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Between formal tastings and vineyard visits, industry events and cocktails out with friends, Wine Enthusiast staff get to sample a lot of delicious things. Sometimes that translates to a list of top-rated California wines or a rundown of our favorite Super Tuscans. But other times, we sip something extraordinary that doesn’t neatly fit into any stories we’re currently working on. That’s why we’re launching a new series in which we share fantastic things our staff is enthusiastically drinking right now.July brought the dog days of summer, with temperatures jumping well above 100°F in many parts of the U.S. Some staff took refuge inside air-conditioned bars, sipping cocktails for fast and cold relief. Others grabbed crisp wines or canned ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, perfect for enjoying poolside. In one case, a standout oyster shooter (which counts as a drink, right?) blew our food editor out of the water. Here's everything we drank in July that will have us talking until next month—when we do it all over again. Image Courtesy of Chateau d'Yquem Chateau d’Yquem 1987 Enjoyed at: Peak in New York City “It’s hard to decide, but I have to say the best thing I drank this month was Chateau d’Yquem 1987 in magnum at Peak in New York City’s Hudson Yards. It was absolutely luscious, with flavors of apricot, white peach and honeycomb and a seductive texture. It was almost better than the view, and it was a perfect sweet note to wrap up a terrific dinner.” —MIKE DESIMONE, WRITER AT LARGE Image Courtesy of Kara Newman Negroni on Draft Enjoyed at: Marta in New York City “I'm not always a fan of pre-mixed cocktails at bars, but this one was just right—right bitter-to-sweet ratio, perfectly chilled and delivered lightning-fast.” —Kara Newman, Writer at Large Image Courtesy of Michael Alberty Crushpad Pilsner Enjoyed at: Wolves and People Farmhouse Brewery in Newberg, Oregon “On a 95°F Sunday, this brilliant German-style pilsner delivered brisk, floral and spicy refreshment. Best of all, the Crushpad’s bright pink and yellow can is a tribute to the local winery workers who work the crush pad like champions every fall. No exaggeration, the Crushpad fuels many a Willamette Valley harvest.” —Michael Alberty, Writer at Large Image Courtesy of Emily Saladino Nimome Soju Enjoyed at: C as in Charlie in New York City “There's a lot to love about the menu at C as in Charlie, a restaurant with Korean and Southern American influences in New York City’s Noho neighborhood. After my dining companions and I ate our weight in dishes like gochujang-glazed popcorn chicken and kalbi with Gruyère grits, I was delighted to sip Nimome soju. This tangy soju is made with Jeju Island tangerine peels. It's tasty, refreshing and beautifully balanced—just the thing to cap off a long meal with old friends on a hot summer night.” —Emily Saladino, Writer at Large Image Courtesy of Arielle Weg Ramon Bilbao Verdejo 2022 “The Ramon Bilbao Verdejo 2022 is an exceptional summer wine that comes at an even more exceptional price point. The crisp wine has flavors of grapefruit and orange, with floral, grassy and fennel notes. I paired it with spicy Impossible meatballs in a golden cherry tomato broth with crusty bread, which balanced the intense acidity of the wine and helped bring out some of the herbaceous undertones.” —Arielle Weg, Senior Digital Editor Image Courtesy of United Vines Wines YOU Langhe Rosato “The latest vintage of United Vines’ YOU Langhe Rosato showcases the elegance of Nebbiolo with delicate floral and stone fruit notes and balanced acidity. For every bottle purchased, a portion of the proceeds go to Active Minds, an organization that works to raise mental health awareness and provide education for young adults. The brainchild of siblings Eli and Jake Rallo, United Vines uses their wines to advocate for social causes and showcases what Gen-Z can do in the wine industry.” —SAMANTHA SETTE, DIGITAL PRODUCER Image Courtesy of Tip Top Tip Top Old-Fashioned “I have drunk way too much in July, so it has been hard to choose, but I recently tasted the Tip Top pre-made cocktails, and I loved them—especially the old fashioned. It was everything I like about the drink: boozy, smells like Christmas and balanced. I was super surprised they pulled off the drink in such a balanced and not-too-sweet manner.” —Jeff Porter, Writer at Large Image Courtesy of Christina Pickard Martini Enjoyed at: The Henley and Le Loup in Nashville “My first trip to Music City this July had me cozied up to cocktail bars bopping along to the tunes of countless live musicians. I know I should've been on the Tennessee whiskey, but gin is more my speed. My go-to start-of-the-night cocktail is usually a dirty gin martini. In Nashville, two stood out: The first, from The Henley, the restaurant adjoining our Kimpton Aertson Hotel, and the second, from Le Loup, a beautifully outfitted lounge bar above The Optimist restaurant in Nashville's Germantown neighborhood. Both had just the right ratio of brine (about ½ ounce) to gin and vermouth, used a quality neutral gin style like London Dry, featured a chilled glass and used good-quality olives. A Southern classic? Maybe not. But it sure did beat the Tennessee heat.” —Christina Pickard, Writer at Large Image Courtesy of North American Press North American Press Wines Enjoyed at: Dirty Bacchus, Beacon, New York “What a pleasant surprise to find the wines of Sonoma County winemaker Matt Neise all the way out in the Hudson Valley at natty wine mecca Dirty Bacchus in Beacon, New York. North American Press makes tiny-production wines and Steve at Dirty Bacchus pretty much has the whole line right now. Standouts are the apple-grape sparkling coferment Wildcard, a Sonoma Coast Baco Noir and the Bay Area Rosé L'Amalgame Neiss made in collaboration with the 280 Project, with 100% of the proceeds going to support that non-profit.” —John Capone, Managing Print Editor Image Courtesy of Matt Kettmann Pelayo Cider “The Basque-style sidra natural is popular in Spain's Asturias region. It is produced in a still rather than bubbly fashion and remains less common in the U.S. than the carbonated options that dominate the marketplace. Pelayo Cider's Anthony Copriviza believes that should change and is using apples from his family's generations-old orchard in Watsonville, California, to craft ciders similar to what he came to love from years of living in Spain. Pelayo comes in two styles —a small can and a larger bottle that's been aged slightly longer—and both can be poured from shoulder height to aerate the juice. The flavors recall a walk through an apple orchard, showing both fresh, clean fruit and the delicate earthy funk of damp bark and dusty soil.” —MATT KETTMANN, WRITER AT LARGE Image Courtesy of Duc Hoang Oyster Shooter Enjoyed at: Navy Blue in Houston “I never thought an oyster shooter would be one of the best things I poured down my gullet this month, but the one at Houston’s Navy Blue is sublime. A small, plump Murder Point oyster from Alabama (which crushes the myth that Gulf oysters are huge and muddy) garnished with a little smoked trout roe, sitting atop a shot glass of mezcal with clarified tomato and cilantro, which acts almost like a salsa for the oyster. The mezcal’s subtle smoke merges with the smoked roe, but with the brininess of the oyster at center stage and somehow not at all obscured by the drink. It’s the only oyster shooter I’ve had that I’d be equally happy to sip from a martini glass (garnished with an oyster and maybe—stay with me—a dried smoked trout roe rim).” —NILS BERNSTEIN, CONTRIBUTING FOOD EDITOR Image Courtesy of Jim Gordon 1987 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 Enjoyed at: Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley “I sipped my nine best drinks in July all at one sitting during a fabulous vertical tasting of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars iconic Cask 23 at the winery. This was with winemaker Marcus Notaro, on a day when the Stag’s Leap crew was celebrating the closing of a deal in which the Antinori family of Tuscany acquired complete ownership of the famous Napa Valley property and wine brand created by Warren Winiarski. The 1987 Cask 23 was my favorite: fully mature but still alive and kicking, with an enticing spicy, floral bottle bouquet and lots of pure fruit left, too.” —JIM GORDON, SENIOR TASTING EDITOR Image Courtesy of Wine.com Faire La Fête Brut NV “This summer’s heat wave had me drinking bubbles all month. I’ve been enjoying Faire La Fête Brut NV. It’s an easy-drinking sparkling wine from Languedoc. The refreshing Crémant de Limoux is a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and a small percentage of Pinot Noir. The sparkler is made in the traditional method in Limoux, which is the birthplace of sparkling wine. Faire La Fête also offers an aromatic sparkling rosé.” —JACY TOPPS, ASSISTANT PRINT EDITOR

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