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Tasting Wine Spectators Top 10 Values
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I use this wine key: Forge de Laguiole Ebony
I have used the following glass in this video: Spiegelau Definition Universal Glass
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2022 La Rioja Alta S.A. Vina Alberdi Crianza, Rioja DOCa, Spain
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/la+s+a+vina+alberdi+crianza+doca+rioja+alta+spain/2022/germany?referring_site=KSB
2022 Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/terrazas+de+los+andes+rsrv+malbec+mendoza+argentina/2022/germany?referring_site=KSB
2023 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough, New Zealand
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/craggy+range+te+muna+rd+sauv+blanc+martinborough+new+zealand/2023/germany?referring_site=KSB
2021 Marchesi Antinori Villa Antinori Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/marchesi+antinori+villa+tuscany+igp+italy/2021/germany?referring_site=KSB
2019 Ruffino Riserva Ducale, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ruffino+rsrv+ducal+docg+chianti+cls+tuscany+italy/2019/germany?referring_site=KSB
2022 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel, Sonoma County, USA
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/seghesio+fmly+zinfandel+sonoma+county+north+coast+california+usa/2022/germany?referring_site=KSB
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 - 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 - 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 - 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 - 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 - 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
We all need wines that we can open on a weekday. Wines that are affordable but awesome, cheap but cheerful. However, discovering value wines is not that easy. Believe me, that is what I am trying to do most of the time for my retail business.
That is why I took note when I saw Wine Spectator's new Top 10 Value wine list from their current issue. So let's find out, whether there is real Value on that list! A few years ago, Wine Spectator introduced a new feature with their Top 10 Values List.
The list was introduced in 2021 and it offers a different selection of wines. Compared to their overall Top 10 List, which usually features pretty expensive wines. All of the Value wines have to be rated 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale, cost $40 or less, and were made in large enough quantities to be widely available.
Looking at the list, I find it a bit strange that 5 of the 10 are from the US. When it comes to value, countries like Portugal, Chile, and South Africa are usually great sources of value wines, and they do not feature at all.
When it comes to discovering value. I also recommend looking for less-known grape varieties, regions, and producers, as they usually trade for less but most if not all of the wines are made from the more popular grape varieties and are from famous regions and producers.
Some viewers might also argue that 40 USD is a lot of money, and I think that is true – but the list is mainly designed for a US-based audience, and wine in the US is more expensive than in many other countries.
Additionally, most of the wines on the list cost between 20 and 25 USD, which is a more affordable price bracket. In order to determine value, it is, however, important to see the price in the context of the quality of the wine, and in order to determine the quality, we will have to pop those corks!
