STAGS LEAPGREAT CABS TO BUY NOW

RISINGSTARSMEET THE VALLEY’S NEW GUARD

600+ WINES REVIEWED

SEAFOOD MADE SIMPLEQUICK TIPS & PAIRINGS

SPAIN’S MUST-TRY WINESPAGE

75PAGE 55

PAGE 68W

INE EN

TH

US

IAS

T

TH

E N

AP

A IS

SU

E

CA

TALO

NIA

N W

INE

S

EA

FOO

D S

IMP

LIFIED

R

UM

CO

CK

TAILS

PAGE 38

PAGE 46

PAGE 20

THE

NAPAISSUE

JUNE 2015THE WORLD IN YOUR GLASS

JUN

E 2015

+10 TOP WINES UNDER $20

Winemag.com

$5.99 US & CANADA

Zac Posen Fall 2012

Kiko Graphic

Q +Athecrush

THECRUSHTHE CRUSH

THE

ourcrushTHIS MONTH

How did you develop a passion for wine?My grandfather owned a liquor and wine store in NYC, and they opened up right after Prohibition. He took trips throughout Europe and always valued the artistry of winemaking.

What do you like to drink?I love Austrian wines, Australian wines, New Zealand’s wines. I can’t say that I’m a full wino, but I know what I like and I let it take me on that journey.

You love to Tweet what you’re cooking. Have you always been really into food? I cook almost every night. It comes from being a curious person, from being an expressive person and growing up in New York City. I grew up in Soho, close to Chinatown— which is definitely an enlightening laboratory for ingredients. Take me to Bergdorf or to Eataly? It would be a hard pull, but I think I would end up at Eataly.

22 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | JUNE 2015 WINEMAG.COM | 23

10 QUESTIONS FOR ZAC POSENThe acclaimed fashion designer and Project Runway star, who recently designed a limited-edition label for Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, talks with Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa about his lifelong love affair with vino, his chef skills and how to pair wine with Japanese fabric.

Wait, are you cooking at your famous dinner parties, too? There’s no army in the back. It’s just me. Dinner parties can be used to impress, but when I have dinner parties, it’s with my close friends or people I want to know. I want people to be comfortable. I think entertaining in the kitchen helps.

How did you get involved with Ecco Domani? There’s a long history there. I put on my first fashion show for them, thanks to a grant they funded. We had a great, magical night. Ever since, I’ve had an emotional connection to the product.

What was your goal with the label?I wanted to pick up on the fresh, floral, exotic notes in the wine, and I didn’t want it to feel like there was a fashion illustration on it. And I wanted it to look good in someone’s kitchen and be a great gifting item.

Where did you find your inspiration? In Japan, there’s a guy who sells antique Japanese textiles. I developed a fabric I found there into a collection. It was a kiku print, and I thought: “This is what [Ecco] reminds me of.” It connected—the happiness, the exoticism, the lively pep.

Which wine regions have you visited?Dordogne, Champagne, all through Italy. One summer, my family and I were in Dordogne and my sister and I would walk through the vineyards

into town. We would see the dogs or pigs out looking for truffles. It was my first serious experience living a lifestyle that enjoyed wine and thrived on agriculture.

You’re in Japan often, do you like the wine being made there? I am obsessed with researching the wine industry in Japan. I’m really interested in the extreme manicuring of grapes. Nerd alert! Just seeing how they treat these clusters, like they’re diamonds. I’ve never seen such beautiful giant globes.

Any parallels between fashion and winemaking?It starts with the raw ingredient, fully. You have to have a good grape to make great wine. Without good fabric, you cannot make great clothing. With me, I let great fabrictell me what to do.

This interview has been edited and condensed. FOR MORE Q+A’S WITH ZAC—AND A VIDEO OF

OUR TALK—GO TO WINEMAG.COM/POSEN

MODEL & BOTTLE Posen’s kiku print

dress, and the label it inspired.

Ecco Domani vineyard

“Take me to Bergdorf or to Eataly? I think I would end

up at Eataly. ”