2022 NEW YORK WINE EXPERIENCE

Wine is best when shared with friends, old and new

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"Wine is about enjoyment," said Mouton Rothschild co-owner Philippe Sereys de Rothschild at the 2022 New York Wine Experience. "It's a people business." The vintner's observation was more than borne out at the 41st version of Wine Spectator's annual gathering of wine lovers, winemakers, sommeliers, chefs and more, celebrated once again in New York at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square in October. With pandemic barriers eased, attendees were elated to be together with their vinous extended family, from vintners wheeling in from around the globe to serious collectors to first-timers making new memories.

Over the long weekend, people gathered for two evenings of walk-around Grand Tastings, two packed days of bucket-list tasting seminars, lunches hosted by vintners from Napa and Chile, and a Champagne finale offering bites from some of New York City's greatest restaurants. In all, 331 different wines were poured from 14,268 bottles into 65,306 glasses.

The Grand Tastings featured winery owners and winemakers at more than 250 booths who poured some of their best wines. Offerings ranged across numerous grape varieties and multiple regions around the world, giving people a chance to taste favorites and also learn about wines they had never tried before.

The daytime seminars kicked off in style too, as senior editor Alison Napjus hosted a panel of Champagne's top producers who discussed and shared prized cuvées from the 2008 vintage. Before the bubbly was even poured, the proper mood was set with a showing of Steve Jacobson's Cabernet Tonight video, an exuberant tribute to all things wine and the winner of Wine Spectator's 2022 Video Contest.