Here are the nominees across 13 categories for the 2022 Awards. The winners of these categories, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award, American Wine Legend and Wine & Culture Honoree, will be announced in the magazine’s Best of Year issue and celebrated at our annual black-tie gala in January 2023. We salute the dedicated beverage professionals who have innovated and flourished this year.
All full-time and contributing divisions (Sales, Events, Marketing, Editorial) of Wine Enthusiast Media were invited to submit nominees for our Wine Star Awards categories and submitted their nominations anonymously, with explanations of what made the nomination appropriate for consideration. That list of nominees was then sent to the group for anonymous voting to cull the larger nominee lists down. Final winners were chosen from the culled down list by the Executive Media team with selections based on many factors, including impact on consumers and trade in the wine, spirits, or beer space, commercial successes, company/brand vision, and trendsetting. The Wine Star Awards are an overall beverage industry awards program. While the editors are invited to participate, this is a collaborative program incorporating the input of all divisions of our company and is not a solely an editorial franchise.
New World Winery of the Year
Johan Reyneke took a vineyard laborer job after graduating university, and that humble work sparked a lifelong interest in organic and biodynamic viticulture that is now putting Reyneke and his eponymous winery at the forefront of sustainable winemaking. After forming a small farming operation, Reyneke started making wine to bring in additional revenue. Those organic wines captured the attention of the distributor Vinimark that partnered with Reyneke in expanding the business. Today, Reyneke Wines farms more than 120 hectares of vineyards without the use of any chemical inputs and in accordance with Demeter Biodynamic standards.
Two Paddocks
Sam Neill is known around the world for his roles in blockbuster movies, yet his winery Two Paddocks in the Central Otago region of his native New Zealand is generating nearly as much buzz among wine fans as the latest installment of Jurassic Park did among moviegoers. Neil planted their first vineyard in 1993, and have steered the distinctively ethereal and elegant style of the label’s Pinot Noir that, as vines reach three decades of age, has been getting better and better. Two Paddocks is now one of the best Pinots labels in New Zealand. The impeccably farmed single vineyard wines are truly expressions of Central Otago’s distinctive subregions.
Bodega Zuccardi Valle de Uco
The Uco Valley estate of Familia Zuccardi, which is one of the largest wine producers in Argentina, was founded in the late 2000s; its architectural marvel of a winery was finished in 2016. Sebastian Zuccardi, who is a member of the third generation, has maintained a focus on research and innovation at the winery, which produces a range of wines from different regions of Mendoza, appellations of the Uco Valley and single vineyards. The resulting wines have been praised as fresh and complex examples of terroir rather than showpieces for specific grape varieties.
Monte Xanic Bodega Vinícola
The secret is out on the burgeoning wine scene in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, and that is largely thanks to Monte Xanic, which produces nearly 100,000 cases of premium wines at a variety of prices. The winery’s approachable and consistently high-quality wines are matched by an outstanding hospitality experience and a commitment to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life in the area.
Montes Wines
One of Chile’s largest wine producers, Montes Wines, continues to help raise the country’s profile when it comes to premium winemaking. What started out in 1987 as a small boutique winery has instead grown into one of the nation’s largest—without compromising quality by remaining committed to research and innovation. Montes was one of the first in Chile to develop vineyards on steep hillsides as well as in cool, coastal regions, and there is currently an ongoing project to produce fine wine on the rugged landscape of the Chiloé Archipelago nearly 750 miles south of the capital of Santiago.
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