From the Ashes: Signorello Winemaker Priyanka French Rises Again
Winemaker Priyanka French in the makeshift offices of Signorello
Because great beginnings can come from tragic ends.
Matt Bean
Collecting for Beginners
Courtesy of Robert Mondavi
Older wines in good condition can be hard to come by. But French has three pieces of advice for aspiring collectors.
1 /7
Le Creuset Waiter’s Friend Corkscrew
A textbook version of the ubiquitous sommelier’s knife, but with a comfier handle, a sharp blade for slicing through capsules, and a double-hinged lever for easy extraction of even the most stubborn synthetic corks.
Le Creuset Waiter's Friend Corkscrew, from $22.46
2 /7
Riedel WineWings Glasses
We’ve duked it out over fancy glassware in the past, but this series of wine glasses might make converts of the mason jar set. With a flatter bottom profile and undulating curves to afford for vigorous swirls, the Silhouette of each glass is designed to provide maximum air contact with the contents. That means the aromas meet your nose and meld with the palate of your wine to provide an orgiastic crescendo of sensory components.
Riedel WineWings Glasses, from $35
3 /7
Hard Strong 7-Ounce Stackable Glasses
Made in Japan since 1967 and strengthened through an Ion-Exchange process, these glasses are compact, stackable, and ultra-durable. They’re often used for hot tea in ramen shops, but they function just as well with a weeknight Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (or a thumb of whiskey). Bonus: A six-pack of these costs less than a single Riedel!
Hard Strong stackable glasses, 6 for $33
4 /7
North Drinkware Glasses
Glass half-empty or half-full is not what we’re mulling with this smart series of tumblers, which features relief sculptures of prominent mountains in the base. What better way to contemplate the heights you’ll reach in the year ahead than to drain a dram with heft like this?
North Drinkware Tumblers, from $48
5 /7
Corning Pyrex Erlenmeyer “Decanter”
Go ahead, drop $300 on a fancy blown-glass decanter. That’s blown money, once it meets the edge of an elbow after the third bottle of the night. We’ll be drinking the money we saved by using this dirt-cheap and durable Pyrex surrogate, which is made for the lab but works damn well enough on wine, too. It’s food safe, brand-new, and best of all cheaper than most wine we’d recommend.
Corning Pyrex Erlenmeyer Flask, $24.37
6 /7
Coravin Wine-Preservation Systems
Previous models of this system injected inert Argon gas through the cork via hypodermic needle, pushing wine back out and preserving the delicate juice inside. That’s fine for sipping your way through $800 bottles of cult cab, but for the average drinker just looking to prolong something pretty damn good, or maybe to work through a few bottles in a night without the pressure of draining them, this system is a life-saver. Instead of punching through the cork, you’ll swap on grommeted rubber necks after the cork is removed. The result: Four weeks versus a few days of post-cork longevity—and zero opener’s remorse.
Coravin Systems, from $99
7 /7
NewAir Wine Refrigerators
Consider a dual-zone compact wine fridge like NewAir’s—perfect for cramped kitchens.
NewAir Wine Fridges, from $120
Scan the Sites
French recommends three auction sites for older wines. Winebid.com “is very reliable,” she says. “If you get a bad bottle you just email them and they replace it.” Benchmarkwine.com has a great newsletter. And nolimitfinewines.com “is kind of my secret. I’m not sure I should even be telling you about it.”
Know Your Houses
Some wineries have made a practice of keeping old stock available, which means you’re more likely to be able to find it. French echoed what many in the Napa Valley will say about Stony Hill’s older white wines. And Mondavi’s bottlings from the 1980s “are all drinking spectacularly well right now,” she says.
Join Forces
While COVID has curtailed wine gatherings, you can still share the load of scanning for new auctions, and if you’re able to taste at a remove, share the cost. “My husband and I are in three tasting groups,” says French. “It’s great for access to wine but also you have all of these other palates in forming the experience.”
Essential Wine Gear
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1 of 7
Le Creuset Waiter’s Friend Corkscrew
A textbook version of the ubiquitous sommelier’s knife, but with a comfier handle, a sharp blade for slicing through capsules, and a double-hinged lever for easy extraction of even the most stubborn synthetic corks.
Le Creuset Waiter's Friend Corkscrew, from $22.46
2 of 7
Riedel WineWings Glasses
We’ve duked it out over fancy glassware in the past, but this series of wine glasses might make converts of the mason jar set. With a flatter bottom profile and undulating curves to afford for vigorous swirls, the Silhouette of each glass is designed to provide maximum air contact with the contents. That means the aromas meet your nose and meld with the palate of your wine to provide an orgiastic crescendo of sensory components.
Riedel WineWings Glasses, from $35
3 of 7
Hard Strong 7-Ounce Stackable Glasses
Made in Japan since 1967 and strengthened through an Ion-Exchange process, these glasses are compact, stackable, and ultra-durable. They’re often used for hot tea in ramen shops, but they function just as well with a weeknight Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (or a thumb of whiskey). Bonus: A six-pack of these costs less than a single Riedel!
Hard Strong stackable glasses, 6 for $33
4 of 7
North Drinkware Glasses
Glass half-empty or half-full is not what we’re mulling with this smart series of tumblers, which features relief sculptures of prominent mountains in the base. What better way to contemplate the heights you’ll reach in the year ahead than to drain a dram with heft like this?
North Drinkware Tumblers, from $48
5 of 7
Corning Pyrex Erlenmeyer “Decanter”
Go ahead, drop $300 on a fancy blown-glass decanter. That’s blown money, once it meets the edge of an elbow after the third bottle of the night. We’ll be drinking the money we saved by using this dirt-cheap and durable Pyrex surrogate, which is made for the lab but works damn well enough on wine, too. It’s food safe, brand-new, and best of all cheaper than most wine we’d recommend.
Corning Pyrex Erlenmeyer Flask, $24.37
6 of 7
Coravin Wine-Preservation Systems
Previous models of this system injected inert Argon gas through the cork via hypodermic needle, pushing wine back out and preserving the delicate juice inside. That’s fine for sipping your way through $800 bottles of cult cab, but for the average drinker just looking to prolong something pretty damn good, or maybe to work through a few bottles in a night without the pressure of draining them, this system is a life-saver. Instead of punching through the cork, you’ll swap on grommeted rubber necks after the cork is removed. The result: Four weeks versus a few days of post-cork longevity—and zero opener’s remorse.
Coravin Systems, from $99
7 of 7
NewAir Wine Refrigerators
Consider a dual-zone compact wine fridge like NewAir’s—perfect for cramped kitchens.
NewAir Wine Fridges, from $120
This Story Came From the 2020 Wine Issue—Read It Here!
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