There’s never a dull moment in the world of wine. While the top-rated wines and vintages to remember come and go, Wine Spectator’s top features of 2024 focused on the experiences surrounding wine: the epic restaurant wine lists that match equally impressive cuisine and hospitality; the recipes and wine pairings that find their way into your regular rotation; tips and tricks from leading sommeliers; the celebrities who are passionate about wine and spirits, and the unsung stars of the wine world coming to light. Read on to see what our readers’ loved most in 2024!
Top Dining Stories
Where are the best places to enjoy wine in the world? Wine lovers seeking out the finest dining experiences had four new Wine Spectator Grand Award winners to choose from in 2024, as the magazine granted its highest honor for wine programs to a total of 96 restaurants. Joining the list this year were: Grasing’s in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.; Le Bistro de l’Hotel in Beaune, France; Lazy Bear in San Francisco; and the Yeatman in Porto, Portugal. “The four dining destinations that make up the Grand Award ‘Class of 2024’ offer unique wine lists, unparalleled service and their own points of view on the wine world,” writes Restaurant Award director Cassia Schifter.
On its own, New York City has 13 Top Restaurants for Wine, each holding a Grand Award and offering at least 1,300 selections on their lists.The diversity and quality of the wine programs is unmatched at these destinations, from one of the United States’ premier restaurants for Alsatian cuisine to a Manhattan powerhouse with a completely plant-based menu. Not in the mood for pressed tablecloths and polished silverware? Then turn to our reliable guide to 16 Casual New York Spots Serving Serious Wine.
But what if you just want a glass of wine with friends while traveling, minus a full meal? We turned to local sommeliers for 12 Incredible Places to Drink Wine in Denver, which has become a hot spot for wine bars and lounges, with New Orleans close behind.
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Top Recipes and Wine-and-Food Pairings
In home cooking, the classics are classic for a reason, but readers are always looking for a way to make them even better. Such was the case with The Best Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. Paired with Colcannon mashed potatoes and great values from Germany and the Rhône, this spread is sure to make you feel a little bit lucky.
The same holds true for trying to find the best wine pairings for everyday favorite foods, which led to a new column from features editor Owen Dugan: Which Wines Pair Well With …. While his recommendations for matches with different pasta recipes, from spaghetti and tomato sauce to fettuccine Alfredo, were the year’s top draw, don’t miss his picks for salmon, steak and pizza.
The theme of comforting essentials continued with a Steak au Poivre Recipe for Two (paired with Rhône Valley reds) and a collection of 5 Favorite Warming Soups and Stews that are hearty and easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Top Sommelier Roundtables
Whenever at a restaurant, it’s always a smart idea to consult the sommelier, no matter how much you know about wine. So we regularly turn to star sommeliers and wine directors (many from our Restaurant Awards winners) for their hot takes on everything from the wines they’re taking to a barbecue or taco night to the red wines they’d sip all summer long.
So of course, we had to ask them for their best Unexpected Pairings with Steak. The catch? It could not be Cabernet. Eager for a challenge, 15 top wine pros put their thinking caps on to come up with 32 wonderful pairings, including Italian rosato, blanc de noirs Champagne, Aglianico and even Riesling.
Our network of somms always has their fingers on the pulse of major trends, like the surge of Exciting Non-alcoholic Drinks That Even Appeal to Wine Pros, but also have strong opinions on the trends themselves, telling us the wine Trends and Terms That Should Disappear. And always attuned to great values, the sommeliers gave great advice for the Best Wines to Bring to Thanksgiving for Under $30.
Top Film and TV
Some of our favorite moments in film and T.V. include the times when wine takes center stage. This summer, the story of Veuve Clicquot came to the silver screen in Widow Clicquot, a fan-fiction fizz flick based on the book of the same name. The film traces (at least loosely) the tragedies and triumphs of Champagne pioneer Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, as she struggle to keep control of her late husband’s estate and winery and grow it into the now world-famous Veuve Clicquot brand. As Wine Spectator’s Rob Taylor notes: “We’re also treated to dramatic scenes of early 19th century winemaking woes, including sparkling wine bottles exploding and an urgent scramble to light fires in the vineyard as a late spring frost threatens the vintage. And then there’s all the sex and drugs … .”
Whenever a big name graces the screen, wine fans are sure to be quick to the draw and tell everyone around them about that bottle. Such was the case when legendary Burgundy house Domaine de la Romanee-Conti played a part in Netflix’s fast-paced action series The Gentlemen, directed by Guy Ritchie. Owen Dugan was impressed that the details of wine service was also placed front and center, not just the bottle.
Other times, wine was frustratingly out of the picture completely and we kept rewinding a scene, thinking there must have been something to do with wine there. That’s how we spent the entire time watching season three of FX’s The Bear. This time, Carmy Berzatto and his crew finally opened their Chicago fine-dining destination, with appearances from the biggest names in the biz, like Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Will Guidara. But there remained one, big, purplish-red hole in the plot: Where on earth was the wine?
Top Game
One challenge can make almost any wine aficionado’s knees shake: blind tasting. It’s tough trying to determine what’s in the glass from mere sips, deducing the grape, region and vintage! Our What Am I Tasting? game takes that to an entirely different level, where players guess everything based on a written tasting note from one of our experts’ wine reviews. (Pro: No embarrassment! No one is staring at you or gloating if you trip up on a tiny detail. We just thoughtfully explain how we would work through all the clues to get to the answer.) Every two weeks, the game changes, so keep up and hone your palate virtually!
Top Interviews
One of the joys of working at Wine Spectator is getting to talk to some of the biggest-name wine lovers in the world, including stars from the worlds of film, TV, music and sports. The year started strong with country musician and American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, just before he went on tour with his new album. The first single, “Cab in a Solo” (something McCreery has been known to bring on stage), features California Cabernet icon Silver Oak in a prominent role. He chatted about his inspirations for the song, which wineries he seeks out and the restaurant with his favorite wine list. (Hint: It’s one of our Grand Award winners.)
Another famous singer and songwriter, Dave Matthews, took time to chat about his Dreaming Tree line of wines and his new collaboration with the Wine Group and winemaker Grayson Stewart, focused on sustainability both in the vineyard and out.
And after actor Woody Harrelson launched his new gin and vodka brand, Holistic Spirits Co., he shared with us how he grew to appreciate wine, how he balances wine and spirits with his healthy lifestyle and if you should be on the lookout for a “Woody wine project.”
Top Drinks Stories
Wine Spectator is no one-trick pony: Our wine-loving readers also enjoy the world of spirits and cocktails, including whisky, tequila and beyond. Complementing “Aperitivo Renaissance” in our June 30, 2024 issue, we compiled a list of 16 Delicious Red Aperitivo Cocktails that can be made with the likes of Campari or Aperol—from a traditional Negroni to a coconut-washed twist on the Jungle Bird.
Our Ultimate Guide to Vermouth—the perfect bridge to cocktails for wine lovers—tackled the big questions about the fortified wine: How is it made? How should I store it? Can I drink vermouth straight? Wine Spectator answered all of that and then some, with cocktail recipes, recommended brands and bottlings in all the different styles and more.
Top “Robert Camuto Meets …”
Where in the world is Robert Camuto? This year, Wine Spectator’s roving contributing editor continued trekking around the globe, meeting with some of the most interesting and innovative winemakers in their respective regions. Readers took a keen interest in the work of husband-and-wife duo Edoardo Ventimiglia and Carla Benini, whose Tuscan winery, Sassotondo, focuses on Ciliegiolo—a bright, light and fruity wine that Camuto posits may be Tuscany’s Greatest Summer Red.
Camuto’s travels continued into California, Champagne, Kyoto, Sicily, Lombardy and Piedmont, where he met 28-year-old winemaker Alessandro Salvano and discussed How to Really Cultivate Young Wine Lovers. Looking at what this Barolo-area upstart is doing in this “golden age for wine diversity,” Camuto comes away with a simple message: “If you want to create a sustainable culture of young wine consumers, please, please do this: Create space for more young, independent winemakers. That’s it.”
