The Other Side

Where did the summer go? It’s incredible that Labor Day weekend is already here, but with it comes the time of year when your wine selections start to better match the weather. Today, I put together a selection for fall that will elevate your drinking and bring some excitement to the season.

After a decade of watching dessert wine fall out of favor, 2026 has brought renewed excitement to the category. We have a really outstanding group of dessert wines right now, all from top producers. There’s an exhilarating pair from Royal Tokaji, one of Hungary’s greatest producers, followed by two of the biggest names in Italy, Romano Dal Forno and Giuseppe Quintarelli. With ratings reaching as high as 99 points, the quality here is simply staggering!

As for the remaining wines in today’s offer, I’ve tasted them all and loved them all. Starting with Steve Kistler’s Occidental Pinot Noir project, these are some of the best Pinots being made in America. If you haven’t tried them, you are truly missing out! Shifting to Champagne, Frédéric Savart took off almost immediately and continues to do some of his best work. His flagship Noues has become my new infatuation in Champagne. It captures everything I love about his wines and is frankly a deal at $200.

The Riecine wines hail from the epic 2021 vintage, and this pair is stellar. More than just the ratings, both are absolutely gorgeous right now. We close with a trio of whites, starting in Friuli with arguably the region’s best producer, Borgo del Tiglio. More than just the ratings attached to these two wines, browse through Robert Parker’s website and you’ll see countless Borgo del Tiglio wines with huge scores, a testament to the nonstop quality coming out of this winery.

Last is Eva Fricke, whose reputation has taken off quickly. This was one of the best dry Rieslings I’ve ever had and is easily on par with Emrich-Schönleber and even some of the Keller wines!