The second annual VinePair Next Wave Awards recognizes spirits, wine, and beer professionals who have distinguished themselves in the past year for …
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Next Wave Awards 2022
The second annual VinePair Next Wave Awards recognizes spirits, wine, and beer professionals who have distinguished themselves in the past year for propelling the industry toward a brighter, more equitable, and sustainable future.
Bartender of the Year
For Harrison Ginsberg, hospitality is a way of life. The bar director — currently running NYC’s Overstory, Crown Shy, and Saga — has been working in …
Bar Program of the Year
“With cocktails, it’s not art,” says Double Chicken Please’s GN Chan. “It’s design.” Chan and his business partner Faye Chen opened their NYC hotspot …
Drinks Professional of the Year
In 1986, just one year after immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico, and at a mere 23 years of age, David Suro-Piñera opened Tequilas Restaurant in the …
Food & Beverage Program of the Year
Michael Solomonov’s most recent project is a love letter to Israel. From its name — a nod to “Fiddler on the Roof” butcher Lazar Wolf — to its …
Spirits Brand of the Year
It should come as little surprise to anyone with an eye on drinks industry trends that the winner of the 2022 Next Wave award for best spirits brand …
Master Blender of the Year
Working for a major beverage conglomerate can be a good life. Top-of-the-line distilling equipment. Warehouses full of aging barrels. Bulging …
Winery of the Year
David Hirsch never planned that the 1,000-acre isolated sheep ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean he purchased in 1978 would functionally become the …
Winemaking Team of the Year
In a decade or so, we might look back at 2022 as the year when boxed wine finally broke free from some of the stigma attached to the format and made …
Wine Professional of the Year
The concept may seem alien to many of us now in this era of tablets and smartphones but Matt Tunstall grew up in a household where dinner was an …
Sommelier of the Year
Vincent Morrow says he wasn’t used to the feeling of failure, so when he didn’t pass his first round of master sommelier tasting exams in the early …
Retailer of the Year
Hip-hop, high temperatures, street art, traffic: Atlanta is known for many things. But historically, its wine scene hasn’t been one of them. Sarah …
Brewer of the Year
Home is where the hops are. At least for emerging brewer Zahra Tabatabai, that was her pandemic WFH setup. At the top of her to-do list? Bringing a …
Brewery of the Year
If a non-alcoholic brand could boast a cult following, it would be Athletic Brewing Company. Founded in Stratford, Conn., by Bill Shufelt and John …
Rising Drinks Brand of the Year
The story of Lunar Hard Seltzer is one of triumph. In 2019, longtime friends Kevin Wong and Sean Ro began a homebrewing experiment to bring the …
Nonprofit of the Year
The idea is a simple one: “Our culture is changing, and so should wine.” But for Cara Bertone and Rania Zayyat, co-founders of Lift Collective, a …
Advocate of the Year
There are many reasons why someone may choose to pursue a career in wine. For Tahiirah Habibi, the decision came as she found herself with more …
