Deets: On Tuesday, January 14, Wine & Spirits Magazine brought more than 600 members of the wine trade, media and general public together to experience the 2019 Top 100 wineries, as well as some of the best restaurants and artisan purveyors in New York. Throughout the afternoon and evening, winemakers from California, New York, Oregon and Washington, and as far away as Austria, Armenia, France, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Spain poured their top-scoring wines.
“The attending winemakers and wines were an off-the-chart curated list of the best,” said Sam Benrubi, Host of The Grape Nation on Heritage Radio, describing the 70 wineries represented at the event.
Wine & Spirits editors hosted ten-minute explorations of individual wines with 12 of those winemakers, gathering with guests around the Symposium Bar to share discussions of how the wine tied back to its vineyard. WSNY-award-winning chefs and restaurateurs were strategically placed throughout the event—Bâtard, Camperdown Elm, GAUDir, Jungsik, L’Accolade, Nice Matin, Noreetuh, The Dutch and The River Café paired their food with neighboring wines. Nacho Monclús, of Camperdown Elm, manned one popular station next to Jean-François Ott, whose Provençal rosés from Domaines Ott matched seamlessly with the restaurant’s Spanish mackerel pâté on rice–seaweed crackers.
Speaking of the wines as well as the foods, Michael Weiss, chair of wine studies at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, said that for him and his guests, “It was one of the most amazing tasting experiences of our lives! I was truly in wine heaven.”
Guests enjoyed oysters from Grand Central Oyster Bar next to Champagnes from Bollinger, Bruno Paillard and Louis Roederer, artisan breads from Lost Bread Co, Orwasher Bakery and Tom Cat Bakery, cheese from Saxelby Cheese alongside vintage Ports, including W & J Graham’s Stone Terraces, Quinta do Noval’s Nacional and Taylor Fladgate’s Vargellas Vinhas Velhas, finishing with dessert from the International Culinary Center.
“The Wine and Spirits Top 100 was a great opportunity to catch up with some of our favorite winemakers,” said prolific wine writer Dorothy Gaiter.
In keeping with Wine & Spirits Magazine’s mission to raise awareness of water conservation issues, proceeds from this event will be donated to NY/NJ Baykeeper. Thank you to our sponsors: Willamette Valley, Wine Australia, Morgan Manhattan, Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery and Topo Chico.
About Wine & Spirits Magazine
Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits is published seven times a year and read by over 200,000 members of America’s wine community. Consumers and wine professionals read the magazine for information on established and up-and-coming regions and producers, the art and science of viticulture, industry happenings and food and wine pairing. Wine & Spirits, the only wine publication to win the James Beard award five times for excellence in wine writing, evaluates more than 11,500 bottlings every year.
About NY/NJ Baykeeper
Since 1989, Baykeeper has been the pollution watchdog for the NY/NJ harbor estuary where the Hudson, Hackensack, Passaic, and Raritan rivers meet the ocean. The Top 100 Symposium raises money and awareness for NY/NJ Baykeeper, helping to protect water resources in the most densely populated region of the US, supporting initiatives to fight water pollution. Visit baykeeper.org for more information.
Hint for the Average Socialite: Tickets are available now! $119 General Admission / $169 VIP
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