The Günther Steinmetz winery has over 100 years of commercial activity in the Middle Mosel, with a noticeable upswing in quality and recognition in the last couple decades. They farm without chemicals and make wine as naturally as possible, with spontaneous fermentation and minimal additives. They work with some of the most prestigious sites in Brauneberg, Kesten, and Piesport, along with this special site in Wintrich whose quality was said to outshine that of the Moselle in the early 19th century. An unfathomable amount of work was done in Geierslay in its early days to encourage soil health, notably carting local manure and windmill-powered pulverized slate throughout the vineyards. Germans really know how to have a good time! Whatever they did, it seems to have worked. This is a powerfully aromatic, dry-ish riesling with just enough bottle age to get into the really interesting stuff, and just in time for Thanksgiving!

Cantine Fanneti of Tenuta Sant'Agnese is a 3rd generation estate founded in 1920 by Adamo Fanetti, Adele Andreucci's husband. Adele was the daughter of a Montepulciano landowner, the proprietor of the Sant'Agnese farm. Adamo set out to improve the wine his father-in-law was already producing, and made the decision to bottle this higher quality wine on the estate. Having put his plan into practice, he brought his wine to the first traditional wine fairs that took place in Siena in the 1930's, and from that moment the wine's fame was assured. Awards came thick and fast, including international recognition, such as the gold medals won at the Grands Prix of Paris, Ljubljana and Milan. Fanetti was the Vino Nobile, and the two would become synonymous. This association was confirmed following a rigorous study of the "genuine" Italian wines carried out by specialists and published in the weekly "OGGi" magazine. The study definitively recognized Grand Officer Adamo Fanetti, grandfather of the current owner of the Sant'Agnese Estate, as the "legitimate patron of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano". While we wait for the Vino Nobile to mature, we drink Rosso di Montepulciano, which spends less time in wood and in bottle, but gives more than just a sense of the terroir of this part of Tuscany. We suggest pairing with steak, pappardelle with meat sauce, or lentils with mushrooms.

The estate purchased by Francesco Antonelli in 1881 had been owned and operated by the bishopric of Spoleto since the 13th century, with almost the same boundaries recorded in documents from that time. It took another 100 years before the Antonelli estate began bottling wines under their own label for commercialization. A couple decades later, the wines of Montefalco began to achieve international acclaim, mostly for the reds produced from the native sagrantino grape variety, which produces wines that rival those in Tuscany or Piedmont in power, complexity, and longevity. An unsung hero of Montefalco is the autochthonous white variety grechetto, which is a part of the recipe for Orvieto, among other things. In pure form, it shows a surprisingly firm structure, with crisp citrus and subtle floral notes. This would be fun with fresh cheeses and cured meats, hearty soups, or fish.

Aimee Keushgerian is a native of Damariscotta, Maine, who spent time in Tuscany before founding Zulal, based in Yerevan, Armenia, with her father Vahe. They are the subjects of Cup of Salvation, a film in the Somm series, that tracks their journey to help revive the ancient traditions of their ancestors and their detour to the forbidden vineyards of Iran. Zulal is Armenian for "pure", which is the most succinct way of describing their winemaking philosophy. Areni is one of the oldest grapes in Armenia, where evidence of winemaking goes back thousands of years before Rome or Greece. Areni thrives in the high altitude vineyards and volcanic soils of Vayots Dzor, a region in the south of Armenia that borders Azerbaijan. The wine is at once exotic and familiar, with a vaguely northern Italian structure and a truly distinct flavor profile. Try your hand at a delicately spiced Armenian bulgur pilaf with lamb or beef (we're pretty sure nobody would notice if you used our Turkish bulgur instead of one from Armenia).

There’s a lot of excitement in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, where high altitude, calcareous soils in the foothills of the Andes are offering up wines with refreshing acidity. Particularly in the unique mountain climate of Gualtallary in Tupungato, which was first planted to vine in the early 1990s, having previously been considered too cold to grow grapes. In 2007, the Michelini brothers (Gerardo, Matías, and Juan Pablo) founded Zorzal and have led the charge by harvesting earlier than other growers, bucking the trend of overblown ripeness often seen in Argentinian wines. Juan Pablo Michelini and Noelia Juri are making the wine at Zorzal these days, though the Michelini family has its hands in projects all over the region. While this version of the classic old Loire Valley red grape variety wears is origin on its sleeve, the mile-high mountain sun drives this wine to impressive heights. Firm, direct, yet full of fruit, you won't find a more versatile food wine.

Franck Peillot now has over four decades of vintages under his belt, the first few of which he completed with the help of his father, who passed along knowledge accrued from three generations of prior winemakers. He is situated near the village of Montagnieu, which is just south of Cerdon, in the region of Bugey, which is usually lumped in with Savoie, though it's very clearly its own terroir, sharing some commonalities with Jura. The prized varieties are altesse and mondeuse, in that order, and there is a long tradition of sparkling wine production here. Peillot's version puts mondeuse at the fore, with young vine altesse and a drop of chardonnay blended in for good measure. It spends an uncommonly long time in bottle (sur lattes), sometimes as long as 3 years, before release, which really emphasizes the creamy, nutty richness of the wine. It's a great wine to celebrate the end of harvest or the end of a long week, and will elevate any meal, especially those involving mountain cheeses or creamy sauces.