May 16, 2019
While there is never a wrong time to enjoy gin – that bright, refreshingly piney, clear spirit – we do think that spring and summer are an especially right time to enjoy this long-lived and historically exciting spirit. Rife with... UNFILTERED
Hanzell Vineyards: Timeless Expression of Sonoma
May 14, 2019
In 1953, James D. Zellerbach returned from his tenure as the Ambassador to Italy under the Truman administration with one goal in mind – to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California. While abroad, he spent extensive time traveling through... What It’s Not: An Exercise in Blind Tasting
May 7, 2019
In this classroom-style seminar our Skurnik Spirits team shared best practices for tasting spirits before putting our deductive sipping skills to the test. Gabriel Clary of Skurnik’s esteemed Germany, Austria, and Champagne Portfolio shared tasting techniques from the world of wine,... Meet the 2nd Generation of Four New World Icons: Kistler, Ramey, Turley, and Hirsch
May 2, 2019
It is estimated that in the United States 70 percent of all family-run businesses never make it to the second generation, and a staggering 98 percent never get to the third. The wine world is an exception – particularly in... Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey: The Rock of Chassagne
April 4, 2019
With his imposing frame and towering presence, Pierre-Yves Colin can sometimes seem built more for a rugby pitch than a cellar. When in conversation, he listens intently, his intense eyes never averting their gaze. When he speaks, it is with... The Reality of Riesling: How Our Producers are Changing the Landscape of a Challenged Variety
March 21, 2019
Why is it that the Finger Lakes wine region does not hold the same reputation as Champagne, Napa or Barolo? How can a region’s latitude be the most defining factor in its commercial success? Should the Finger Lakes AVA be... Widening the Lens: A Guide to Presenting Unusual and Overlooked Spirits
March 13, 2019
Last October, the Skurnik Spirits Team hosted a seminar at HQ entitled, “Widening the Lens: A Guide to Presenting Unusual and Overlooked Spirits”. In this three-part seminar, we explored everything from grassy Agricole rhums to unusual Italian liqueurs and discussed... 2019 Grand Portfolio Tasting: Where It All Comes Together!
March 11, 2019
It seems like our grand tasting gets even grander every year, which is why we’ve taken over the entire Met Pavilion. We wanted you to be able to explore all the sake, cider, wine, and spirits that we have to... Around the World in Ten Iconic Cocktails
February 28, 2019
In the middle of a freezing Northeast winter, thoughts of paradise beckon. Imagine a fruit-filled drink in hand as you sway in a hammock, as the ocean waves quietly crash next to you. In the early 1930s an enterprising young... Bruce Schneider: An Insuppressible Entrepreneur Finds His Groove (For Now)
February 26, 2019
It might sound a little bit like New Age mumbo jumbo when someone tells you that they’re “…trying to do less,” but when Bruce Schneider says it – after spending more than an hour relating his unrepentant entrepreneurial history –...