NWR Weekly: Wine investing that really works, 100+ Rhone reds reviewed, and outstanding rye whiskies

A WINE INVESTMENT STRATEGY THAT REALLY WORKS…

AND NO ONE FOLLOWS

After years of studying wine investment strategies, Axios Chief Financial Correspondent Felix Salmon hit upon a way for collectors to make money that actually works: drink your losers, sell your winners, repeat until you no longer enjoy wine and money.

“It sounds like a cheat, and maybe it is,” says Salmon. Or maybe it’s like telling people that the best way to get healthy is to stop eating all their favorite foods.

For those without the such heroic self-discipline, there’s a more realistic, albeit less remunerative path: “Much easier than actually buying wine as investment is just to dream, once in a while, of how much that bottle we drank a decade ago might be worth today.”

THE DUCK & THE PEACH & THE WINES

Felicia Jefferson knows her wine. Which is at least partially why the Director of Beverage and Service at Washington D.C.’s renowned The Duck & The Peach doesn’t often opt for the wine pairings when she goes out to eat.  “You have to give a lot of thought to wine pairings. It’s a lot of energy, it’s a lot of resources. You have to have a restaurant that wants to invest in that.”

Jefferson’s approach is as much about getting the guest in the right mindset as it is about nailing the match between wine and food: “There are going to be wines that you’re not used to drinking. The reason you’re doing a pairing is because you want to have an adventure. You want to welcome something that you wouldn’t have come across on your own.”

It doesn’t hurt that she nails the pairings, though.

REDS ON REDS IN THE RHÔNE

We’ve got 115 new red reviews in from the Rhône Valley in our latest Tasting Brief. There’s much to discover here, including outstanding wines from benchmark producers in the North such as Jaboulet, Delas and Chapoutier, as well as Grenache standouts from the South from Famille Perrin, Domaine des Bosquets, Château de Saint Cosme and many more that, according to Anna Lee C. Iijima, “toe the line between power and grace regardless of vintage.” Also of note:

• ​​A smashing 97-point Delas Frères Cornas Chante Perdrix at a very reasonable $70, and a pair of 98-point blockbusters (the Gigondas Le Poste and Hominis Fides) from Château De Saint Cosme, each at $160.

• “Rare and revelatory” finds like a 97-point Domaine des Bernardins Beaumes de Venise Rouge, a still Grenache-Syrah blend, from an appellation that’s far better known for sweet Muscat Vin Doux Naturel.  

• Steals like Brotte’s 94-point Gigondas La Marasque at $32 and Famille Ravoire’s velvety, full-bodied 93-point Rasteau Les Hauts de Roc Salière for just $18.

OPEN YOUR RYES

What warms the belly and soul more than a good glass of rye on a frigid winter evening? Our Whiskey Critic went deep on rye recently, reviewing 22 different spirits across the increasingly broad and exciting rye spectrum, including the 92-point Sagamore Spirit 8-Year-Old (Batch 2A) and a 94-pointer from a familiar name for just $42.

BUT WAIT! There’s yet more rye to discuss. We’ve got 25 additional rye reviews in our Rye & American Whiskey Tasting Brief, that covers such gems as the 93-point Tumblin’ Dice 7-Year-Old Single Barrel Straight Rye (#87) and the four-grain (rye, corn, wheat and malt) Two Worlds La Victoire Four-Grain American Whiskey (Second Edition) that also clocks in at 93-points.

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING AND LIKING RIGHT NOW

🍝 John can’t stop raving about the 2013 Stella di Campalto 'Podere San Giuseppe' Riserva Brunello he drank at Denver's Tavernetta.

🐎 Sara drained a glass of 2022 Domaine des Buis, "Marin d'eau Douce" at New York’s Four Horsemen.

🍷 Parker is opening a lovely Nebbiolo from Lombardy, a 2017 Ar.Pe.Pe. Il Pettirosso Valtellina Superiore.

🥃 Susannah’s making her Manhattan with Deadwood Rye and Naturale Sicilia Vermouth Orange.

AROUND THE WINE (AND WHISKEY) WORLD

• 🍷 Is your white wine actually Pinot Noir? At these vineyards, it might be.

• 🍇 Scientists debut a new variety of grape 20 years in the making. Early plantings suggest it was worth the wait.

• 🇬🇧 The British government spent a bunch of money on wine during COVID, which some apparently feel is not a responsible use of taxpayer money.

Thanks for reading! We hope your 2024 is off to a wonderful start.

Santé!

The NWR Editors

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