Whether you plan to pop a few bottles of Champagne, or simply want to wash the year away with an ice-cold glass of water, there’s no wrong way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. At Wine Enthusiast, our plans for the big night range from cellar beers, to bottles of rare bubbles, to batched cocktails and more. Here, seven members of our team share what they’ll have in their glass at midnight.
“Since becoming a mom many moons ago, my New Year’s Eve plans switched to celebrating at home with the family instead of living it up on the dance floor. For that reason, I make sure to invest in a rosé Champagne that I love, and this year I’ll be toasting it up with a bottle of Ayala Rosé Majeur… Its sweet, red-fruit notes and airy, expressive bubbles pair well with our traditional order of Chinese food and sushi. Maybe this year I’ll celebrate my pink Champagne with a matching pink tutu!” —Jaime Brown, Digital Editorial Assistant
“Yet again, so many of us are eager to bid a less-than-fond farewell to the year at hand, and look with renewed optimism to the year ahead. To send off 2021, I’ll enjoy a couple of Old Fashioneds made with Blackened Whiskey while I listen to the batch maturation playlist courtesy of Metallica. After 2021 takes a cue from the band to ‘Fade to Black’ come midnight, I’ll switch it up with something a little more vibrant and turn to a Paper Plane to soar into those positive new year vibes.” —Lauren Buzzeo, Managing Editor
“I’m gonna toast the new year with Champagne (no surprise there). But the Champagne I’m gonna pop is a new one that I’ve never had before! I had it last month at La Fête du Champagne, and I truly dreamed about it. I could even taste it in my dreams. It was Chartogne-Taillet’s 2015 Hors Serie, all fruit from Avize. The flavor was unlike anything I’d tasted, like a basket full of children’s sidewalk chalk recently littered on the sea floor. I’ve told everyone about it since and can’t wait to have another bottle, er, glass. New Year’s Eve can’t come quick enough!” —J’nai Gaither, Assistant Digital Editor
“Cue ‘Auld Lang Syne’ because New Year’s Eve is often paired, for me, with a touch of homesickness. Some Tasmanian bubbly can turn the mood as we watch Australia celebrate in style hours before the Northern Hemisphere. Followed perhaps by a Pinot or Chardonnay from my home state’s Mornington Peninsula: a region with a pristine coastline bound to inspire a travel resolution or two!” —Julia Lea, Digital Creative Director
“Since my better half is a former bartender who makes great cocktails, and since we’ll be celebrating at home, the plan is to batch some Manhattans to sip in front of the fireplace while we toast the end of a(nother) long, strange year.” —Emily Saladino, Associate Managing Editor, Digital
“New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday to host a handful of friends. I make too much food, and my husband and our guests break out their cellar beers—lots of big, barrel-aged stouts. I’ll sneak a few sips, but some things are classic for a reason, and so I mostly stick to sparkling wine. For New Year’s, I like something with some body, texture and fun, like Vouvray or Lambrusco. You tell me, what’s more festive than Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium?” —Layla Schlack, Associate Managing Editor, Print
“This year I’m opting to stay in on New Year’s Eve, but I’m preparing a special dinner. I’m making a Beef Wellington and pairing it with the Trailside Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon from Heitz Cellar. To toast the new year, I’m popping open a bottle of the NV Carte d’Or from Drappier Champagne.” —Jacy Topps, Assistant Editor, Print
Published: December 27, 2021
