2024 Grand Tastings: Two Nights Not to Be Missed

Wine

Products You May Like

Giovanni Manetti didn’t think he was going to make it to the 2024 New York Wine Experience. The growing season was long in Tuscany this year, and grapes for Manetti’s legendary Fontodi winery were still hanging on the vine in mid-October. So he dispatched his son with several cases of their super Tuscan Flaccianello 2008 to pour at the Grand Tastings in New York City.

But then came a reprieve. The day before the event, Manetti finished picking the last grapes and got them into tanks. He caught a flight from Rome to New York the morning of the Grand Tasting. “My first Wine Experience was in 1996,” said a relieved Manetti. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

For nearly 2,000 people, the opening night of the 43rd Wine Experience was a can’t-miss event. Oct. 17 was the first of two Grand Tastings, kicking off three days of wine, food, seminars and fun at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. This year’s event promised a chance to celebrate during uncertain times, to embrace old friends and make new ones while raising a glass (or many glasses) to the way wine can bring us all together.

 Angelo Gaja pouring his Gaja Barolo Conteisa 2020

Angelo Gaja pouring his Gaja Barolo Conteisa 2020 (Daphne Youree)

“This is one of those unique events where you get an opportunity to try truly the most amazing wines in the world,” said Dan Abrams, owner of Ev&Em Vineyards on Long Island and chief legal correspondent for ABC News. “I don’t think there’s a wine event quite like this one.”

The Ultimate Wine Exploration and Education

Across two floors of the hotel, guests were able to explore the offerings from more than 260 wineries, each pouring a wine that has been rated 90 points or higher by a Wine Spectator editor. Winery owners and winemakers were on hand so attendees could meet the people behind the wines.

“What I love about the New York Wine Experience is you get all amazing different wines here and the people that are real aficionados of wines,” said Josh Scott, co-owner of New Zealand’s Allan Scott winery. “And so even though New Zealand is young, people want to come and try the wine and meet the producers. It’s a really good quality crowd.”

 Kyle MacLachlan pouring his Pursued By Bear Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2021

A star of both film and wine, Kyle MacLachlan poured his Pursued By Bear Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2021. (Daphne Youree)

Tasting 260 wines in one night is not feasible, so guests needed a strategy. They could tackle the list from A to Z, from the Douro red wine of Portugal’s Adriano Ramos-Pinto to the Argentine Malbec of Zuccardi Valle de Uco. Or they could build a tasting menu, starting with a bubbly like Ca’ del Bosco Dosage Zéro Franciacorta Annamaria Clementi Riserva 2014 or a Champagne like Bollinger La Grande Année 2015, trying whites like Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma Coast Powder House 2021, moving onto a red like Bodegas Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Unico 2014 or Castellare di Castellina Toscana I Sodi San Niccolò 2019, and finishing with a dessert wine like Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2013.

Or they could cherry pick from the greatest hits: The highest-scoring wines of the night included Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo 2019 (98 points), Château Cheval Blanc St.-Emilion 2015 (98), Harlan Estate Napa Valley 2018 (99) and Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2010 (99).

“I consider wine as one of those products that allows you to travel and explore the world and discover cultures, and it’s a great way to interact, to discover a country, discover their food, discover their wines, learn about a culture,” said Adrian Bridge, CEO of Portugal’s Fladgate Partnership.

Tasting for a Cause

 Guests tasting at the Grand Tasting

The New York Wine Experience benefits the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation. (Daphne Youree)

The Wine Experience would not be possible without the incredible generosity of vintners who donate all the passion-inducing wines of the weekend. All net proceeds from the event go to the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, which has raised more than $40 million for scholarships and grants for the hospitality and wine industries.

Foundation beneficiaries have included students at Napa Valley College, the University of California at Davis School of Viticulture & Enology, The Roots Foundation, Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute, Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Culinary Institute of America, among others.

 Isabel Ferrando (right) and her daughter, Guillemette Ferrando with a bottle of Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis 2021

Isabel Ferrando (right) and her daughter, Guillemette Ferrando, presented their Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis 2021. (Daphne Youree)

By the end of the evening, old wines had been tasted and new friendships had been formed. And thankfully, there was another night of Grand Tasting scheduled for 24 hours later. “What I love is how wine connects people and how I get to meet a lot of great personalities here at this event, and then they get to meet my family’s wines,” said Shannon Staglin, co-owner of Staglin Family Vineyard. “I think that wine connects humanity and brings people together, and today we need that more than ever.”

—With reporting by Collin Dreizen and Julia Larson

 Chuck Wagner holding a magnum of Caymus Vineyards' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022

Caymus Vineyards owner and winemaker Chuck Wagner brought his Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022 for attendees to taste. (Daphne Youree)

 A person pouring a bottle of Masseto Toscana 2019 into a glass

A number of Tuscan reds starred at the Grand Tasting, including Masseto Toscana 2017 (Daphne Youree)

 Christian Seely and Frank Dotzler

Christian Seely (left) represented several wineries, including Outpost Wines with winery director Frank Dotzler. (Daphne Youree)

 Nicolas Glumineau of Bordeaux’s Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, who brought the winery’s Pauillac 2018

Nicolas Glumineau of Bordeaux’s Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, who brought the winery’s Pauillac 2018 (Daphne Youree)

 Guests tasting wine at the Grand Tasting

Old friends and new gathered on the Grand Tasting floor. (Daphne Youree)

 A person holding a bottle of Clos Apalta’s Alpata 2020

Clos Apalta’s Apalta 2020 (Daphne Youree)

 A person pouring Pahlmeyer Napa Valley 2021 for another person

Pahlmeyer offered the 2021 vintage of its Napa Valley red. (Daphne Youree)

 Guests standing at tables of food at the Grand Tasting

Grand Tasting guests enjoyed charcuterie, cheese, duck pasta, dumplings and other dishes to pair with fantastic wines. (Daphne Youree)

 Château Pichon Baron Pauillac 2020 being poured into a glass

The Château Pichon Baron team offered guests their 2020 Pauillac. (Daphne Youree)

 Pink bottles of Alfred Gratien team brought their Alfred Gratien Brut Rosé Champagne Cuvée Paradis 2008

The Alfred Gratien team brought their Alfred Gratien Brut Rosé Champagne Cuvée Paradis 2008. (Daphne Youree)

 Three people at the Grand Tasting

From left: Guests Robin Wright, Jamie Schwartz and Denez Moss (Daphne Youree)

 Guests at the Grand Tasting beneath a projection reading “Wine Experience”

Guests had the chance to taste more than 260 wines at the Grand Tasting. (Daphne Youree)

 Bottles of Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà 2016

Bottles of Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà 2016 (Daphne Youree)

 Four people at the Grand Tasting

From left: Guests Michaelangelo Vinavito, Holden Rosen-Grupp, Nick Katz and Matt Purdy (Daphne Youree)

 Guests Channing (left) and Blair Martin

Guests Channing (left) and Blaire Martin (Daphne Youree)

 Marchesi di Barolo’s Barolo Cannubi 2019

Marchesi di Barolo’s Barolo Cannubi 2019 (Daphne Youree)

 A person holding a bottle of Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2019

Wine fans got to taste Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2019. (Daphne Youree)

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

An Accused Russian Counterfeiter and Burgundy Bottles Filled with Italian Wine
Auctiongoers Can Bid on Late Chef Charlie Trotter’s Dream Meal and a Bottle of Château Margaux 1900

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *