What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Sarah Clarke's wine journey started out by visiting some of the best restaurants in France, and ultimately led her to LA stalwart Republique. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/hidden-gems-wine-list-sarah-clark">She discussed her career and picked some of her favorite bottles at the restaurant</a>.
🥃 Cognac might be the best known style of brandy, but this grape-based spirit can be found in many countries around the world that <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/brandy-global-spirit-wine-whiskey">make expressions appealing to both wine and whiskey drinkers</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat ($550)
The latest edition of Buffalo Trace&rsquo;s Daniel Weller series, which is built around using different wheat varietals, is the new Spelt Wheat expression. Like most other whiskeys in the Weller lineup, this is a wheated bourbon. Buffalo Trace is famously tight-lipped about its mashbills, but what the distillery does reveal is that this bourbon was made using spelt wheat, an ancient grain normally used for baking and beer.
Peg Leg Porker &ldquo;Spirit of America&rdquo; Limited Edition Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon ($60)
This Nashville whiskey brand was founded by pitmaster Carey Bringle. The latest edition is a bottled-in-bond bourbon released to honor America&rsquo;s 250th anniversary (one of many that you&rsquo;ll see over the coming year). Details are a bit scarce about what's actually in the bottle, but given that it&rsquo;s bottled-in-bond we know that it was made at one distillery, it&rsquo;s at least four years old, and it&rsquo;s bottled at 100 proof.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 2 ($70)
Is this the year that wheat whiskey finally gets the recognition it deserves? That&rsquo;s kind of a loaded question, because it assumes that you actually think wheat whiskey deserves recognition&mdash;and I would say that it does, given that there are some truly excellent options out there to try in this often under-recognized category. One of the latest comes from MGP under its Ross &amp; Squibb line, which just added a wheat whiskey for the very first time to its Remus Bourbon brand.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/7f44a86c-9474-4953-9744-45bffb67e634.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Remus 2026 Experimental Image 2"> 
The whiskey in question is the second release in the Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series, which is spearheaded by master distiller Ian Stirsman. The first expression arrived last year in the form of a nine-year-old bourbon aged in Seguin Moreau barrels. That company mostly makes French oak casks for aging wine and cognac, but in this case they made American oak barrels that were seasoned for 24 months, toasted, and lightly charred. As mentiond before, this new release is a wheat whiskey, the first to be bottled under the Remus brand.
This isn&rsquo;t your standard 51 percent wheat whiskey (or thereabouts), however; instead it&rsquo;s modeled after MGP&rsquo;s rye recipe with 95 percent wheat in the mashbill. It was distilled in 2017, bottled at a high 113 proof, and finished in a combination of casks&mdash;tawny port, white port, ruby port, and Oloroso sherry. The result is a really flavorful and complex whiskey that is really unlike anything else you have probably tried from MGP or Remus. There are rich fruit notes that veer to the sweeter side of the flavor spectrum but step back from the precipice, along with flavors of roasted almond, dark chocolate, and vanilla custard. Overall, this is a much more interesting release than the first, and really lives up to the "experimental" part in the series&rsquo; name. This might not be your go-to Tuesday night pour, but it&rsquo;s certainly an interesting creation that is worth trying.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Dispatch From the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026 in&nbsp;Ciro, Calabria, Italy
I had the privilege of judging wines for the ros&eacute; portion of Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles this year on the southern end of Italy, surrounded by Mediterranean waters during weather that makes a warm place feel cold. We&rsquo;re in Calabria, a wine region with a 3,000-year history, where vines stretch from wind-carved hilltops to within yards of the sea. Much of it is given to ros&eacute; wine, which makes this an ideal place to explore.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/7454b76c-bb72-4ea4-a295-fb002b61869f.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Wine Comp">
The Concours Mondiale is one of the oldest and largest wine competitions in Europe. You&rsquo;ve probably come across the little medallion sticker on imported bottles in wine shops&mdash;aside from critics, it&rsquo;s one of the more time-tested ways that wineries market their wares.
Just the ros&eacute; portion alone in 2026 encompasses more than 1,200 wines from 32 countries. (Judging for whites, reds, sparkling, and sticky wines each have their own weekend later in the year.) The judges, too, are an international lot. I&rsquo;m one of just three Americans; the rest come from Britain and the E.U., as you&rsquo;d expect, but also Africa, China, and even South Korea are represented. My tasting table included judges from Italy, France, Spain, and Hungary. It seemed like we shouldn&rsquo;t agree on anything.
That&rsquo;s not exactly true; quality finds its adherents, no matter where it comes from and no matter who&rsquo;s judging. We tasted wines from eight countries this morning; the next two days will bring more sources. While I can&rsquo;t tell you who won (at least not now&mdash;I&rsquo;m not supposed to scoop the competition), I can tell you that one of our favorites was a rosado from Baja Mexico, which surprised the hell out of all of us.
We&rsquo;re looking to find wines that fulfill the charm offensive that ros&eacute; is known for&mdash;its yum factor, for sure, but also its facility with food, a thing that was proven at our luncheon an hour after tastings concluded. When I can reveal&nbsp; more of the results, I will. In the meantime, I urge you to stock up on spring pink wines from any number of Mediterranean locales, whether that&rsquo;s Provence, Greece, Spain, or even Calabria, Italy.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: March 27

Rare are the homebars of the 21st century that are equipped with a brandy warmer. The sideways snifter propped above a flickering tea candle feels more like a vestige from some old Alfred Hitchcock picture, slowly warming the spirit to release volatile aromatics. Overall, brandy is often thought of as a stodgy spirit these days, with just a few select strongholds keeping its legacy alive. But, as grape-based spirits struggle to gain traction with new consumers, it is the perfect moment for the category to reinvent itself.
Brandy&rsquo;s plight has been particularly acute in recent years. According to data from IWSR, the global leader for beverage alcohol data and insights, the compound annual growth rate for brandy in the US from 2022 to 2024 was -7 percent, worse than any other spirit category during the same period. Just this January, <a href="https://www.lvmh.com/en/publications/solid-performance-in-a-disrupted-global-economic-and-geopolitical-environment">LVMH reported</a> that cognac sales in the U.S. and China in particular were weighing down the company&rsquo;s declining revenue. While the traditional centers of brandy production lag, now is the time for new regions to court international consumers with intriguing grape spirits that satisfy both wine and whiskey lovers equally.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Brandy for the Wine Lovers</h3>
Brandy follows in the footsteps of wine, and, like wine, brandy relies on both varietal and environmental factors to determine its expression of flavor. Some of the most exciting brandies out there are speaking the oenophile&rsquo;s language of terroir, drawing on unique selection of varietals, high altitude growing, and windswept vineyards to create distinct spirits.&nbsp;
It should come as no surprise that some of the most ancient wine producing regions of the world craft legacy brandies. Georgia, which has produced wine for around 8,000 years, has enjoyed a recent resurgence in the international popularity of its wine. Brandy may follow suit.The country&rsquo;s oldest brandy house, which once sold to the Russian Czar and was later run by the Soviet Union, was only reprivatized and reintroduced to the world in the last two decades. Through all of this, <a href="https://www.sarajishvili.com/home">Sarajishvili</a> has been making brandy aged in oak since 1884.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s most exciting about Sarajishvili&rsquo;s brandies, beyond its oak-mellowed, balanced-but-sharp VSOP, is that the house relies heavily on some of the beloved native grape varietals of Georgia. Local grapes like Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, Tsitska, and Tsolikouri offer distillers advantageous high acidity, a common trait in any good brandy grape. As the wine world warms up to vintages and indigenous varietals from the Caucasus region, esteemed brandy houses like Sarajishvili should become better known.&nbsp;
We then turn to South Africa&rsquo;s domination of Chenin Blanc. Here, too, we find a brandy connection. While Chenin Blanc, locally called Steen, grows well on the windy vineyards of the Cape, it was historically used as an input of the local brandy industry. Along with Colombard, South African winegrowers favored Chenin Blanc as a suitable base for the country&rsquo;s once booming brandy industry. Some of South Africa&rsquo;s signature wines owe their existence to brandy.
Narina Cloete, head winemaker at <a href="https://www.blaauwklippen.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorag4N1j4gOcYfjlH23HESjGKQ7qVxtnEqrpDmiohMyagdRQCwH">Blaauwklippen</a>, explained: &ldquo;Brandy is a big part of the South African wine and spirits history. As Blaauwklippen is the oldest wine farm in Stellenbosch, it is a must for somebody that values great brandy, history, and tradition.&rdquo; She pointed to two varietals, Colombard and Chenin Blanc, as being essential.&ldquo;They are the workhorses of South Africa&rsquo;s white grape varieties and make excellent base wines for our brandies,&rdquo; she said. While the vineyard is known for their red wines, Blaauwklippen also pot distills the iconic white grapes and ages the eau-de-vie for 10 years.&nbsp;
Further off the beaten path is a rising star in the category&mdash;Singani, Bolivia&rsquo;s unique, high-altitude brandy made from Muscat of Alexandria grapes. Unlike the oak-aged expressions of Georgia and South Africa, Bolivians tend to drink their Singani as a clear spirit, often in a chuflay, a highball made with ginger ale and citrus. This common usage bolsters the relevance of brandy as a cocktail spirit.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are lucky that Singani is as versatile as it is, simply by nature,&rdquo; said <a href="https://singani63.com/">Singani 63</a> CEO Richard Scully, &ldquo;Many bars and restaurants showcase their creativity by pushing Singani to new limits. We see this in the excitement of early adopters&mdash;they share their enthusiasm, encouraging new experimentation, and the creativity continues. Singani&rsquo;s distinctiveness makes it stand out like a new color in a box of crayons, offering an original experience to cocktail culture.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The most distinct part of Singani production? The grapes must grow in vineyards at least 5,250 feet above sea level. The spirit is light, bright, sharp&mdash;just like the dizzying altitudes of the Andes.
In Eastern Europe, the Balkans are also home to a deep distilling tradition. But the most intriguing offerings from this region ultimately push the oenological envelope&mdash;they are made from plums instead of grapes. While you might be hard pressed to find a Serbian wine at your local shop, imported rakija offers a different essence of fruit. Serbian brandies, in particular, treat plums just as winemakers treat grapes. Brands like <a href="https://starasokolova.com/?lang=en">Stara Sokolova</a> distill spirits only from the trnovača variety, while <a href="https://yebiga.com/">Yebiga</a> opts for the čačanska rodna fruit. If you&rsquo;ve memorized all your grape varietals, it might be time to sip some Balkan brandies and brush up on your plums.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Brandy for the Whiskey Lovers</h3>
If talk of varietals and terroir is not enticing enough, brandy has the dual-appeal of being an aged spirit. From time-honored cognacs matured in French oak to newer brands relying on used bourbon barrels, brandy is a spirit that can be very appealing to whiskey lovers.&nbsp;
Take, for example, Asbach Uralt, a German brandy that has a variety of aged expressions at different price points. The legacy distillery on the right bank of the Rhine looks to cognac as a model and exclusively uses Limousin oak from south-central France to age its spirits.&nbsp;
In America, Louisville distillery <a href="https://copperandkings.com/">Copper &amp; Kings</a> is vying to reclaim brandy&rsquo;s story as a heritage American spirit by relying on bourbon barrels for maturation. &ldquo;If I told you that for every three bottles of bourbon sold in America, there is one bottle of brandy sold, it would be hard to believe,&rdquo; said Rob Bourdon, owner and CEO of Copper &amp; Kings American Brandy Company.
His distillery buys Muscat, Chenin Blanc, and Colombard grapes from California, but the rest of the process, from fermentation to distillation and aging, is rooted in Kentucky&rsquo;s bourbon tradition. From custom fabricated copper pot stills to aging in ex-bourbon barrels, Copper &amp; Kings keeps pace with their corn-fed counterparts, although there are differences.&ldquo;We have a cellar downstairs and we control our aging environment,&rdquo; said Bourdon. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have that rough and tough aging environment that bourbon goes through; brandy is a softer spirit.&rdquo;&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not that there is no brandy-making tradition in the U.S.&mdash;on the contrary, Bourdon wants to reclaim that history. &ldquo;We have this rich American heritage with brandy, and if you asked someone on the street, they wouldn&rsquo;t know that,&rdquo; he said. But when we look at the domestic brands that dominate the category, they are selling at lower price points and gathering dust on the bottom shelf. The largest brands, like Gallo&rsquo;s E. &amp; J., Sazerac&rsquo;s Paul Masson, Heaven Hill&rsquo;s Christian Brothers, and Korbel, all hail from the vineyards of California.&nbsp;
It makes sense that America&rsquo;s brandy heartland would be where over 80 percent of its grapes are grown, but these brands aren&rsquo;t necessarily trying to capture the attention of new consumers. Instead, excitement is drawn to brands like Copper &amp; Kings that are adding a new small-batch, craft spirit twist to the category.&nbsp;
In farflung countries, distillers are approaching the brandy category with a newfound vigor (even if they follow a centuries-old tradition.) &ldquo;Drinkers around the world are self educating like never before and seeking fun, new and authentic experiences,&rdquo; said Singani 63&rsquo;s Scully, &ldquo;The category of grape spirits is vast and exciting.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Even as brandy struggles at the macro level, there is a silver lining coming from regions that have not always been part of the discussion. Cognac may feel a bit dated and stuffy to some, but Georgian brandy has the apricot zing of a newfound treasure, South African brandy breathes with the southeasterly winds of the Atlantic, and Kentucky is adding some Southern char and sweetness to California grapes. If you look around, it&rsquo;s easy to see that the current doldrums in the brandy industry could be setting the stage for some exciting new waves to come.&nbsp;

Why Brandy Has Become a Global Spirit That Appeals to Both Wine and Whiskey Drinkers

There aren&rsquo;t many sommeliers in California who can claim that they learned formative professional lessons at dining tables in Paris and Lyons. But that&rsquo;s where Sarah Clarke, wine director at Republique in Los Angeles, got her introduction to fine wine.
Her father was an executive for a French pharma company, so she traveled there often in her late teens and early twenties. That meant visiting gastronomic icons like Brasserie Lipp, Le Coupole, and others. And that&rsquo;s also where she had her first &ldquo;meaningful&rdquo; sip of Champagne. &ldquo;At the time, La Coupole was serving a flute of Champagne with a little strawberry wedge on the side,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It just looked so elegant and ladylike, and I loved how it made me feel. Pretty soon I started loving what was actually in the glass.&rdquo;
After attending the Culinary institute in Hyde Park, NY, she ended up in Los Angeles, where she did stints at some of the finest restaurants with the city&rsquo;s top chefs. Those included Joachim Splichal at the Patina Group, Jos&eacute; Andr&eacute;s at the Bazaar and Saam, Mark Peel at Campanile, Nancy Silverton in the Mozzaplex, Antico Nuovo, and Chef Walter Manzke at Republique, where she&rsquo;s been since 2021.
Through it all, she&rsquo;s navigated a restaurant downturn, a myriad of dietary fads, a scandal or two, a pandemic, and the peripatetic twists and turns of every beverage whim Angelenos can throw at her.
Republique is the place to do it. It is the closest thing the city has to an omnibus eating experience in Los Angeles right now. This is a place to pop in for a casual coffee and baked good, a delicious casual lunch, or a fine dining experience that rivals any in Southern California. Eating here can be as mellow as a bite at the bar or as complex as a prix fixe extravaganza complete with intricate wine pairings. Clarke&rsquo;s list, now at about 1,800 SKUs, can keep up.
That&rsquo;s partly because Chef Walter Manzke had opened two other restaurants just out of the pandemic and neither could be sustained, so Clarke took on extra wine inventory from both. But the real reason is that Republique is a wine destination, a place for people in search of game-changing wine experiences, from basic to almost unattainable. Also, said Clarke, she&rsquo;s striving to keep with Manzke&rsquo;s intricate, wildly creative menu stride for stride.
&ldquo;We fleshed out certain categories that are essential for pairing,&rdquo; said Clarke, &ldquo;that maybe aren&rsquo;t something people buy every day, like Rieslings and Champagne. But we&rsquo;re pretty fortunate, you know, we sell a lot of those too. Chef Walter still does lots of tasting menus; I can use all of it for pairing.&rdquo;
Clarke comes to Republique after several seminal wine program directors preceded her in the position, many of whom are stars in the wine firmament here, like Taylor Parsons, Maria Garcia, and Sam Rethmeier. All three of these had a love for French and German wine that was unparalleled. Italian was represented as well, but Clarke, with her tenures at Antico Nuovo and especially the Mozzaplex, was given free rein to flesh out selections from the Boot.
She&rsquo;s slowly winning over her boss, a dyed-in-the-wool Francophile. &ldquo;He gets to try lots of incredible Burgundy all the time,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When I ask him, &lsquo;Do you want to try some great white Burgundy, Chef?&rsquo; He's like, &lsquo;Is that even a question?&rsquo; I'm like, &lsquo;Good point.&rsquo;&rdquo;
But she&rsquo;s found that he loves Barolo and Barbaresco, and he&rsquo;s warming to Brunello. &ldquo;I haven't quite taken him on the whole tour through Friuli or Campagna, but we&rsquo;re getting there,&rdquo; she said. She also snuck a couple of Sicilian wines into his glass. &ldquo;A nice minerally Italian white wine can be really useful when the menu items involve squid or octopus or things like that.&rdquo;
Below are a few of the rarities and additions Sarah Clarke has brought to the Republique wine program. &ldquo;Nearly everything I&rsquo;ve brought on is from a smaller house,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;where the sense of soul is more palpable. It's not just everything is perfect and fancy, but you get a grasp of what the winery is, what the winemaker&rsquo;s intentions, and their commitment.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">2021 Brezza Barolo Castellero, from the MGA of Barolo ($160)</h3>
Right now we&rsquo;re pouring the&nbsp; 2021 Brezza Castellero Barolo by the glass. I love Enzo Brezza. I've stayed at his place many times, and have had many meals with him. He's such a sweet man.
He makes a number of single vineyard Barolos. There&rsquo;s one called Sarmassa, and it&rsquo;s probably a better wine, more long lived anyway. But I love the finesse and the beauty of Castelero. It's so enticing, it&rsquo;s everything you want in a Barolo. It's got scents of rose and tar and everything that you expect, but in this one there's almost a little bit of purple flower, like lavender and things like that that just make it so pretty. There's definitely tannin, but it's not like huge, grippy Monforte tannin, or a young Cannubi. And, you know, good Nebbiolo always has that beautiful sultry aroma. I think partly that&rsquo;s why they go so well with truffles. I love that wine to pieces.
<h3 dir="ltr">2020 Franzen Bremmer Calmont Riesling, Mosel, Germany ($150)</h3>
I don't know how unusual you're going to consider this, but I think it's very interesting. The 2020 Franzen Bremmer Calmont comes from the steepest vineyard&hellip; in Europe, for sure, maybe anywhere. They actually have to rappel down the hill to get to the grapes. Every year there are accidents during harvest, people falling.
I got it initially just because I thought that sounded so extreme, and so I was like, &ldquo;I want the wine from the steepest hillside in all of Europe.&rdquo; Plus, it&rsquo;s Riesling from the Mosel. Why not? But when I got to tasting it, it has a really beautiful richness, not just minerality that you expect. That one&rsquo;s extremely unique, and kind of a special wine to me.
<h3 dir="ltr">2020 Borgo del Tiglio Friulano Ronco delle Chiesa Friuli ($210)</h3>
I love Friulano. I think it's a really special grape. I love how it has that beautiful upfront floral quality, and then the little bit of bitterness on the finish. It works so well with food, especially if you're eating something rich. This wine is so versatile, from a fourth generation family who isolated this singular, more aromatic version of the Friulano grape. It&rsquo;s like a skeleton key for so many dishes.
Most people have never heard of Friulano, but they love this pairing. I absolutely love being there the moment you see the light switch on, the joy on someone else's face, when the wine clicks. That's my favorite thing.

The Hidden Gems on My Wine List: Republique's Sarah Clarke

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Is Arizona on your radar as a notable wine region? If not, Asonta Benetti makes the case for <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/arizona-wine-destination">why you should consider wine from this southwestern state</a>.
🥃 Three decades into his career, Jefferson&rsquo;s Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller is still experimenting, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/trey-zoeller-jeffersons-bourbon">and has a lot to say about American whiskey</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
New Riff Silver Grove Bourbon and Rye ($60)
At six years old, these are the oldest expressions in New Riff&rsquo;s Silver Grove lineup to date. The bourbon is bottled at 116.4 proof and made from a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye and 5% malted barley; the rye is bottled at bottled at 115 proof and made from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted rye. Proceeds from the sales of these whiskeys goes to benefit the Silver Grove Community Foundation.
Kavalan L&Aacute;N Single Malt Whisky ($80)
Taiwanese distillery Kavalan makes some truly fantastic single malt. This new release is a blend of whiskies aged in port, bourbon, and STR wine casks (shaved, toasted, recharred), bottled at 43 percent ABV. That has given it notes of sweet fruit, jasmine, orange, and cinnamon, making this another notable world whisky in this rapidly growing category.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Oban 15 Year Old Port Cask Finish
Last year, one of the best single malt scotch whiskies came from Oban, the small coastal distillery owned by Diageo that is often outshined by its much better known counterparts like Lagavulin and Talisker. That whisky was the 15 Year Old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Finish, a 55.3 percent ABV single malt that stood out in a crowded field of many new releases. This year, Oban has returned with another new cask-finished expression, and it&rsquo;s also one worth seeking out: Oban 15 Port Cask Finish.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/fc9f2f0a-20e9-478b-9f35-8533be46ee5a.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Oban 15 Hero Image">
As you can tell by the name, this whisky is different from last year's release because it is finished in port instead of sherry casks&mdash;specifically, it spent 15 years in American oak hogsheads and then was given a secondary maturation in American oak ruby port casks from Portugal, and bottled at 52.1 percent ABV. This is the second in this series of 15-year-old whiskies, so presumably there will be more coming down the line.
The whisky at hand is perhaps not quite on the level of last year's sherry cask finish, but if you consider it as a standalone release it&rsquo;s certainly in the conversation about noteworthy new scotch whiskies to try. The exact amount of time it spent finishing in port casks is not revealed, but it's likely less than a year based on the information provided. That has imbued it with rich and syrupy fruit notes, as well as vanilla, maple, black pepper, honey, and baking spice flavors. And the higher proof than normal goes a long way here, leaving some lingering heat on your tongue as it fades.
Oban often talks about the maritime influence on its whisky that comes from the distillery's proximity to the sea, and you may or may not pick that up here (I found the port influence to obscure that for the most part). Regardless, the distillery is a key member of the Diageo portfolio that has put another excellent new whisky into the world, and it's one that is well worth seeking out.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Cadre 2024 San Luis Obispo Coast Band of Stones Gruner Veltliner ($30)
There have been a number of stabs at growing and making Gruner Veltliner in the U.S. since the late &lsquo;80s, when Austria pulled off its minor putsch on the American market. Talk about anything but Chardonnay. Gruner was fresh and verdant, full of energy and somehow weightless in lighter, federspiel bottlings, more weighty and full-bodied in smaragd styles. It didn&rsquo;t taste like oak, it didn&rsquo;t taste like fruit salad, it was its own racy self.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/b8939904-0304-4593-90a5-b6a0072e5307.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Gruner">
Not surprisingly American winegrowers set down some gruner vines, and did what they could to capture that bolt of green lightning, with plantings in the Finger Lakes, Oregon, and parts of coastal California. Most seemed a little wan, too pale or too one-dimensional to approximate Austrian versions.
In the mid-2000s, John Niven took a portion of his family&rsquo;s pioneering vineyard Paragon in the Central Coast&rsquo;s Edna Valley and planted cool climate whites, including Albarino, Gruner, and Sauvignon Blanc, to found Cadre. The vines are nearing 20 years of age, and the wines are really showing some character, none more than the 2024 Cadre Gruner Band of Stones.
This comes mostly from older vines at Paragon, a relentlessly cool site not five miles from the Pacific. It&rsquo;s aged in steel, and malo is suppressed. Its scent is spot on&mdash;green pea shoots and salted citrus, a hint of ground pepper, and a&nbsp; tropical fruit base, like papaya. Made at a federspiel level of richness, this wine is structured to be bright and racy, less fat, more sun. The acidity and saline tang reminds you of its coastal character and proximity to the sea. Grab a bottle and head to the beach.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: March 20

Arizona is a Southwestern state known for its varied topography, flora, and fauna, stretching from arid deserts to snowcapped mountains. It's not necessarily known as a prolific wine-producing region in the eyes of many people, but the fact is that there is a long history of viticulture here. Similar in temperature and geography to Spain and Southern France, it should really come as no surprise that the state&rsquo;s winemakers aren&rsquo;t only succeeding&mdash;they are in fact thriving.
There are now approximately 150 wineries in the state across three different regions, a number that has doubled over the past decade. Arizona&rsquo;s intense climate has become its biggest viticultural strength instead of a hindrance. Most of the vineyards are set at high elevations (4,000 to 5,000 feet is common), resulting in some of the most dramatic diurnal temperature shifts in the country. Vintners have used intelligent irrigation strategies to mitigate water scarcity, like capturing the moisture from summer monsoons, and have planted grapes that respond well to the intense sunshine.&nbsp;
The extensive growing season contributes to whites with balanced acidity, such as Viognier, Malvasia Bianca, and Chardonnay, and full-bodied reds that pack a punch made with robust&nbsp; varieties like Syrah, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, and Grenache.
<h3 dir="ltr">The History of Arizona Wine</h3>
There are reports of winegrowing in the Arizona territory as far back as the 16th century, when Spanish missionaries settled in the area&rsquo;s southern regions. By the late 19th century, the territory of Arizona had a burgeoning wine industry, supplying settlers in the Phoenix area and Central Arizona. In particular, the Verde Valley was singled out for its potential to support vineyards after Henry Schuerman founded a successful winery in Oak Creek in the 1880s.&nbsp;
Arizona was on track to become a substantial player in the American wine industry, but Prohibition brought that upward trajectory to a sudden stop. The state&rsquo;s viticulture was left in the dust for almost 70 years, until soil scientist Dr. Gordon Dutt planted experimental grapes in 1972. He recognized the potential in Southeastern Arizona, not far from where the Spanish had planted vineyards hundreds of years before, and created the state&rsquo;s first modern commercial wine vineyard, Vina Sonoita.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Three AVAs</h3>
Arizona&rsquo;s three regions are at high elevation, meaning there are significant diurnal temperature swings&mdash;90 degree days are not uncommon, while the temperature can dip into the low &lsquo;50s by nightfall. However, the regional similarities end there.&nbsp;
Sonoita, usually referred to as Sonoita/Elgin, is just a couple of hours south of Phoenix. This was Arizona&rsquo;s first AVA, getting its official designation in 1984. Nestled between four different mountain ranges at an elevation of 5,000 feet, Sonoita has an arid, hilly landscape with soils that are an alluvial mix of limestone and volcanic fragments. Wild grasses mix with flowering Red Yuccas and endless blue skies here, and Arizona&rsquo;s famous sunsets are particularly spectacular set against the vineyards.&nbsp;
A little over an hour northeast of Sonoita is Willcox, Arizona&rsquo;s second AVA established in 2016. The town of Willcox is historic, with several 19th century buildings and museums marking its Old West past. Tasting rooms now occupy the historic brick buildings across from the old Railroad Park, which once housed mercantile centers. Willcox is home to the majority of Arizona&rsquo;s vineyards, a broad basin composed of loamy soils set at approximately 4,500 feet. Miles of flat, scrubby desert landscape extend towards the distant Chiricahua mountains, where nights bring endless stretches of stars.&nbsp;
A couple of hours north of Phoenix in Central Arizona is the Verde Valley AVA, the most recent of the three that was established in 2021. This is high country where Fremont cottonwood trees and Arizona sycamores sway in the wind, with vineyards set at around 3,800 feet. The area is named after the Verde River, so the sedimentary deposits found here are unsurprising. But the soils also contain volcanic remnants. Most visitors don&rsquo;t realize that nearby Hackberry Mountain and House Mountain are just two of hundreds of volcanoes&mdash;most but not all extinct&mdash;that cover Central and Northern Arizona. Look for a heavy basaltic influence here, and clay derived from volcanic ash as well as limestone.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Arizona Wine Community</h3>
&ldquo;Generosity of spirit is the first thing that comes to mind,&rdquo; said Arizona vintner and noted wine writer Pavle Milic about the local community. &ldquo;When my wife and I first moved to Sonoita and Elgin, everyone offered counsel, advice, and a helping hand.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a theme often repeated&mdash;fellow winemakers are here to help because there is a belief that a rising tide raises all ships. Not only that, but they all face the same unique struggles. &ldquo;When you add in the challenges like spring frosts, hail, monsoon rains, or javelinas (wild creatures from the pig family who are perfectly content to eat grape leaves and wreck irrigation lines), it just makes that spirit even more impressive,&rdquo; said Christina Barrueta, contributing editor to The Somm Journal. &ldquo;Winemakers here experiment, they adapt, they persevere, and they do it while supporting and looking out for each other.&rdquo;
There are dozens of worthy wineries all across the state, but start with these Arizona producers that are worth cellaring (that is, unless you choose to drink them now).
Caduceus Cellars + Merkin Vineyards
Known outside of winery circles as the frontman for the progressive metal bands Tool and Puscifer, Maynard James Keenan has spent decades as one of the biggest and most visible advocates for Arizona wines. Keenan owns vineyards across the state, with several in the Verde Valley, which he championed tirelessly to become an AVA. Guests can go to the Merkin Vineyards Trattoria in Cottonwood or a tasting room in the funky town of Jerome to experience what Keenan has been crafting since 2004.&nbsp;
Keenan has two separate labels, Caduceus and Merkin, focused on Spanish and Italian wines. Merkin has more blends, like the Shinola collection that features grapes from the Al Buhl Memorial Vineyard near Willcox and includes Sangiovese, Barbera, and Montepulciano. Caduceus leans more towards single-vineyard grapes. These are powerful, structured wines, so don&rsquo;t be shy about holding them back for a few years. The wait will be worth it.
Los Milics Vineyards
As a restaurateur, magazine columnist, and podcaster, Pavle Milic has spent years educating the locals about the bounty of wines outside their front door. Working the front of the house in California kitchens helped fuse the idea of weaving local wines and food together. Upon returning to Arizona, he and chef Charleen Badman opened Scottsdale&rsquo;s FnB in 2009, focusing on local ingredients and an Arizona-only wine program. In 2014, he created Los Milics, a wine collaboration with Dos Cabezas, before finally planting vineyards of his own in 2018 in Sonoita with partner Mo Garfinkle.&nbsp;
Los Milics specializes in Mediterranean varieties like Syrah, Grenache, and Vermentino. But it also dabbles in more tannic varieties like Tannat, Teroldego, and Vranac for a blend Milic calls Mo&rsquo;s. &ldquo;Three behemoths,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;that will need at least a couple of years to hit their stride and allow the tannins to soften.&rdquo;
Callaghan Vineyards
If there&rsquo;s a godfather of Arizona wines, there&rsquo;s a case to be made that Elgin&rsquo;s Kent Callaghan fits the bill. &ldquo;Kent is a stalwart of Arizona juice, a true north star,&rdquo; said Milic. Established in 1990, Callaghan Vineyards has been leading the charge for cultivating grapes in the state&rsquo;s challenging environment, a pursuit born out of trial and error. They found success with varieties like Petit Verdot, Grenache, and Graciano. And by 1992, Callaghan was crafting wine with fruit grown on the estate.&nbsp;
The honors arrived soon after with wins at Missouri&rsquo;s Jefferson Cup Invitational and the San Francisco Chronicle Competition, where last year their 2022 Aglianico took home gold. Their wines have been served at the White House on four different occasions. The winery remains one of the state&rsquo;s standard-bearers. &ldquo;The Estate Graciano and Tannat are particularly age-worthy,&rdquo; wrote Barrueta.
Dos Cabezas WineWorks
Say the names &ldquo;Todd and Kelly&rdquo; in local Arizona wine circles and everyone knows who you&rsquo;re referring to, no last name needed (though, for reference, it&rsquo;s Bostock). Todd joined as winemaker for Al Buhl&rsquo;s Dos Cabezas in 2002. And in 2006, the Bostocks took over the winery and relocated to Sonoita, planting two high-elevation vineyards to varieties that include Tempranillo, Mourv&egrave;dre, and Syrah. They&rsquo;ve also never been afraid to try new things, making sparkling wines, blends inspired by the Rhone Valley and Spanish wines, and co-ferments. They were also the first Arizona winery to produce canned wines, and run the best pizzeria in southern Arizona.
Todd and Kelly have been recognized nationally, including as Winemakers to Watch by the San Francisco Chronicle, and their wines have also been served at the White House. Perhaps what&rsquo;s more impressive is the recognition they receive from heavy hitters in their own backyard. &ldquo;Back in May of last year,&rdquo; said Milic, &ldquo;we hosted a winemaker dinner where Todd wanted to demonstrate how Malvasia Bianca ages. He poured a 2021 that had aromatically morphed from its usual tropical notes into something more savory&mdash;almost spearmint-driven&mdash;and decidedly serious in tone. It was a beautiful reminder that Arizona whites, when given the chance, can evolve in compelling and unexpected ways.&rdquo;

Why Arizona Should Be Your Next Wine Destination

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Vicki Denig <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/hidden-gems-smithereens-nikita-malhotra">spoke to Nikita Malhotra</a> about her journey into the world of wine, and some of her favorite bottles at her NYC restaurant Smithereens.
🥃 It&rsquo;s almost St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day, so Gina Pace <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review">wrote about the category&rsquo;s comeback</a> and picked some of the best and most collectible bottles to consider.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Lux Row Estate Bourbon ($100)
This is the first estate bourbon from Lux Row, a project that master distiller John Rempe has had in mind for some time now. It&rsquo;s a five-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon made from a mashbill that includes #2 yellow corn (78% corn, 12% malted barley, 10% rye) that was actually grown at the Lux Row estate and bottled at 107 proof. Official tasting notes describe honey on the nose and brown sugar, black cherry, and dark chocolate on the palate and finish.
Barrel Cigar Blend ($85)
This is the first cigar blend from Louisville&rsquo;s Barrell Craft Spirits. The whiskeys in the mix were aged from 7.5 to 18 years and finished in three different types of barrels: Madeira, Armagnac, rum, and Hungarian oak. Like any other cigar blend you can certainly enjoy this without smoking, but the flavors of Boston cream pie, grape soda, cedar, and pecan pie on the palate make this a good whiskey to pair with a stogie.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
High West Bourye ($125)
High West&rsquo;s Bourye isn&rsquo;t the only bourbon-rye blend that you can find on liquor store shelves anymore, but it was one of the first to combine these two distinctive styles of whiskey. The 2026 release just arrived, and there have been some changes this year&mdash;most notably, the ABV is higher at 50.5 percent (101 proof, for all you Wild Turkey fans). But that&rsquo;s not the only thing that makes this excellent whiskey stand out.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/e1ac0ed7-f191-473b-8389-16619413cd79.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="260207 Bourye 9">
The blend changes a bit from year to year, and the details for this year&rsquo;s release are as follows. The mashbill combines two different bourbons and two ryes, three of them sourced and one produced in-house. The bourbons were made at MGP in Indiana from a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt; and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley. One rye also comes from MGP&rsquo;s classic mashbill of 95% rye, 5% barley malt; the other is made in-house at High West from its mashbill of 80% rye, 20% malted rye. Each whiskey was aged for a minimum of 10 years and up to 19 years, and the final blend has not been chill filtered. &ldquo;We re-evaluated Bourye in 2026 to better showcase the elegance and complexity of its 10+ year‑old whiskeys,&rdquo; said a rep for the distillery in a statement. &ldquo;With the rich, decadent flavor that emerges in whiskey over long maturation, this blend can boldly embrace a higher proof while maintaining balance, depth, and approachability.&rdquo;
I&rsquo;d say the High West team succeeded in that with this release, which is the best Bourye in recent memory. While the exact proportions are not revealed, there is clearly a balance of bourbon and rye present as you sip, and one style does not overtake the other. That means that sweet maple, honey, and vanilla notes are nicely balanced with dried fruit, black pepper, and a cabinet full of baking spices. And at 101 proof, there&rsquo;s a nice warming heat on the finish.
High West recommends that you sip Bourye neat&mdash;preferably &ldquo;around a campfire while looking at the Milky Way.&rdquo; Please do try it that way, it sounds pretty nice especially as the weather starts to warm up a bit. But the whiskey also happens to work very well in a Manhattan, so give that a try too. However you choose to drink the new Bourye, you won&rsquo;t be disappointed.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
R&eacute;my V ($35&mdash;this week&rsquo;s wine pick is a spirit)
Sometimes it&rsquo;s worth it to go against type. Earlier this month, Cognac house R&eacute;my Martin announced the U.S. debut of a new neutral spirit distilled from grapes called Remy V (35% ABV). It&rsquo;s an un-oaked, unadorned eau-de-vie with a Cognac pedigree.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/50f943f5-698a-4737-96be-605e47dbac64.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Remy">
The Grande Marques house of R&eacute;my Martin has moved steadily in the direction of finer and finer bottlings of Cognac, culminating with Louis XIII Black Pearl, an expression that retails for north of $30,000. Compare that to your basic Louis XIII, one of the finer things that&rsquo;s ever landed on my tongue, which goes for a mere $4,000-$5,000. &nbsp;R&eacute;my Martin is a house known for the balance and finesse of its brandies; to my palate, it&rsquo;s always been a house that emphasizes clarity over concentration or depth of flavor.
Cognac, of course, is a white spirit before it becomes a brown spirit. Distilled from grapes in copper pot stills, the R&eacute;my V bottling draws from what the house does best. There is often a raw phenolic (and not unpleasant) bite to the flavors of un-oaked grape brandy, similar to grappa or other eaux-de-vie concoctions that are made, pretty much, wherever grapes are grown. It may be a neutral spirit, but R&eacute;my V is less neutral than vodka, and much closer to grappa in its character.
As such, it has grappa&rsquo;s gorgeous aromatics. Freed of the influence of oak, the nose is lifted and bright, smelling of toasted lees and ripe pear, with a light topnote of white tea. The palate is rich, round, and slightly sweet (they&rsquo;ve added a pinch of sugar to round out the texture), with a pleasing phenolic bite. It feels like an ideal base for citrus cocktails, or sipped over a single sphere of ice.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: March 13

Wine has always been a part of Nikita Malhotra&rsquo;s life. Born in New York to immigrant parents, Malhotra&rsquo;s family had a rather unique relationship with alcohol. Her great-grandfather was a scotch importer with the British Raj in India, which led her family to embrace the convivial nature of eating and drinking early on. &ldquo;My family was always very open&mdash;even my great-grandmother would ask for a nip of whisky whenever she was sick,&rdquo; she laughed.&nbsp;
Malhotra&rsquo;s father, who had a construction company in India&mdash;along with a bio-physics degree&mdash;sold his company and moved to Cleveland for a lab job, though his dreams of owning something in America held firm. &ldquo;The opportunity to purchase an existing business in New York presented itself, so he grabbed at the chance,&rdquo; she said, and he ended up opening a wine and spirits store on New York&rsquo;s Upper East Side. Using his base knowledge of spirits, Malhotra&rsquo;s father eventually became a self-taught wine connoisseur, taking every opportunity possible to taste and learn&mdash;which eventually trickled down to Malhotra herself.
&ldquo;By the time I was in my teens, my parents were pouring me glasses of wine and teaching me very basic things; wine had become such a big part of their lives,&rdquo; she recalled, adding that a bottle was always present on her family&rsquo;s dinner table. She studied philosophy, but then pivoted to the hospitality industry. After completing wine courses and various gigs, Malhotra eventually became a sommelier at Tribeca Grill, followed by a stint as wine director at Momofuku Ko. However, she craved the opportunity to expand her knowledge. &ldquo;​​I wanted to go back to being a student,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I love being a mentor, but I think to be a good mentor, you have to acknowledge that there's also more to learn.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Enter Pressoir, the wine experience-focused company behind La Paul&eacute;e, La Tabl&eacute;e, and La F&ecirc;te du Champagne. Malhotra joined the Pressoir team as head sommelier in 2023 and never looked back. Here, she&rsquo;s been able to greatly expand her knowledge of&mdash;and taste thousands of bottles from&mdash;Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rh&ocirc;ne Valley. Eventually, the hospitality bug pulled her back in. In conjunction with her role at Pressoir, Malhotra opened Smithereens, a New England-inspired, seafood-focused restaurant in the East Village, with her business partner, Nick Tamburo. At Smithereens, Malhotra keeps her list tight, but purposefully so. &ldquo;I always knew it would be a small wine program because of the space constraints, but that was exciting for me,&rdquo; she said, describing the restaurant&rsquo;s list as her personal playground.&nbsp;
In addition to the regular list, Malhotra incorporates a rotating theme, which changes every three to four months. Past themes have focused solely on Grenache, Champagne, and other specific regions/varieties. The end goal is to simply open her guests&rsquo; minds to new things. &ldquo;I want to have a wine program that maybe in some ways gets people to think and engage,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s leading the vision at Smithereens.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Below are few of Malhotra&rsquo;s current favorites (edited for clarity and concision):
<h3 dir="ltr">Champagne Etienne Calsac 2021 Avize Grand Cru &lsquo;Clos des Maladries'&nbsp;</h3>
I've enjoyed watching Etienne Calsac grow and progress through the years, and I have had the pleasure of visiting him and hanging out with him and his wife in Los Angeles (I have a great video of [them] singing and dancing). We have the 'Clos des Maladries' Grand Cru Avize 2021 on our list. The label features the illustration of a doctor during the Plague, a reference to the name of the vineyards. &lsquo;Maladries&rsquo; is a term that comes from the Middle Ages, and the fruit here comes from vines that Etienne's grandfather planted in the &lsquo;70s.
<h3 dir="ltr">Lukas Hammelmann 2023 Pfalz 'Z' Zeikam Aus der Dorfen Chardonnay&nbsp;</h3>
Lukas Hammelmann captured my staff's attention when he came in to dine last year, and his Chardonnays have me believing the many promises people have been claiming about German expressions of the grape. At Smithereens, we can't help but champion German wine. I'm glad to report it is not just me that is aligned on this, as the whole staff fully supports our German producers! We have Hammelmann's Chardonnay 'Z' 2023, a the village-level bottling (the &lsquo;Z&rsquo; stands for Lukas&rsquo; hometown village of Zeiksam on loess and sandstone soils). This bottling is delicious. As with most German wine, be it Riesling, Syvaner, or even Chardonnay, there is a sense of energy that is expected, and this delivers.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Domaine Mie Ikeno 2022 Yamanashi &lsquo;Moonlight Harvest&rsquo; Chardonnay&nbsp;</h3>
Mie Ikeno is considered one of the great winemakers in Japan, so of course I am excited to have any of her wines on the list. However, I am especially excited to have the 'Moonlight Harvest' Chardonnay 2022. As the name implies, the team harvests at night for this bottling. Most of us get into wine because it provides us the opportunity to be life-long students, and I certainly get that chance with wine from Japan, and her story of giving up her journalism career to go learn how to make wine in France reinforces the idea that we are constantly learning in the wine world.
<h3 dir="ltr">Perkins-Harter 2024 Eola-Amity Hills Bracken Vineyard Pinot Meunier&nbsp;</h3>
Shelby is a force, and her wines communicate a bit of that personality. I always love sharing her bottles with guests, and her Pinot Meunier offers such a great way to discuss the cool climate in Bracken Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. The wine is vivacious, balanced, and fun&mdash;and for a seafood restaurant, it is the type of red wine that meets any challenge a dish may present.
<h3 dir="ltr">Quinta dos Pesos 1994 Carcavelos Vinho Generoso Fortified Wine (500ml)</h3>
We like to feature a couple of fortified wines at Smithereens, as an ode to how New Englanders drank many years ago in taverns [with] secret toasts against the British. The wines of Quinta dos Pesos present us with the almost lost wines of Carcavelos, Portugal&rsquo;s smallest appellation, located just west of Lisbon. With the passing of Manoel de Boullosa in 2005, operations ceased and there is almost no production left in this region. We usually have a couple of vintages to pour, and at present we have the 1994.&nbsp;

The Hidden Gems on My Wine List: Smithereens' Nikita Malhotra

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Matthew J. Kaner <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/uruguay-wine-collecting">wrote about how Uruguay is becoming just as recognized</a> as its South American neighbors for its high-quality meat and fantastic wines.&nbsp;
🥃 Are you an Old Fitzgerald fan? Susannah Skiver Barton has <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/what-to-drink-next-old-fitzgerald">some other wheated bourbons to recommend</a> if you are interested in trying something that is a little easier to find.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Johnnie Walker Black Cask ($35)&nbsp;
This is the first new release from Johnnie Walker in about 15 years. It&rsquo;s a new blend that is geared towards bourbon drinkers, and to meet that specific flavor profile it&rsquo;s aged exclusively in ex-bourbon casks as opposed to the mix of casks that regular Johnnie Walker Black is matured in. That gives this blend stronger notes of vanilla, maple, and honey, and makes it a good choice to use in cocktails.
Compass Box Hedonism ($165)
This is the oldest version of this whisky to date, an expression that was originally released back in 2000. It&rsquo;s a blended grain whisky (the brand says it was the first of this style when it came out) that is now a limited annual release. Some of the components in the blend are a 30-year-old whisky from Strathclyde Distillery, and whiskies ranging from 20 to 24 years old that were distilled at Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. This latest version features actress Karen Gillan as the muse on the label, continuing the tradition of keeping women at the center of its visual identity.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey 20th Anniversary Limited Edition ($85)
When&rsquo;s the last time you drank wheat whiskey? The odds are that it&rsquo;s been a while, and that&rsquo;s understandable&mdash;even though some major distilleries produce this category, it&rsquo;s just not nearly as popular as bourbon or rye. One legacy name that has had a wheat whiskey in its lineup for some time now&mdash;two decades, to be precise&mdash;is Heaven Hill, and to celebrate that anniversary it released this new 20th Anniversary Limited Edition.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/045cc555-5027-47cf-bdbb-2ab0d2ecce5d.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Bernheim 20th Anniversary"> 
Bernheim, which first launched in 2005, is made using Heaven Hill&rsquo;s wheat whiskey mashbill: 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley (remember, wheat whiskey must contain at least 51 percent wheat in the mashbill). That makes it a &ldquo;just legal&rdquo; wheat whiskey that still has a lot of sweetness to it due to the large amount of corn in the recipe, so it is something that still appeals to bourbon drinkers (the use of wheat also adds some sweetness, but it doesn't go overboard here). The core expression is a seven-year-old whiskey bottled at 90 proof, but this new 20th Anniversary edition is aged for ten years and bottled at a much higher 115 proof.
Those extra three years in the barrel and that stronger ABV really paid off. The 20th Anniversary expression is a really good whiskey, and one that you should try whether or not you are already a fan of the wheat whiskey category. The higher proof brings some heat to the palate, as you&rsquo;d expect, but there&rsquo;s a lot going on underneath that, with flavors like cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla, almond, oak, and sweet molasses that pop as you sip. Pour this whiskey over a large ice cube and let it dilute a little if you prefer to sip on something less strong&mdash;that brings out some new flavors. Or mix it up in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned&mdash;there's a complexity that will shine through whatever other ingredients you throw at this whiskey.
Some other Heaven Hill releases have come out in the past month that might get more attention, including the new Heritage Collection 22-year-old bourbon. But this is a bottle that will be easier to find (and cheaper when you do), and is definitely worth checking out.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Big Salt 2024 Oregon White Blend ($25)
This week&rsquo;s wine is a personal favorite. It&rsquo;s one of my wife&rsquo;s wines of spring, and it&rsquo;s a wine I always have in the fridge as the temperatures rise. Big Salt is the love child of John and Ksenija Kostic House of the Oregon wine brand Ovum. I was introduced to the Houses through Ovum, one of those rare wineries in Oregon that for years politely declined to make red wine, least of all Pinot Noir.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/ea6647ff-4880-459a-a761-b15d829a7c58.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Big Salt">
Instead, Ovum was responsible for some of the most challenging, complex, and idiosyncratic white wines in the Pacific Northwest. John and Ksenija tracked down and resurrected older vineyards of Riesling and Gewurztraminer, many in Oregon&rsquo;s southern reaches, many planted in the &lsquo;60s and &lsquo;70s. Armed with unique fruit sources, they built a program of exceptional creativity, doing work in the cellar to make their wines as singular as four walls and the odd concrete egg would allow&mdash;Austrian casks, skin contact, late releases, long elevage. They were and remain some of the most challenging and thrilling wines on my tasting table each year.
Then came Big Salt. Established in 2016, Big Salt drew from a similar palette of aromatic varieties, usually Riesling with a healthy dose of Gewurztraminer and Early Muscat, many of which seemed to be hard sells on their own (later vintages included Pinot Blanc, sometimes a bit of Chardonnay). But Big Salt was irresistible&mdash;an unabashedly forward white wine with beautiful aromatics, juicy, mouthwatering fruit, and tangy acidity. It was an unpretentious, thoroughly delicious alternative, and it flew off the shelves. A Big Pink and Big Orange soon followed, and demand far exceeded supply.
Big Salt proved to be irresistible for Jackson Family Wines too, who have been making wine in Oregon for a little over a decade, and whose own creative teams had devoted plenty of research toward wines of a comparable immediacy and deliciousness. One could argue that their original signature success, K-J&rsquo;s Vintner&rsquo;s Reserve Chardonnay, is another version of the same thing, from another era. Big brand or small, the goal is the same&mdash;to give the people something in their glass for spring and summer bashes.
The Houses will continue to make Big Salt, but they now have the resources and fruit sources to increase production and broaden distribution, something they&rsquo;ve been wanting to do for many years. So grab Big Salt whenever you see it.

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