Serious wine drinkers?!
Answers: What is the best wine you've tasted? and what wines get the highest ratings at wine tastings?
Wine is an art which is different for different people, so you will end up with everyone making suggestion of different wines.
As for me, there are so many "best" wines I have taste throughout my life. Each occurs special occasion and each has special meaning. Honestly, I can not name the one single best wine that I have drank, but I can name a few that I can consider as some of the best.
I remember a bottle of 1992 Chateau Montelena opened at one of my wine tasting dinner earlier this year, which I consider as still the best bottle of wine I had this year and possibly for past few years. Then there is a bottle of 2001 Revana Cabernet that I drank with my ex on one of our first dates, and it was spectacular - as well as introduced her to the art of fine wine. I also remember the 1990 Chateau Mouton Rotheschild that I drank with a wine writer and a food critic, and I learned the intricacy of pairing top French Bordeaux with various breads and cheeses. Lastly, the first time I had a bottle of Pride Reserve Cab - 1997 Vintage - was with my friends when his then-girlfriend went to his cellar and took out a bottle of some "cheap" wine she never heard of, until the cork was popped and my friend panickly tried to have it recorked as we were savoring the wonderful flavor - first time for me.
To me, wine is about people and friends. While expensive and nice bottles of wine are great, it's the people that I drink with that makes the occasion and the experience special. That experience, to me, is what makes a wine the "best" wine - not necessarily the rating.
Personally, I drink a lot of red wine, primarily Cabernet sauvignon, Meritage, Merlot, Petit Syrah, some nicer Syrah and some nicer Pinot Noir. There is the everyday $20-30 wine that I enjoy - and being in Houston, I have the fortune of Specs Liquor stores, which actually bottle their own wine. Their "713" Cabernet - sold at Christmas last year and was the biggest selling wine in Houston, was leftover wine from Stag's Leap Artemis, usually selling for $45 but as "713" label for $22. I also purchase some second wines from various wineries for the cheaper prices, such as Elodian ($25) from Tom Eddy ($55), Lupine Hill ($25) from Frazier ($50), Overture ($55) from Opus One ($175), etc. Once you learn to drink wine, you learn to save money every way to can while maximizing the quality. Sadly, many of the second label wines are not rated.
As for good wines I like, I would suggest some boutique wineries from California. These are mom-and-pop operation tha produces unique wines that is hard to get, and sometimes they are underpriced for the quality of the wine that is bottled. Paloma Merlot, for example, costs $55 and was at one point rated the #1 wine at Wine Spectator - one of the few time I totally agreed with WS. This mom-and-pop operation was all produced in Napa, hand grown and picked by a wonderful couple, and when you visit their "winery", you have the tasting in the kitchen of their house and purchase wines at the study. Then thre is my friend Tom Garrett, who is named one of the up-and-coming wine maker by Wine Spectator, and his family vineyard, Detert, makes absolutely amazing Cabernet Franc ($45) and wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon ($55). There are so many others I can name, but you should go to a wine store and ask the more experienced wine salesperson for recommendation.
If you want to look on line, you can go to some of the wine merchants I use - Groezinger's (www.groezingers.com), St. Helena Wine Center (www.shwc.com), Wine Street (www.winestreet.com), and Duke of Bourbon (www.dukeofbourbon.com). Forget rating - ask about the style of wine that you like and try. Robert Parker may be great, but you may be even better. After all, Robert Parker did not start out as a student of wine - he only discovered his gifted talent until after he had practiced as a lawyer for a number of years.
It depends on what mood I'm in. I tend to like wines that are different from others in the same varietal.
Right now, I'm partial to 337 cabernet (more fruit than your average cab), Chatto Strong Man shiraz (a big blast of white peppery spice), Golden Kaan Pinotage, and Little Penguin pinot noir (the only australian pinot worth trying IMO, and for $8 it holds its own against some $40 bottles that I've tried). If you have a little extra, try Earthquake Petit Syrah...you'll thank yourself later.
I sell wine for a living, and don't put a lot of stock in ratings. I've seen, literally, hundreds of bottles that were given awards by groups that the winery put together; or recieved great ratings simply for advertising with a particular magazine. A lot of times, there's inconsistencies between who does the rating from one year to the next (consistency is important), or how they handle the wine being tasted.
Robert Parker is one of the few people that rate wines that I trust; unfortunately, he runs a small group that can only taste a limited number of wines each year. He also tends to stay above the $20 price point.
If you're curious about a particular wine, talk to the sales person. Chances are he/she has tried the wine, and can give you a decent idea of what's in the bottle. Over time, you can get an idea of your likes and dislikes. Taste the wine yourself...that's where the fun comes in. A rating is just a number (and one person's opinion).
many US wines are over-alkoholized - usually around 14/15°
which is good for drunkards - of course you are not -
The focus on the definition of wine, only through grape-species is commercial, but ridiculous - The Zinfandel dictature turns me mad - Do you know Bacot or Merlot ?
Wine is being killed on a wide scale because of the barbarian drink-habits of anglo-american ignorants - encouraged by salesmen who instead of spreading a good information, just sell through pathetic marks -
Let me tell you, species such as Sauvignon, malbec, merlot or whatever does not say anything about what you buy .
th truth is in the soil and certification of the origin of the bottle you buy - and this is in your country ignored -
Of course ther is the nappa Valley - but some bottles can be amazingly expensive
let's be more positive - why won't you try greeeeat wines from Chile, or sometimes Uruguay - if you can find them, there's a hope for you to educate your taste - otherwise bye bye
http://www.vinatis.com/recherche.aspx?re...
The best wine is going to be a bit pricey. The best wine I've ever tasted was an '82 Romanée-Conti La Tache. Considered to be the best wine made in the world by many. Save your pennies however. A bottle will run you as much as $3000. More realistic, buy a bottle of Domaine Drouhin from Oregon or see if you can find a bottle of Gypsy Dancer or Adelsheim Elizabeth Reserve. You can order all of these from the wineries in Oregon. They will be under $100 with shipping and will make a big impression. Excellent Pinot's and would be appreciated by any wine lover.
Cheers!
Going wine tasting is a hobby of mine and I live less than an hour drive from Napa Valley. I have also been to Oregon’s Willamette. Not knowing where you live, and your price range makes it hard. No point suggesting something you can not buy or want to pay the price for.
I like shopping at Costco for wine. Ours carries the Phelps’s Insignia. Reading the Kendal Jackson, my guess it you like something good but reasonable.
‘Siena’ by Ferrari-Carano for about $18.00 - $23.00. It is a sangiovese base blend with cab in it. It is one of my wife’s favorites. This is something different that most people never had. It is available at Costco.
Stonestreet Chardonnay about $28.00 – I am not fan of Chardonnay.
Try a Zinfandel from Sonoma County (Dry Creek or Alexander valley). Try Rosenblum they make a lot of different ones and may be available in your area.
If you're into Riesling, I recently bought 2 bottles of Dr. Loosen and 2 of JJ Prum of the web. Pricey for sure. Mostly $30-$50 a bottle. The best was one by JJ Prum. If I was at home, I could get you the exact variety. It was from finewinehouse.com. $76. But wow was it good.