The 13 Best Stories of 2024, According to Wine Enthusiast Editors

2024 was a doozy of a year. We had a whirlwind of a presidential election, arguably the most wine-friendly Olympics ever, whiplashing headlines about whether or not alcohol will kill you, catastrophic hurricanes that wiped entire towns and wars break out.

Here at Wine Enthusiast we covered many of these major events through the lens of drinks, examining how one Palestinian winemaker is still making world-class bottles amidst the ongoing crisis, whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris would be better for wine, how the industry has been fighting back against bad press and more. We even took a look at how an $8,000 Napa Cab-Drenched look walked the runway at New York Fashion Week.

Suffice it to say, we kept ourselves busy over here—and we’re proud of the stories we put out. Some, however, are especially near and dear to our hearts for reasons both personal and professional. So, to wrap up the year, we decided to compile a list of our best stories, according to Wine Enthusiast editors. Here are our 13 favorites.

In War-Torn Ukraine, Nightlife Offers a Fleeting Escape

Nightlife is far from most people’s minds when thinking of a war zone. Most news stories tend to focus on casualties, military strikes and other tragedies. But in this award-winning story, investigative reporter Adam Robb describes what it truly feels like to live life amongst the ever-present threat of drone and missile attacks, drafts and daily deaths and bodily injuries. It’s a fascinating deep dive that explores the fleeting moments of peace and selflessness that arise amidst the backdrop of tragedy. — Sara Ventiera, Senior Digital Editor

How an Aged Riesling Catapulted Me to My Childhood in India

Chikoo—the brown, fuzzy-haired fruit with a caramelized stone fruit flavor, a grainy texture and black seeds, which is known as sapodilla in English—is not a common wine descriptor. Most sommeliers and wine writers are completely unfamiliar with its maple and brown sugar notes with umami undertones. In this personal essay, contributor Henna Bakshi explores—in true Proustian fashion—how an aged Riesling, her “it” wine, transported her back to childhood summers in India’s Himalayan Mountains where she regularly ate the fruit. The heartfelt story follows Bakshi and her family as they immigrate to the United States and, eventually, find a sense of belonging in their adopted home. — S.V.

How the Nick & Nora Glass Moved from the Silver Screen to Your Cocktail Bar

In this piece, which is part design history and part contemporary trend report, writer Aaron Britt takes notice of a small cocktail glass that has suddenly become a bartender favorite. How did it get the name from a fictional cosmopolitan, mystery-solving couple? He turned to famed bartender Dale DeGroff, of Rainbow Room fame, to uncover the story. — Diana Budds, Senior Digital Editor

Is Tasting 3,000 Wines a Year Bad for My Health?

Pete Wells’s farewell to his post as the New York Times food critic chronicled how his declining health played a role in his decision to step down. And as the essay circulated, it animated conversations that wine reviewers, like our own Michael Alberty, have been having behind closed doors for years. In this essay, Alberty recounts why he still delights in being a professional taster, despite the risks. — D.B.

My First Vintage Was My Dad’s Last

Wine brings people together, whether it’s through the simple act of opening a favorite vintage with friends or by the community required to actually make a bottle. In this heartfelt piece, Wine Enthusiast Writer at Large Matt Kettmann remembers the backyard vines his late father planted with him and how the resulting wine marked the end of one relationship, but the start of many more. — D.B.

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A Vineyard Grows at Ground Zero

New Yorkers have the remarkable ability to plant gardens in places where no one would expect—on rooftops, windowsills and fire escapes. The James Beard award–winning writer Paul Greenberg is one of them, and recounts his experience with makeshift gardening in this story. He planted Finger Lake grapes as a way to cope with the aftermath of 9/11 and since then, they’ve become a veritable vineyard and he’s even bottled wine from the fruit. Is it any good, you may ask? Read on to find out. — D.B.

The NBA Is Obsessed with Wine. Here’s How It Happened.

Although I’m not a huge sports fan, I do enjoy a good cameo—like when you’re watching a TV show and a favorite character unexpectedly pops in from another series. This article does just that: it takes two seemingly unrelated industries, wine and the NBA, and finds the connective tissue between them. Exploring how wine has become a significant part of NBA culture, the story is fun, engaging and playful—and the visual treatment is just as appealing. — Evan de Normandie, Senior Visuals Editor

An NYC-Inspired Cocktail for Every Borough

This was one of my favorite stories from my favorite issue of the print magazine this year. I loved seeing how each New York City borough was interpreted as a cocktail, showcasing the unique spirit and culture of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. The standout for me was the White Castle-inspired cocktail from The Bronx, paired with its iconic image—capturing the essence of the borough in such a fun and creative way. Combined with the beautiful photography and the historical context provided for each drink, it made for a truly engaging read. — E.N.

The Making of a 100-Point Wine: A Napa Red With Balance and Integrity

A 100-point rating is pretty rare at Wine Enthusiast, so naturally when our Napa reviewer Elaine Chukan Brown gave one to the Quintessa 2021 Red, we wanted to know the bottle’s backstory. Contributor Maria Yagoda’s piece delivers all the details, from how the winemakers conducted “terroir studies” of Quintessa’s 280 acres to how they shifted pruning techniques in light of a significant drought. — Rachel Tepper Paley, Digital Managing Editor

‘The Gentlemen’ Features an Unusual Decanting Method. Is It Any Good?

Whenever I see wine featured prominently in a television show or movie—especially if it’s in a weird context or highlights something untraditional—I always have… questions. Our fun piece pulls back the curtain on an unusual decanting method featured in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix action series The Gentlemen. Long story short, it’s not a standard decanting method for a reason. But points for entertaining us, Guy! — R.T.P.

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Fine Wine Meets Roadkill in the Deep South

When writer Matt Kettmann texted me late from California at the end of an event telling me about Susie Long, a sommelier and Wine Queen of Little Rock, and suggested the magazine had to send him to Arkansas to write about pairing roadkill and Romanee-Conte, his genuine excitement quickly convinced me he was right. A few months later Matt and a photographer were following a shotgun toting Long through the backwoods. — John Capone, Executive Editor, Print

An Off-the-Map Culinary Adventure Through Abruzzo

Few wine destinations on this Earth are as well trod as Italy, but here Danielle Callegari cuts a path through Abruzzo in the wintertime (just as the region was buzzing from the Feast of the Epiphany) that sheds light on some of the darker corners of The Boot, leaving wine and food recs along the wine in a three-day journey that contains just the right amount of fish heads. — J.C.

Cuisine de Queens: Recipes from the Borough’s Most Gastronomically Exciting Communities

In trying to translate the energy and excitement of The City into the pages of The New York City Issue, we knew we’d have to take advantage of our proximity and shoot on location as much as we could. To bring our Queens pairing feature to life, in which Nils Bernstein matches wines with recipes from one of the most diverse places in the county, we found the perfect lensman in Queens local Nico Schinco, who added authenticity to the photoshoot by taking the subway with his camera to each of the locations on the list. — Tom Arena, Photo Producer, Print

More Feature Coverage

An eating and drinking guide to Asturias, Spain’s land of cider.
Where to go in Italy’s Alto Adige, a region unblemished by tourism.
Gin and hard-to-find Tuscan Wines: five glasses in Chianti (that aren’t Chianti).
How a 150-year-old grapevine is helping California producers adapt to climate change.
There’s a new bill to end the USPS ban on shipping alcohol. Here’s what it could mean.