What's "In," What's "Out," and What's TBD.
What's "In," What's "Out," and What's TBD.
Prognosticating on 2024's trends, while looking back at my favorite wines of 2023.
One thing the trend spotter never does is look behind. Hubris never looks pretty in retrospect.
Last year, in my 2023 In-and-Out list, I “boldly” predicted that light, chilled reds would be “in” and that rosé was “out.” Did this turn out to be true? I certainly saw a lot of chatter about light, chilled reds this year (such as here and here). But was I correct in declaring rosé…out? Ehhh. I mean, judging from how many pre-Memorial Day articles on rosé appeared—and how many people I saw drinking rosé—probably not.
Likewise, I prognosticated the following as “in”: Spain, huevos rancheros, caviar, kir royale, San Diego, and chickpea pancakes. Was this truly the Year of Grignolino, or did I simply have my thumb on the scale?
Meanwhile, I foretold that the following would be “out”: New England IPAs, Nashville, shallots, Negroni Sbagliato, brussels sprouts, and Italy. Was any of that true? Maybe, maybe not? Does it matter? No. And so, with absolutely no self-reflection, I offer up my new In-and-Out list for 2024.
As I’ve said before, the In-and-Out list is a blend of the hopeful, the obvious, the contrarian, and also a bit of the fanciful. Without further ado:
Some of what I’m declaring as “in” this year will come as no surprise to readers: so-called “New Spain,” Armagnac, Loire, Sparkling Wines Formerly Called Cava, Philadelphia. Others might be seen as going out on a limb: Sacramento, aged cheddar, Caesar salad, grapefruit. If you’ve followed my work over the years, some of my “out” list may contain surprises: Iceland, grüner veltliner, Beaujolais, Alison Roman, beet salads. To be clear, I still love all these things, places, and people, but sometimes the trend spotter must be a cold-blooded observer.
I have good reason to believe that still wines from Xarel.lo (with its unique Catalan punctuation) will grow in popularity this year—you can already see it on wine-bar menus.
Meanwhile, Licor 43 is going to be a spirit you’ll be hearing a lot about in the new year: The carajillo, a Mexican concoction of Licor 43 and espresso, is already supplanting the espresso martini as a go-to coffee cocktail.
As far as Carolina Gelen, I may just be a fanboy, but so are millions others, and I can’t wait for her book later in 2024. Last month I paired grüner veltliner with Carolina’s chicken paprikash—an amazing pairing that demonstrates, among other things, never to take what’s “in” or “out” too seriously.
My Wine Faves From 2023
Fourteen bottles in eight categories that pretty much sum up my year in wine. These all offer great value at various price points.
1. World-Class Reds From Sierra de Gredos
4 Monos Viticultores 'GR-10' Tinto 2021, $24
Old-vine garnacha, blended with a small amount of carignan and syrah, planted in granite soils at over 2,500 feet elevation. Lively and bright, notes of ripe cherry, pretty flowers and fresh herb, with great underlying minerality. Super gulpable.
Comando G La Bruja De Rozas 2020, $34
Everything you want in Comando G’s flagship “village wine.” Grown at 3,000 feet elevation in granite soil, this garnacha is a balance of lightness and power. Light ruby in color, fresh and juicy, bursting with cherry, herbs, and rose. Fruity but still a powerful, intense wine. Nebbiolo-like. Drinking beautifully now.
2. A Pair of Savennières
Domaine aux Moines Savennières Roche aux Moines 2019, $45
Domaine aux Moines owns 12 of Roche aux Moines’ 22 hectares, and winemaker Tessa Laroche is one of my favorite Loire producers. This is a big, charming, ripe chenin blanc with a nose of beeswax, grilled pineapple, ripe pear, and a bit of melon. In the mouth, it’s rich and bright at the same time, a burst of tangerine along with the pear and pineapple, and a subtle, underlying smokey note carrying through to the chalky finish.
Domaine du Closel Savennières Clos du Papillon 2019, $55
A stunning wine and worth the splurge, offering the experience of wines twice the price. Unique, gorgeous nose of orange flower water, sage, marzipan, and ripe pear. The floral and herbal notes carry all the way through the palate, bright and lively with intense orchard fruit, toward a crisp, mineral finish. (This source looks like it has 2015, 2010, and 2006 vintages in stock for $48, worth a shot for those curious to taste aged Savennières.)
3. Cat Balls + Grignolino
Iuli Barat 2020, $27
Made from a nearly-extinct Piemontese grape called baratuciat, which means “cat balls” in the local dialect (apparently because the grape is small and oval-shaped). Even in Piedmont, where plenty of obscure grapes thrive, baratuciat is rare. Is this “typical” baratuciat? Very hard to say. “This is an ancient grape, but there are no ancient bottles to study,” says winemaker Fabrizio Iuli. Try it for yourself.
Iuli ‘Natalin’ Vino Rosso 2021, $20
Is grignolino the new nebbiolo? Maybe, maybe not. But this is one of my favorites grignolino, and a great value. Light ruby, with a savory, earthy nose and flavors of black cherry and blackberry, and lively, elegant tannins. You won’t find the grape or vintage on the label, this wine is made from 100 percent grignolino.
4. Xarel.lo’s X Factor
Nadal X Xarel·lo Vermell 2021, $24
Nadal is one of the original wineries who left the Cava D.O. to create Corpinnat, and they make wonderful sparkling wines. This bottling, however, is pressed and fermented as a still white wine. still wine, X, made in the Pénedes D.O. from 100 percent Xarel·lo Vermell, a rare red-skinned mutation (think pinot noir in relation to pinot gris). It’s got a beautiful, fresh nose of apple blossom, lemon zest, and cut flower stem, and complex and lacy on the palate, with green apple, nectarine, and a dry talc finish. At the moment, as so often happens, Nadal X is hard to find in the U.S., but I’ve linked to one source above. Imported by VOS Selections.
Loxarel Xarel·lo d'Ámfora 2019, $22
As the name suggests, this is fermented and aged for five months in clay amphora. It’s made from the more common variety of Xarel.lo. This one veers more to the chardonnay side, with a creamy texture (with just an attractive hint of that amphora/flower pot thing), ripe white peach balanced by cool mineral notes.
5. Viognier, As Good As It Can Be
Saint Cosme Condrieu 2021, $69
I cannot tell you exactly why I love Saint Cosme Condrieu. It’s a big, indulgent, nectar-like white wine that is not generally my type. Even my tasting notes are rather banal: ripe and full-bodied, aromas of melon and pineapple, flavors of honeydew, guava, spiced pear, creamy but with an underlying saltiness and hint of smoke to balance the low acidity. Looked at through the traditional wine lens, Condrieu generally gets good scores in the 90s, but few critics offer rave reviews. You’ll find it on wine lists, but few sommeliers champion Condrieu. It’s too expensive, not “ageworthy” enough, doesn’t check enough boxes for the natty wine crowd. But I love it all the same. Perhaps my love for Saint Cosme Condrieu boils down to this: If viognier is indeed the “parsnips of wine,” then the existence of this wine is living proof of how beautiful a parsnip can be.
6. Portugal’s Surprising, Rising Whites
D. Graça Viosinho Douro Reserva 2021
We are living in a time of amazing Portuguese white wines. Viosinho is a new-to-me white grape, and this is a thrilling wine full of tension—chewy, pithy, salty, balanced by aromas and flavors of gorgeous ripe stone fruit. Available directly from Nossa Imports.
Quinta da Confeiteira ‘Oxalá' Calcario Reserva 2020
Oxalá means “I hope so” in Portuguese slang—I really hope to find this white more widely in the U.S. A field blend of arinto, antão vaz, and roupeiro, it’s flinty, smokey, with rich, ripe fruit. In a few weeks, this will be available directly from Nossa Imports.
7. Cools Reds From a Hot Place
Pinuaga La Tierra de Castilla Tinto 2021, $13
My value pick of the year. I met Esther Pinuaga this past summer in New York and was thrilled to taste her wines, especially this one made from a blend of garnacha and tempranillo. Juicy, lively, and crisp, with notes of fresh flowers and berries, an underlying herbaceousness, and a finish longer than one might expect from such a young wine. Ester is president of the Spanish Organic Wine Association, and Pinuaga’s 90 hectares has been certified organic since 2010. Most of her wines are grown at an altitude of more than 2,300 feet elevation. I like Pinuaga’s more aged bottlings as well, but this one (aged only in stainless steel) spoke to me.
8. New Wave Jerez
Raul Moreno Destellos Blanco 2021, $24
Some of the most exciting wines I tasted this year were the new-wave, non-fortified wines I sampled during a spring trip to Jerez, sherry country. This blend of traditional palomino grape and the Portuguese grape arinto, aged in chestnut casks that once contained manzanilla, tastes like a fresh, bright, complex new day in Jerez. Raul Moreno is making some of the most experimental, exciting wines in Spain right now.
Bodegas Cota 45 Ube ‘Miraflores’ 2021, $30
Ramiro Ibáñez, winemaker at Cota 45, is part of the group Territorio Albariza, which is committed to showing the amazing terroir exists in Jerez. This bottling is from a top vineyard site, Miraflores, from 80+ year-old vines of palomino, aged under flor. It’s got all the things you love about sherry—floral, earthy, briny—but with a zest, brightness, and energy that’s something unique.
Great list. My addition would be In: Small supper clubs Out: Small plate restaurants
I also love your “outing” of celebrity Tequila. It’s been a gimmick since day 1 and I hope your prediction is correct!