Wine Enthusiast: The Most Memorable Bottles We Drank in 2023

Any seasoned imbiber knows that the quality of a drinking experience is far more than the sum of its parts. After all, a great wine is not merely great because it drinks finely. It’s great because of the atmosphere in which it’s enjoyed—in an exquisite locale, perhaps, or alongside cherished friends. Key, too, is the story behind the bottle: who made it and how, why and when. Knowing these things in no way chemically alters what’s in the glass, but it certainly has the power to alter one’s perception of it. The mind, after all, is a taster’s most important tool.

These were the things we asked Wine Enthusiast’s team of editors and contributors to consider when we asked them to name the bottles they found most notable in 2023. In this list are exquisite wines drunk in unlikely places (including, for example, alongside a highway in France) and made through unusual means (say, aged at the bottom of the sea). There are also limited-release spirits, including one that matured in the constantly-rocking hull of a schooner and an eau de vie whose maker’s attention to detail borders on obsessiveness.

Do these bottles have the power to inspire you? Perhaps, once reading these stories, they will.

Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo

“One of my favorite sips this year was Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo, a Spanish red vermouth. It’s a collab between Sherry negociant Equipo Navazos and Nicolas Palazzi of importer PM spirits. It’s made with a base of oloroso Sherry, so it’s deeper and richer than most red vermouths, but enlivened with touches of bitter orange and savory spice. I enjoyed it in Manhattans (it plays nicely with rye whiskey) as well as poured over ice. I see why Spain is a fan of ‘la hora del vermut’ (the vermouth hour).” —Kara Newman, Writer at Large

Capreolus Raspberry Eau de Vie 2019

“Barney Wilczak, the proprietor of the U.K.–based Capreolus Distillery, uses 30 kilograms of perfectly ripe and healthy raspberries to produce only one liter of the Raspberry Eau de Vie. His quest for the highest–quality product can be described as obsessive. However, it allows him to capture and preserve the essence of each fruit so precisely. The raspberry stands out, with its complexity, length and incredible purity.” —Aleks Zecevic, Writer at Large

In Search of the Ultimate Freezer Martini

We asked 10 of the world's best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the pre-batched Martini—then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best.

It’s been nearly a year since PUNCH conducted a new edition of the long-running “ultimate” blind-tasting series. In the age of COVID-19, such close gatherings of drink judges, sipping from successive versions of the same cocktail, all prepped by a guest bartender, were strictly a non-starter.

So, with COVID Nation still very much a thing, what drink could safely bring the series back to life? The prebatched, prechilled Martini, naturally. The prefab format of the classic—which was an established trend and served in many bars before the pandemic arrived—is perfectly suited to this new at-home era.

On a recent Monday, I was joined by PUNCH editors Talia Baiocchi and Chloe Frechette and bar owners Meaghan Dorman (Raines Law Room, Dear Irving) and St. John Frizell (Fort Defiance, Gage & Tollner) via Zoom to taste through 10 batched Martinis submitted by bartenders from the United States and England. The drinks had already arrived via contactless delivery. Judges were instructed to keep the mini-bottles in the freezer until tasting time.

Though batched cocktails can be controversial—many people are attached to the ritual of a bartender making their drink on the spot, particularly when it comes to the Martini—the panel convened with no prejudices. “We’re longtime fans of freezer Martinis,” said Frechette, who added that she thought batching was the way to prepare spirit-forward recipes during quarantine. Dorman agreed that premade drinks are an ideal fit for the current times, when most folks are entertaining at home for themselves and maybe a partner or roommate. “I think you should treat yourself right now and this is the way to do it,” she said.

This particular tasting brought to the table a few new variables that wouldn’t apply in a standard sampling of Martinis. Dilution had to be addressed anew. Since the cocktails are designed to simply be pulled from the freezer and poured, they weren’t receiving their dose of softening water through the usual spin in a mixing glass filled with ice. Instead, water was added directly to the batch and had to be precisely portioned out. Too much or too little could prove disastrous. One Martini in the running didn’t make the cut because the judges thought it too strong—i.e., lacked sufficient H2O. Another suffered from a surplus of added water, rendering it weak and, well, watery.

Temperature, too, was an important factor. Martinis are expected to be cold, naturally, but these freezer-born numbers were particularly icy—a consideration the bartenders had to factor in when choosing their ingredients and honing their ratios. “Martinis in this format dull the aroma and the alcohol comes forward,” explained Baiocchi.

That issue notwithstanding, the panel was surprised by the variety of character they encountered from one glass to the next. And, as would be expected in any sampling of signature Martinis, there were some odd flights of fancy. One recipe called for both sherry and peated Scotch; another included a hefty dose of absinthe. The judges didn’t necessarily dislike either drink; they simply didn’t read as Martinis.

Finding favor was a unique specimen submitted by Orlando Franklin McCray of Brooklyn’s Nightmoves, who put together high-proof, saffron-tinged Old Raj gin, La Quintinye Extra Dry vermouth and orange bitters. The judges liked the concentration of bold flavors but thought the recipe would have benefited from higher dilution.

With the vast changes in bar regulations brought on by COVID, Frizell said that he both hopes and expects to see more prebatched cocktails on the market when the pandemic recedes and bars fully reopen.

“My hat is off to the New York State Liquor Authority for the first time in my life, for freeing up the rules so quickly,” he said. “We’re able to do so many things now that we would have lost our license for before.”

For the time being, however, he’s doing what most every other cocktail lover has been doing for the past year: shaking up his own at home. “I’ve been drinking my own Martini almost every day,” said Frizell.