The 2021 VinePair Next Wave Awards

Bartender Of The Year

Julia Momosé

Partner and creative director of Chicago’s Kumiko, Julia Momosé’s ingenuity behind the bar is only one part of her drive to push the industry forward.

Horse Inn

Located in Lancaster, Pa., Horse Inn dates back to 1920, but its inspired cocktail menu and impressive whiskey collection (not to mention its excellent food and hospitality) are a draw for modern drinkers.

Drinks Professional of the Year

Aaron Polsky

With LiveWire Drinks, Los Angeles-based bartender Aaron Polsky has not only started a collaborative RTD brand, but also provided a blueprint that genuinely serves all parties.

Gage & Tollner

Perfectly executed cocktails, a robust wine list, and a menu of reimagined chop-house fare set the stage for Sohui Kim, St. John Frizell, and Ben Schneider’s stunning reincarnation of Gage & Tollner, which first opened in Brooklyn in 1892.

Spirits Brand Of The Year

Wilderness Trail

Wilderness Trail founders Dr. Pat Heist and Shane Baker come from plant pathology and microbiology backgrounds, which informs their truly extraordinary whiskeys down in Danville, Ky., taking into account the always-unpredictable future of the industry.

Victoria Eady Butler

After a 31-year career with the Department of Justice, Victoria Eady Butler joined the team at Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and quickly became its official master blender, making award-winning whiskey sold around the world.

Advocate Of The Year

Fawn Weaver

The founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, Fawn Weaver and her work — with the Nearest Green Foundation and beyond — are inspiring a new generation of spirits businesses.

Winery Of The Year

Brendel Wines

Helmed by brand director Cassandra Felix, Brendel Wines honors its legacy by producing wine from the Grignolino grape — the grape originally planted by the estate’s founder — and showcasing the diversity of wine styles that can be made in the Napa Valley.

Tara Gomez

Tara Gomez’s passion for winemaking and decades-long career are on display in the delicious wines she makes for both Kitá and Camins 2 Dreams in California’s Santa Ynez Valley.

Wine Professional of the Year

Yannick Benjamin

Yannick Benjamin’s vision for East Harlem’s Contento restaurant and his work with Wheeling Forward and Wine on Wheels continue to redefine accessibility in wine and hospitality.

Alexis Percival

Partner and co-beverage director at New York City’s Kindred and Ruffian Wine Bar, Alexis Percival makes wine accessible to countless curious drinkers. Launched in 2020, Percival’s wine tasting club has supported and fostered a community for women studying to become wine professionals.

Retailer Of The Year

Parcelle

With its thoughtful curation and commitment to the larger drinks community, Parcelle, under the stewardship of founder Grant Reynolds, sets the standard for wine retail.

Brewer Of The Year

Breeze Galindo

Brewer at Other Half Brewing Company in Brooklyn and creator and host of the Other Half Women’s Forum, Breeze Galindo not only makes some of the state’s best beer, but continues to push the dialogue around beer and hospitality forward.

Talea Beer Co.

Founded in 2019 by LeAnn Darland and Tara Hankinson, Talea creates craft beer with mass appeal. Their bright and airy Brooklyn brewery and taproom, opened in 2021, is a welcoming space for beer enthusiasts, beginners, and everyone in between.

Collaboration of the Year

Brave Noise

Started in the wake of 2021’s craft beer reckoning, Brave Noise is Brienne Allan and Ash Eliot’s beer collaboration — and call to action for brewers and beer drinkers alike. Their goal: a safe and discrimination-free beer industry.

Beer Kulture

Creating access, scholarship and mentorship opportunities, and community, Beer Kulture and its founder and CEO Latiesha Cook continue to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the craft beer space.