Featured Skurnik Unfiltered
We’re obsessed with mezcal these days. (It seems like an awful lot of people are.) In our growing passion for the category, we’ve developed a love just as deep for the raw ingredient of the spirit: the agave plant. And we’re not alone. Throughout the history of Mexico, particularly in Oaxaca, maguey has been critical … Read More
Chiara Boschis: rock star, rebel, feminist, pioneer, entrepreneur, iconoclast—these are just a few terms that come to mind when considering this prestigious Barolo producer. Chiara was born into wine; her ancestors founded the Giacomo Borgogno estate in Barolo in 1761 and her family stewarded that winery until its sale in 2008. She and her brothers … Read More
In a world where Jurassic limestone is no longer sufficient to distinguish the climats of Burgundy (Bajocian or Bathonian, please?); in a world where German aficionados speak in hushed reverence of cadasters and Prussian taxes; in a world where the cartography of Napa and Piemonte and who knows where else is carried out practically by … Read More
There are many confusing categories under the broad “spirits” umbrella: amari versus bitter, bourbon versus whisk(e)y, rum versus rhum… the list goes on. One category, however, particularly garners much debate: liqueur. The category is confusing, with good reason. There are several distinctly different types: crème liqueurs, cream liqueurs, amari (bitter after-dinner drinks) and aperitifs (pre-dinner … Read More
When most people first get into sake and are trying to make sense of grades and styles, a lot of drinkers land on the sturdy and well-structured kimoto styles. Older and more labor-intensive than the current standard for making fine sake, kimoto sake tends to have a bigger presence and impact, lovely creamy texture, and … Read More
Unlike Germany, there was no Spring frost, and like Germany it was an early harvest, and unlike Germany the growing season wasn’t especially complicated, and the growers said they had a fairly easy time of it. Like Germany the wines are ripe and strong, in contrast to the tensile yet lissome ‘16s, and like Germany … Read More
As the children of two of the pioneers of the Priorat D.O., Sara Pérez and René Barbier IV grew up as neighbors, looking on as their fathers, Josep Lluis Pérez of Mas Martinet and René Barbier III of Clos Mogador, boldly worked to tame the wild landscape. Though they had known each other for most … Read More