers such as Lilbert-Fils and Laherte Frères; Selosse if you’re really going for it; and Special Club releases). White’s own Champagne of choice? “I absolutely adore the wines of Suenen. Those wines have beautiful fruit with that chalky minerality you can only get from Champagne. Every single time I open one of those bottles — even though they’re now getting more expensive — I just think they’re such a steal.”

• If you want those bubbles in pink, here’s a helpful rundown of sparkling rosés headlined by a 93-point Piper Heidsieck for a reasonable $55 and a 90-point German sparkling Pinot Noir for just $16.

• Start here for a tour of the West Coast’s most interesting sparkling wines. Virginie Boone will get you oriented and has 22 different recommendations that range from the pioneering California producers to weird and wild upstarts to a variety of pét-nats made by people who actually know what they’re doing. (And if you missed it, here’s our ultra-deep dive on Ultramarine, Michael Cruse’s cult California sparkler.)

DO YOU SOMEHOW STILL OWE SOMEONE A GIFT?

If this headline is still relevant to you, then you’re (way) late on your gifts, but just in case, here’s what eight really interesting wine people told us they’re giving to the special people in their lives this year.

One idea sure to delight your favorite belated gift-receiver is an annual subscription to The New Wine Review. No shipping, handling, wrapping or assembly required.

OREGON IS MAKING SOME OF THE BEST WINES IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW

If you need an easy-to-tackle resolution for 2024, make a vow to pay more attention to the wines coming out of Oregon.  Few New World regions have embraced place-based winemaking quite like Oregon, which has emerged as an epicenter of this movement in the U.S.

“We have a European model,” says Tom Mortimer of Le Cadeau. “It’s more about the place than the winemaker; more about the clones, the soils, the aspects.”

Investment continues to pour into Oregon’s wine industry — particularly from big French and Californian names — but it’s the wines themselves that are most newsworthy. While Oregon’s famed Pinot Noirs have risen to new heights in the past few years, perhaps the most exciting developments are on the white wine side, with truly world-class Chardonnay and Riesling coming from producers who now benefit from multiple generations of local winemaking expertise.

OUTSTANDING BOURBONS FOR YOUR FIRESIDE ENJOYMENT

‘Tis the season for really excellent bourbon. Whiskey Critic Susannah Skiver Barton has the tasting brief you need, featuring 29 (mostly) limited-edition bourbons (that’s five cask-strength, six blends, seven finished in exotic barrels, six extra-mature, and a partridge in a pear tree).

Of note:  a 96-point Maker’s Mark release and a 95-point Frey Ranch barrel-proof offering for $80.

SOLVING MISTER JIU’S TRICKY PAIRING PUZZLE

San Francisco’s Mister Jiu’s was something of a sensation when it opened seven years ago, and it continues to dazzle with its innovative approach to modern Cantonese cuisine. We spoke with the Michelin-starred restaurant’s Wine Director, Adam Wren, about the intriguing challenge of pairing wines with the restaurant's often powerful flavors and ingredients.  

BA FOR WINE LOVERS

We asked three Buenos Aires wine experts where to eat, drink and be merry in Argentina’s capital this season. They’ve got advice for you on exploring overlooked neighborhoods, finding offbeat lists of local wines, having breakfast on the city’s most beautiful street, and eating “the best meat in Buenos Aires.”

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING AND LIKING RIGHT NOW

🍇 Sara is drinking Domaine Mosse Cuvée Wildair 2022

🍂  Steve is opening a 1979(!) Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that tastes like tobacco, leather and dried figs.

🇫🇷  Parker is enjoying some of the Loire’s finest with a 2022 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Clos du Bourg 

AROUND THE WINE (AND WHISKEY) WORLD

🏆 Will 2023 be the vintage of a lifetime in Napa Valley? Some say yes.

🤖  Artificial Intelligence may make wine fraud a whole lot harder to pull off.

🌊  Does wine improve when it’s aged underwater? These winemakers are trying to find the answer.

Thanks for reading! We hope you have a wonderful, bubbly end to the year. See you in 2024.

Santé!

The NWR Editors

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