Gourmet-Alcohol

When I heard the news, I could not have been in a more tranquil place—lounging on a dory, hypnotized by the endless blue of the Adriatic, when my phone buzzed, shattering the peace. A glance at the screen—“sad news”—and the world suddenly felt heavier with what followed. A close friend had written to tell me that Justin Chearno, co-owner of Brooklyn’s celebrated Four Horsemen , had passed away. It hit like a gut punch. Justin. The guy I was planning to see in just a few weeks back in New York. The guy who made you feel like you belonged, even if you didn’t know him well. I wasn’t his closest confidante, but he had a rare gift. His warmth and wit made you feel like part of his inner circle. Being around him was like sitting front row, glass of wine in hand. I had interviewed Justin several times, including a podcast where we dove into his journey from music to wine. Before becoming a founding partner at the Michelin-starred Four Horsemen, Justin had been a punk and indie rocker. Mu

Recently, Chris Baker, president of Brassfield Estate Winery in Lake County, California, got a call from a major grocery. Their Pinot Gris is flying off the shelves— can you make more? Jamie Rubin, the sommelier consultant at Southwark and Ambra , ran into a similar problem: He couldn’t keep white wines on the list. “In May, we basically stopped selling reds,” Rubin says. Recently, consumers seem to have been craving one thing: crisp white wines.  Sauvignon Blanc sales are surging. New Zealand’s exports of white wine grew 20% in the year ending June 2023. According to NIQ, while other wine sales remained stagnant or dropped, white table wines were the only category to see growth.  In red-ruled Piedmont, legendary brands like Pio Cesare and Ceretto are putting their weight behind white grapes like Arneis and Timorasso . In Napa , Sauvignon Blanc is growing in popularity and pedigree, with Chenin Blanc following suit. Then Gallo snatched up Rombauer , a Chardonnay house, and