Contents F E AT U R E S Curing Cork Taint Could TCA be a thing of the past? Jamie Goode explains the science behind two new initiatives that aim to eliminate taint in natural corks. 14 30 Editor's Note ...........................1 Contributors ...........................2 Fined & Filtered ......................8 Opening into a pandemic. We talk with several wine directors whose restaurants made it work. News in Brief .........................10 Personal Taste .....................128 TAHIIRAH HABIBI reflects on her relationship with wine. TA S T I N G S At a Glance ............................67 W&S Scores Defined ...........109 YEAR'S BEST US Pinot Noirs ......................68 6 WINE & SPIRITS APRIL 2021 14 Root Down The Wood Wide Web became a forestry meme when trees were shown to communicate through networks of soil fungi interacting with their roots. Now, winegrowers are asking how their vines and other resident plants might be encouraged to continue their dirty conversations. 30 PHOTOS BY NATE READY (TOP) AND COURTESY OF AMORIM (BOTTOM) The Once and Future Wagram David Schildknecht explores this watershed moment for Austria's Wagram, a region blessed with loess soil and talented growers working this distinctive terroir. 24 D E PA R T M E N T S FOCUS Burgundy & Beaujolais .........97 Loire Valley .........................107 Austria ................................ 112 Tuscan Sangioveses ............. 116 Ontario ................................124 South African Chenin & Sauvignon Blancs ............125 German Pinot Noirs ............127 Rye on the Rise Rye whiskey is enjoying a renaissance-with heirloom varieties of rye grass inspiring a new crop of grower-distillers. Chantal Martineau reports. 18