Wine Star Awards | Wine Enthusiast https://www.wineenthusiast.com/category/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/ Wine Enthusiast Magazine Thu, 08 Feb 2024 21:54:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.5 The 24th Annual Wine Star Awards Looks to Foster the Wine Drinkers of Tomorrow https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/wine-star-awards-2024/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:23:24 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=165912 The industry’s most influential movers and shakers explored how to attract younger wine lovers amidst changing drinking habits. [...]

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The ballroom at the swank Eden Roc Miami Beach resort was packed Monday night as the wine industry’s most influential movers and shakers gathered to celebrate Wine Enthusiast’s 24th annual Wine Star Awards. The mood was celebratory but determined: The evening’s unifying theme was the future and how the wine business should navigate it amidst changing drinking habits.

Wine Star Awards 2024 event
Image Courtesy of MarkTomaras.com

“I firmly believe that the generations coming of age—those 78 million millennials—will in time find pleasure in understanding and enjoying wine as part of their lifestyle, just as their 75 million baby boomer parents did,” said Wine Enthusiast Chairman and CEO Adam Strum in his opening remarks to the event’s several hundred attendees.

“As an industry, we have to continue to find ways to make the products—in terms of taste, packaging and brands—relevant to them. And that is our theme for this entire evening.”

You May Also Like: Wine Enthusiast’s 24th Annual Wine Star Award Nominees

The gala’s awards portion kicked off with the recognition of Carolyn Wente of Wente Vineyards as an American Wine Legend. Wente is the first woman in Wine Stars’ history to receive the honor. Wine Enthusiast President, Editor and Publisher Jacqueline Strum noted Wente’s unique brand of perseverance and focus on building a robust business strong enough to pass on to the next generation of leaders.

“It’s that kind of courage that empowers and inspires women—like myself—to take a leap of faith in creating a legacy for future generations,” said Strum.

Carolyn Wente accepting her 2024 Wine Star award for American Wine Legend
Image Courtesy of MarkTomaras.com

Wente paid homage to the generations that came before her as she looked toward the future. “As we celebrated our 140th year, I am reminded of the generations that have nurtured our company with passion and perseverance,” she said. “From the soil to the cellar, to the distributors and retailers and to everyone that has shared a bottle of Wente Vineyards—each one of you has played an indispensable role in our story.”

Other moving scenes included the moment Joseph E. Gallo of E. & J. Gallo Winery received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Gallo was unable to attend the ceremony, but his three children accepted the award on his behalf.

Joseph E Gallo's Children with Adam Strum
Image Courtesy of MarkTomaras.com

“When we learned that our father would be honored with this award, we imagined being in the audience with all of you and celebrating him up here,” said Stephanie Gallo. “If he were here tonight, he would tell you he always followed his father’s advice: ’Just do the obvious.’ But Dad, you always went beyond the obvious.”

Another powerful turn arrived when Social Visionary of the Year Carlton McCoy took the podium. McCoy won the award not only for his work as CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates and managing partner of Demeine Estates, but as co-founder of The Roots Fund, a non-profit organization focused on securing a pathway for the BIPOC community in wine. As he accepted the statue, he asked his co-founder Ikimi Dubose to stand.

“I asked her to stand so you know who to write the checks out to!” he said to a room full of laughing. “I’m not kidding,” he said with a smile.

Carlton McCoy and Dara Kapoor after accepting his Wine Star Award for Social Visionary of the Year
Image Courtesy of MarkTomaras.com

Later in the evening, Writer-at-Large and reviewer for Piedmont and Northern Italy Jeff Porter awarded the honor of European Winery of the Year to Ca’ Del Bosco of Italy’s Franciacorta region. He painted a beautiful picture of the winery’s beginnings: “A small country house nestled amongst a forest of chestnut trees in an area of unimaginable beauty and unexplored possibility was the start,” Porter said. Ca’ Del Bosco Co-Owner Gaetano Marzotto, chairman of the board for Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo, accepted the statue—and invited the entire audience to the winery’s grounds in the province of Brescia in Italy’s Lombardy area.

“The Zanella family arrived over fifty years ago in Franciacorta and set their sights in terms of size both in the vineyard and in the winery—now we have to work steadily to continue to deserve what we have achieved by always aiming for qualitative excellence,” he told the crowd. “Please come and visit us in Franciacorta!”

The evening concluded with honoring the Person of the Year, The Wine Group’s John Sutton. He left the audience with poignant thoughts to consider as the affair wrapped up.

John Sutton during his Wine Star Award 2024 Person of the year acceptance speech
Image Courtesy of MarkTomaras.com

“As we forge this future together, I’ll leave you with this question: Are we doing enough—as an industry—to attract the wine lovers of tomorrow?” he asked. “Most of all, are we meeting their needs for quality products at affordable price points? For accessible, great-tasting wine—whether that’s a $10 or $100 bottle of Cab—that will ultimately help them fall in love with this incredible industry like we all have?”

Attracting and fostering the next generation of wine enthusiasts is the shared task before us, he continued. “I have no doubt there will be many insightful conversations about this tonight, and well into the future.”

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Wine Star Award Winners 2023 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/wsa/wsa-winners-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?page_id=163026 Winner’s Toolkit Wine Star Awards 2023 Meet the winners of Wine Enthusiast’s 24th annual Wine Star Awards Each year, Wine Enthusiast celebrates the most influential members of the wine, spirits and beverage world for the annual Wine Star Awards. This year marks the 24th anniversary of honoring the individuals and companies that make outstanding contributions [...]

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Winner’s Toolkit

Wine Star Awards 2023

Meet the winners of Wine Enthusiast’s 24th annual Wine Star Awards

Each year, Wine Enthusiast celebrates the most influential members of the wine, spirits and beverage world for the annual Wine Star Awards. This year marks the 24th anniversary of honoring the individuals and companies that make outstanding contributions to the industry. Below are the 2023 Wine Star Award winners exemplifying dedication and innovation to the success and growth of wine and alcohol beverage. Nominated by members of our global sales, events, marketing and editorial divisions with final selections made by our executive publishing team, winners will be honored at our black-tie gala in February 2024.

Explore the 2023 Wine Star Award Winners

Lifetime Achievement Award

Joseph E. Gallo

American Wine Legend

Carolyn Wente

Person of the Year

John Sutton

Winemaker of the Year

Alessio Planeta

Wine Executive of the Year

Christian Wylie

Innovator of the Year

Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine

Social Visionary of the Year

Carlton McCoy

Wine Region of the Year

Charlottesville, Virginia

American Winery of the Year

Black Stallion Estate Winery

European Winery of the Year

Ca’ del Bosco

New World Winery of the Year

Antigal Winery & Estates

Importer of the Year

Prestige Wine Imports

Retailer/Marketplace of the Year

3 Parks Wine Shop

Spirit Brand of the Year

George Dickel

Sommelier/Beverage Director of the Year

Jhonel Faelnar

Want to recognize this year’s nominees and winners? Check out our Winner’s Toolkit here.

Wine Star Awards

24th Annual Wine Star Awards

Monday, February 5, 2024

Eden Roc Hotel, Miami Beach, FL


Please Join Us in Congratulating the 2023 Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Award Winners at This Year’s Black-Tie Gala. Register forTickets HereorTables Here!

For event inquiries on the annual Wine Star Awards gala, please contact LaShana Daniels at LDaniels@wineenthusiast.net.

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Successive Generational Wine Legacy Continues to Elevate the Industry. Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine, Innovator of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/innovator-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:57:35 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163076 The Pasqua family lays claim to over 100 years of legacy in the wine industry, but never rests on their laurels. [...]

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The Pasqua family lays claim to over 100 years of legacy in the wine industry, but never rests on their laurels.

The Pasqua family lays claim to more than a 100-year-legacy of grape growing and winemaking in Italy’s Valpolicella region. The generational connection has led to some great achievements for Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine, but the current generation is not resting on the laurels of their great-great grandparents.

For them, the inflection point came in August of 2014 when Chairman Umberto Pasqua and his two sons, Riccardo and Alessandro (CEO and president respectively) unveiled a plan to revolutionize the family business and create an estate that would not just represent the vines they grow or the wines they make, but the lifestyle, art and culture that has always inspired their work. The family blended their legacy with the history of their hometown of Verona and the art that surrounds them with the release of the “Romeo & Juliet Passiomento” Rosso, an appasiomento-style wine blended between Corvina, Croatina and Merlot—tradition, and innovation in a bottle. The wine became an immediate success.

Simultaneous to this release, Pasqua achieved Equalitas certification, which validates that their sustainable practices are integrated in the vineyards as well as the economic and social fabrics of the community. These practices ensure that the future generations of the Pasqua family and their employees can continue the work in a manner that benefits all.

With their success, the family was called to find a way to aid other visionaries who saw the world in an unconventional way. They began an initiative called “Talent Never Tasted Better,” sponsoring visual artists, dancers, musicians, chefs and athletes to help them realize their dreams. The sponsorship enables these individuals to produce unique, often genre-bending ideas that push the boundaries in their respective artistic fields, just as the Pasqua family has done with their wines.

For their drive, passion and vison to use their family legacy for the betterment of the wine industry, Wine Enthusiast is proud to honor Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine, the “House of the Unconventional,” as the Innovator of the Year in the 2023 Wine Star Awards.

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‘It’s a Recognition of the Whole Portfolio,’ Says Nicole Austin, Director of George Dickel, Spirit Brand of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/spirit-brand-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:31:02 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163035 George Dickel, a brand deeply rooted in American distillation history, is pushing the boundaries with its line of modern, innovative whiskeys. [...]

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George Dickel, a brand deeply rooted in American distillation history, is pushing the boundaries with its line of modern, innovative whiskeys.

It’s not often a historic brand is reinvigorated as a must-have. But that’s what happened when Nicole Austin, now Director of George Dickel and Luxury Whiskey, came on board in 2018. Under her stewardship, the brand has transformed into a powerhouse, turning out award-winning bottles sought after by bartenders and collectors alike.

The brand’s story began in 1878, when George Dickel, an established Nashville merchant, opened Cascade Hollow Distillery. The company was first known as Geo. A. Dickel & Co. The distillery prospered until Prohibition effectively shuttered the business. A full 25 years after the repeal of Prohibition, in 1958, the brand was revived and began producing Geo. A. Dickel Tennessee Whisky. Today, nearly 150 years after the distillery first opened, the brand—now known as George Dickel—continues to produce whiskey in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

When Austin arrived on the scene, she brought a fresh perspective, having worked at both a small craft distillery in Brooklyn, where she honed her creative instincts, as well as Tullamore Dew, where she learned the rigors and efficiencies of working with a large facility. She viewed the job as twofold, she recalls: first, to preserve the standard and legacy of the Tennessee whiskey brand; second, to find a way to work with a significant archive of aged whiskey.

“What’s the best use of this whiskey?” Austin remembers thinking. “Given all this inventory we have, what would be the most beautiful use, and what would I be most proud of, looking forward 20 to 30 years?”

What followed was a string of outstanding whiskeys, including a 17-year-old reserve, a 15-year-old single barrel, Dickel Bourbon, Bottled-in-Bond vintage whiskeys and the experimental Cascade Moon series. The Dickel 8-year-old bourbon has become the biggest seller, Austin says, overtaking even the flagship Signature Dickel Classic.

The lauded bourbon bottling has also provided a talking point for Austin’s ongoing efforts to improve education about Tennessee whiskey (“It’s bourbon with something a little extra,” is her pithy explanation about the charcoal-filtered American whiskey), a critical step in getting the word out to legacy bourbon consumers and continuing to drive sales forward.

You May Also Like: These 7 Top-Rated Tennessee Whiskeys Prove It’s Not All About Kentucky

Most recently, Austin found inspiration in her craft distilling roots, teaming with Denver craft distillery Leopold Bros for an innovative new rye bottling, the George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend. The release blends Dickel’s rye with Leopold’s Three Chamber Rye, to recreate a robust, historic style of rye whiskey.

“We launched it as a one-off to see, would anyone be interested, would anyone care?” Austin explains. The response: Consumers were so interested that the product will become a permanent part of the Dickel line. “It cements a relationship between one of the largest distilleries in the world and a craft distillery—I don’t know of any others,” Austin says. “I’m hugely proud of it. It’s resurrecting a historic style of rye. That’s huge news, and it’s the thing I’m most proud of in my 10-year career.”

While it’s gratifying to see certain bottles win awards and acclaim, Austin says she is also pleased to see more consideration given to Dickel overall—including this Wine Star Award. “It’s a recognition of the whole portfolio,” she says. “That people are noticing not just one bottle, but that this whole place is special.”

For its transformation from historic mainstay to consumer must-have, George Dickel is the recipient of Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star for Spirit Brand of the Year.

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‘If You Want Something to be Better, Just Change It,’ Says Carlton McCoy, Social Visionary of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/social-visionary-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:30:30 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163150 Carlton McCoy’s leadership in the wine industry has opened the doors for dozens to create careers of their own. [...]

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Carlton McCoy’s leadership in the wine industry has opened the doors for dozens to create careers of their own.

“When I first started studying wine, I only knew of two Black sommeliers—Andre [Hueston] Mack and Nadine Brown—it was very rare at the time to see myself in the industry,” says Carlton McCoy of becoming a master sommelier in 2013. “Had I an organization then that could have given me a sense of community and guidance, it would’ve made the road a lot easier.”

This difficulty of starting his wine journey, coupled with participating in the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), is ultimately what inspired McCoy to cofound The Roots Fund with Ikimi Dubose-Woodson and Tahiirah Habibi in 2020.

“From the beginning, we knew we had to address the lack of wine education and career opportunities available to communities of color,” he says. The hard work of the small-yet-mighty board of directors of The Roots Fund has, over the course of just four short years, opened the doors for dozens of students who receive funding for wine education as well as hands-on experience in various sectors of the wine industry. McCoy credits his cofounder and fellow board member Dubose-Woodson for her passionate and focused approach for getting so much done so quickly. “We get a lot done for a small organization because everyone’s really committed, and we don’t just talk about things—we get them done.”

As cofounder and CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates, McCoy heads legendary Napa Valley estates such as Heitz Cellar, Burgess Cellars and Stony Hill Vineyards as well as brands like Ink Grade, Brendel and Haynes Vineyard and Château Lascombes in Bordeaux. And as managing partner of Demeine Estates he oversees a portfolio that includes the Lawrence Wine Estates wines as well as other import partners such as Legras et Haas, Domaine de Montille, La Chablisienne and Mazzei. He began in these roles in 2019, a year prior to the one that would completely change the world as we knew it: California wildfires, a global pandemic, racial unrest on a national scale. But instead of overthinking these things, McCoy made a conscious decision to lead with instinct and move with purpose.

“I’m a big believer that if you want something to be normalized, just normalize it,” he says. “If you want something to be better, just change it.”

This is the strategy he employs as a leader in the wine world and hopes to inspire others to take on as well. Among his key hirings is Philana Bouvier, president of Demeine Estates, one of very few women of color in any type of leadership position in the importing sector of the wine business. With its Dream It, Live It initiative, Demeine Estates aims to use its established network to provide unique opportunities for minority-owned businesses and organizations promoting social responsibility committed to changing the wine industry (such as the Roots Fund).

McCoy comments that receiving this honor isn’t really about him, it’s about recognition for the work and results that come with taking action in a genuine way. “I just hope to be an example for people to act on the things they say they care about,” he says. For his dedication to diversity and inclusivity and ability to take action and make change happen within the wine industry, Wine Enthusiast is proud to name Carlton McCoy the Social Visionary of the Year in the 2023 Wine Star Awards.

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‘The Wines [Were] What the Public Was Looking For,’ Says Rusty Pape, CEO Prestige Imports, Importer of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards. https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/importer-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:30:03 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163033 The persistence and grit of a once small, three-person team, has grown into a globally recognized company that has shaped the American wine palate. [...]

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The persistence and grit of a once small, three-person team, has grown into a globally recognized company that has shaped the American wine palate.

In 1988 the world of wine in the United States was a sleeping giant. Consumers were primarily imbibing in domestic wine, beers and cocktails. The time was right for a focused importer to hit the scene and help catapult Italian Pinot Grigio into the spotlight. Mezzacorona, the 1,600-farmer strong cooperative from Trentino-Alto Adige established Prestige Wine Imports to broaden its market and change the taste of America. What started as a small upstart has transformed over 35 years into one of the most important and iconic importers of Italian wine and has helped shape the wine palate of countless consumers.

The House built by Pinot Grigio began as a three-person operation that hustled its way into the shelves of retailers and wine lists across the United States. CEO Rusty Pape, who joined Prestige Imports in 1991 recalled that “there were only the three of us and we were only in a few states, but the wines seemed to be what the public was looking for and sales grew and grew.” The excitement from the consumers was not overnight but the spark was lit, and Prestige imports stoked that fire and today the wines are distributed across the entire United States. Prestige Wine Imports has grown steadily and has helped introduce and reintroduce several Italian regions into the US market, from Trento DOC, in northern Italy, with the brand that started it all, Mezzacorona, to the famed sparkling estate Rotari, the historic Chianti Classico estate Castello di Querceto, and the Stemmari estate in Sicily. Their persistence, grit and vision continue to help shape the American palate and with the foundation they have laid, there will be much more coming from Prestige Wine Imports in the future.

In recognition of its persistence, grit and vision that continues to help shape the American palate Wine Enthusiast is happy to name Prestige Wine Imports the Importer of the Year in the 2023 Wine Star Awards

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‘The Problem I Was Solving Was Making Wine Approachable,’ Says Sarah Pierre, Proprietor, 3 Parks Wine Shop, Retailer of the Year | 2023 Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/retailer-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:30:00 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163219 At Atlanta’s 3 Parks Wine Shop, wine is all about diversity, inclusivity—and fun. Learn more about 2023's Retailer of the Year winner here. [...]

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One of the things Sarah Pierre, proprietor of 3 Parks Wine Shop in Atlanta, learned from years in the restaurant industry was never to say no to a customer. If that meant sending someone to run down the street to buy theater tickets so a dallying diner wouldn’t miss their show or running to the supermarket to grab an ingredient that would delight a guest, Pierre did it. When she opened 3 Parks in 2013 with a determination to do things differently, she brought this ethos.

So, she always said yes to her customers and found ways to surprise and delight. She’ll note when a regular customer has a baby and then, years later when those birth vintages came into the shop, she’d let them know she’d put aside a special bottle for them. (This is beyond next-level calendar-remindering.) As Pierre remembers, the lesson she learned long ago was: “The answer is yes, what’s the question?”

The only real limit was space. “For us at 3 Parks, the only time we ever really had to say no was when someone was like, ‘I want to host an event.’ or ‘Can I have my birthday party here?’ ‘I want to propose to someone,’” says Pierre. “We just didn’t have the space to accommodate people and private events and parties during the day.” And tastings would pack the store—with a line of people streaming onto the sidewalk.

The opening of a second 3 Parks location this past November remedies those issues. Custom-designed by Pierre to do it all, including accommodating day-time events and larger tastings, it benefits from 10 years of learnings from running a retail wine shop at the hub of Atlanta’s burgeoning wine scene.

Over that time Pierre has built the type of clout where she can convince a distributor to bring on a brand she wants to carry so she can stock it. But at the heart of 3 Parks is its eclectic and curated wine selection, wildly popular wine club and welcoming atmosphere that all add up to a shop that Demario Wallace, beverage director at Oliva Restaurant Group, calls his favorite wine shop in the country.

Donae Burston, La Fete Wine Company founder and CEO (and himself an influential member of the wine community) calls “3 parks is a cornerstone of East Atlanta and the overall wine community in Atlanta,” and adds “It is truly much more than a typical wine shop and it all starts with Sarah.

When Pierre first opened in 2013, she did not have the benefit of that experience and just saw a void. “My mission was to open a store that my friends wanted to come to, that everybody wanted to come to, and that’s what I did,” she says. From the start, the store was more than a place to buy booze. “We started hosting wine tastings right away. They weren’t formal by any means. The music was on, and it was kind of like this little party.”

As Burston puts it, “She has created that neighborhood coffee shop vibe but in a wine shop.”

Also Featured In: The Best Wine Shops of 2023 Are Community Hubs

The other issue Pierre saw back then was that wine was perceived as a bit stuffy and standoffish. “The problem that I was solving was making wine approachable, making wine fun, diversifying wine, making wine inclusive,” Pierre says. “It was mostly just, like, how do we get people to enjoy this incredible product?”

She sees the tasting and events that are the hallmark of 3 Parks as being very much about access. She doesn’t think wine needs to feel intimidating, though recognizes it can. She wants, if they take nothing else away from her events, for everyone who attends to feel comfortable ordering off a wine list when they leave—so they won’t be shut out. “The business deals happen at a dinner table,” she says, just as “business deals happen on the golf course, on the tennis courts—but to be the person who’s afraid to speak up or even afraid to be able to hold the wine list, I hate that for them.”

For successfully modeling a truly accessible and community-driven wine retail business, Wine Enthusiast is proud to honor 3 Park Wine Shop with the Wine Star Award for Retailer of the Year.

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‘We Take Sustainability Seriously,’ Says Alessandra Cartoni, CEO Antigal, New World Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/new-world-winery-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:29:43 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163075 Innovation and sustainability are at the forefront of Argentinian winery Antigal. Learn more about this Argentinian winery here. [...]

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Innovation and sustainability are at the forefront of Argentinian winery Antigal.

In 2000, the Chilean Cartoni family made a bet on the quality of the wines produced in Argentina and embarked on their first venture in the wine business. They bought a century-old winery in Maipú, Mendoza, hired an architectural firm to refurbish the building and added the latest winemaking technology.

Being new to the wine business meant opportunities to be innovative, says CEO Alessandra Cartoni who works alongside her brothers and father. Today, Antigal produces 2.5 million bottles per year and exports to 70 countries. The vast portfolio consists of a range of red and white wines from Uco Valley and Maipú, including single vineyard selections.

Antigal’s commitment to sustainability has led them to obtain several social and environmental certifications from organizations such as LETIS, Bodegas de Argentina and Sedex, among others. “We take sustainability seriously,” says Cartoni, who emphasizes that the future lies in organic viticulture. Currently, the family has 32-acres of organic vineyards within proximity to the winery and plans to gradually convert the rest.

Cartoni personally believes in sustainability as a holistic concept that includes the company’s culture as well. Gender inclusion is just one example: Antigal’s finance, marketing and winemaking departments are each under female leadership. “Women value and see things from a different perspective. Working with them has a positive impact on the company,” says the Cartoni.

Miriam Gomez, director of enology and viticulture, has been working at the winery for 16 years with the aim to create a distinctive wine style reflective of Antigal and Argentinian terroir. “We want our wines to preserve their unique identity and exhibit a well-defined varietal character. They must be elegant. This is done through vineyard management, the timing of the harvest and making the right decisions during the winemaking process.”

Embracing Antigal’s innovative spirit, the winemaker and her team are working on a new project that will expand the portfolio by introducing new grape varieties and regions. They are determined to showcase Argentina’s ability to produce wines beyond Malbec and continue pushing boundaries within the industry.

On the same note, Cartoni believes that Argentina, being perceived as a country that excels at winemaking, should leverage this reputation. “We as producers must capitalize on this perception and show the diversity of wines made in this land.” This integrated vision of the wine industry has helped the family position their wines domestically and abroad—and for their success, innovation and sustainable practices, Wine Enthusiast proudly names Antigal New World Winery of the Year in the 2023 Wine Star Awards. 

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‘Ca’ del Bosco is Counterculture,’ Says Maurizio Zanella, Founder, Ca’ del Bosco, European Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards. https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/european-winery-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:29:27 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163032 With more than half a century of wine industry history, Ca’ del Bosco continues to push the boundaries of Italian winemaking. [...]

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With more than half a century of wine industry history, Ca’ del Bosco continues to push the boundaries of Italian winemaking.

The perfectly clear glass. The sheer golden wrapper. The sculpted calligraphy. Ca’ del Bosco has long captured the imagination of sparkling wine drinkers with its iconic packaging, but it’s what’s in the bottle that counts. And given the evergreen elegance it projects, one might be led to think that the liquid inside is all about tradition—about staying the course and satisfying expectations. But ask founder and chairman Maurizio Zanella for a one-word description of his winery and he’s quick to set the record straight: “Ca’ del Bosco is counterculture.” From the first of its kind high-density plantings in 1971 to the introduction of a unique pressing method in 1995 to going fully organic in 2014—for Zanella, cutting against the grain has been and always will be the defining momentum behind Ca’ del Bosco, and it’s that unapologetic, irreverent attitude that continues to characterize its wines.

Indeed, it was Mr. Zanella’s untamed spirit that got everything started, after his involvement in the 1968 counterculture movements in Italy led him to fall behind in high school and prompted his parents to force him to return to their family farm. Desperate to escape to a more exciting atmosphere, he pitched a trip to France to his still skeptical parents as an opportunity to learn more about winemaking, secretly hoping to use it to be closer to the beating heart of the student rights’ movement. Instead, it brought him to the beating heart of fine winemaking, at the estate of Domaine Romanée-Conti, where he found a viticultural universe turned upside-down. “They were using horses instead of motorized tractors in the vineyards, and the Italians I was with laughed and said, ‘Oh, we’re so much more advanced than this.’” But Zanella understood their disregard for new technologies was not a rejection of the future, but rather an emphasis on terroir and purity of fruit. This is what inspired him. He decided to bring the cool confidence and honest simplicity he witnessed in France back home, convinced that he could use the same methodology to make the wines of Franciacorta shine.

Today, with more than a half century of history under his belt and with Ca’ del Bosco widely recognized as the ultimate point of reference in Italian sparkling wine, Zanella says the winery is focused firmly on honing perfection from excellence. “No more growth, no more extending the reach, just making the most out of what we’ve already accomplished,” he says. Yet as experiments like the exceptional release of a Franciacorta that has enjoyed no less than 42 years on the lees, Ca’ del Bosco is not done pushing back against expectations. Constantly looking to the horizon for the next challenge while consistently delivering the timeless pleasure of quality sparkling wines—it’s not the traditional method, it’s the Ca’ del Bosco method.

The post ‘Ca’ del Bosco is Counterculture,’ Says Maurizio Zanella, Founder, Ca’ del Bosco, European Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards. appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

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‘The Delicato Family Has A Commitment to Another 100 Years of Making Great Wines in California,’ Says Ralf Holdenried, Winemaker, Black Stallion Estate Winery, American Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/american-winery-2023/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:29:09 +0000 https://www.wineenthusiast.com/?p=163031 The Delicato family is dedicated to their legacy of producing highend wines that express the diversity Napa terroir has to offer. [...]

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The post ‘The Delicato Family Has A Commitment to Another 100 Years of Making Great Wines in California,’ Says Ralf Holdenried, Winemaker, Black Stallion Estate Winery, American Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

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The Delicato family is dedicated to their legacy of producing highend wines that express the diversity Napa terroir has to offer.

Although it is one of the younger wineries in the Napa Valley, Black Stallion Estate Winery’s history began almost a century ago when Gaspare and Caterina Indelicato immigrated from Sicily to the United States. While the couple planted a single vineyard in the Central Coast to begin their wine journey, its legacy continued to expand across different AVAs in the region. In 2010, Delicato Family Wines planted roots in the Oak Knoll District of the Napa Valley, on the grounds of a former equestrian center, establishing Black Stallion Estate Winery and specializing in beautifully crafted, small-lot Cabernet Sauvignon.

“From a vision and strategy standpoint, we were aligned from the very beginning, and I think that’s why we’ve been so successful for the last 10 years,” says head winemaker Ralf Holdenried, who joined the Delicato Family Wines in 2014. “Even though the company has been around for a long time, I was able to create a vision [for Black Stallion] with the family to establish a great Napa winery and shape the brand, the wine style and how we make wines.”

Holdenried adds that the Delicato family plays an amazing role in creating a family atmosphere. “We had a fourth-generation family member join the winemaking team a few years ago, so the family legacy continues,” he says. “His involvement also signifies, to me, the commitment that the Delicato family has to high end wines, to Black Stallion and to another 100 years of making great wines in California.”

Further to the brand’s success is the consistency of the high-quality grape supply and maintaining relationships with good vineyards. “You have to have good grapes in order to make good wine, so securing the grape sources was step number one.”

While Cabernet Sauvignon is Black Stallion’s flagship wine, Holdenried says the winery’s mantra is to find some of the most exciting vineyards in Napa Valley that can contribute unique characteristics to not only the single varietals but also blends that can express a balanced variety of textures, aromas and flavors. “I really focus on this art of blending to highlight individual sites,” he says, commenting on Black Stallion’s ability to source from the diverse terroir of Napa Valley.

Looking forward, Holdenried says that Black Stallion Estate Winery will continue to provide great quality wines, begin experimenting with different grape varieties and expand guest experiences at the winery. For that, Wine Enthusiast is happy to honor Black Stallion as the American Winery of the Year in the 2023 Wine Star Awards.

The post ‘The Delicato Family Has A Commitment to Another 100 Years of Making Great Wines in California,’ Says Ralf Holdenried, Winemaker, Black Stallion Estate Winery, American Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

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