1. Emperical
Empirical, the flavor company founded by alums of Noma in Copenhagen, has teamed up with Doritos, part of the PepsiCo and Frito-Lay North America portfolios, to create a limited edition innovation. Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit employs Empirical’s savvy vacuum distillation process to preserve the umami taste of Doritos tortilla chips. Layers of nacho cheese and corn make it ripe for spins on the Bloody Mary and Margarita.
SRP: $65 per 750-ml bottle
empirical.co
2. Ron Rubin Winery
One of only five B Corp-certified wineries in California, Sonoma Valley’s Ron Rubin Winery has launched the eco-conscious Blue Bin collection. The 2022 vintages of Vin Rosé , Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc come in bottles developed with the responsible packaging company Amcor that are crafted with 100 percent recyclable materials—including an ultra-thin layer of the protective glass Plasmax—that are meant to be recycled themselves.
SRP: $15 per 750-ml bottle
ronrubinwinery.com
3. Lucano
Historic Lucano’s versatile zero-proof (0.5% ABV) herbal counterpart, Amaro Lucano Non-Alcoholic, can be sipped neat or as a botanical-forward substitute for gin and vodka in mocktails. Aromas of myrtle, citrus, rosemary, and chamomile lead to an equally harmonious bitter, floral, and sweet palate.
SRP: $29.99 per 750-ml bottle
kobrandwineandspirits.com
4. Paulaner
Consumer demand has given way to a taller, bigger, 19.2-ounce can of Paulaner Brewery’s Münchner Lager. Imported by Paulaner USA, the German beer’s large, single-size format, more convenient than a six-pack, is ideal for toting around to concerts and sporting events.
SRP: $3.49 per 19.2-oz. can
paulaner.com
5. Casa Lumbre
Imbibers are transported to the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico’s citrus capital, with Alma Finca Orange Liqueur. Casa Lumbre’s most recent creation, it is made by cofounder and master distiller Iván Saldaña from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels, fresh Persian lime leaves and citrus blossoms, and local spices harvested between October and December by a cooperative of local farmers in the town of Oxkutzcab. Try it in a Cosmopolitan or all-Mexican Margarita.
SRP: $34.99 per 700-ml bottle
almafinca.com
6. Forrest Wines
New Zealand’s Forrest Wines, long a champion of screw caps, has launched its low-ABV Brigid label with an herbal Sauvignon Blanc and red fruit-laden Pinot Noir. Both of these 2022 vintages, from grapes grown in the Wairau Valley of Marlborough, contain just 9.5% alcohol (and 80 calories per serving) via a new viticulture practice led by winemaker Beth Forrest that naturally restricts the vines’ ability to produce sugar as they ripen.
SRP: $19.99 to $24.99 per 750-ml bottle
forrest.co.nz
7. Contraluz Mezcal
Housed in a dark crystal bottle, Contraluz 11:11 reposado mezcal is the follow-up to the brand’s cristalino expression. Like the original, it’s distilled from 100 percent Espadin agave, but aged in American oak bourbon and Sakura Japanese whisky casks for 11 months and 11 days, yielding notes of vanilla, cherry blossom, and gentle smoke.
SRP: $200 per 700-ml bottle
mezcalcontraluz.com
8. Renegade Rum
Grenada-made Renegade Rum has debuted a flagship range of four terroir-driven Caribbean spirits. The aged All-Island Cuvée: Nova, the Single Farm Cuvée: Dunfermline, and MicrOrigin: Hope, which is distilled from a single field of cane on the eastern side of the island, all explore the notion of cuvée in rum. By contrast, Cuvée: Aura is an unaged, pre-cask assemblage that highlights pure cane flavors.
SRP: $49.99 to $79.99 per 700-ml bottle
renegaderum.com
9. Mionetto
Prosecco producer Mionetto has expanded its Prestige collection with a low-calorie, low-sugar, alcohol-removed sparkling wine. By extracting the alcohol content from the finished product, the bubbly, which flaunts a less than 0.05% ABV, exhibits notes of peach and green apple that mimic the classic Prosecco Brut.
SRP: $15 per 750-ml bottle
usa.mionetto.com
10. Reál Sangria
Peach Fuzz is Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, and the soft hue continues to make a splash in the flavored wine category, too. For example, the newest addition to the red and white varieties of Cruz Garcia’s Reál Sangria from Spain stars the refreshing, aromatic fruit. This ready-to-drink, 8% ABV beverage, found on sangria and sweet wine shelves alike, also brightens such easy-to-make cocktails as the spritz.
SRP: $8.99 per 750-ml bottle
realsangriausa.com
11. Lang & Reed Napa Valley
The devastating impact of wildfires on the North Coast County AVA has forced Lang & Reed Napa Valley to look beyond its usual vineyard sources for the tart, juicy California Cabernet Franc 2022. Joining fruit from the trusty local Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard and T Bar T Ranch in the Alexander Valley, which were planted with the Entav 214 Cabernet Franc clone from the Loire Valley, are grapes grown in Cienega Valley, on the Central Coast, and from Sonoma’s Rockpile AVA.
SRP: $29 per 750-ml bottle
langandreed.com
12. Victory Brewing Company
Pennsylvania craft-beer pioneer Victory Brewing Company, an Artisanal Brewing Ventures brand, has partnered with Tastykake snack foods, another Keystone State success story, on Koffee Kake Ale. An ode to Tastykake’s crumb-topped, creamfilled cupcakes, the sweet ale is redolent of cinnamon and pound cake.
SRP: From $10.99 per six-pack of 12-oz. bottles
victorybeer.com
