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World's Best Wine Critics Announced:
BWW2024 Reveals Top Wine Critics - a total of 1.6 million votes were cast!
The wait is over as the spotlight shines on the crème de la crème of the wine world – the esteemed wine critics chosen in the BWW2024 (Best Wine Critic of the World) competition. This unique event stands alone as the ultimate platform for recognizing the globe's finest wine critics, where the victors are determined through a democratic process of voting on tastingbook.com.
Every tastingbook.com user had the power to cast one vote, making the selection process democratic and inclusive. With 80% of the voters being wine professionals, the results are a testament to the current perceptions of critic expertise, impartiality, and integrity within the wine community.
This year's competition witnessed an unprecedented surge in participation, with over 1.6 million votes pouring in from 112 countries. The race was fiercely competitive, with the top spot changing hands multiple times throughout the voting period.
Jancis Earns World's Best Title Deservedly!
Claiming the title of the world's best critic is none other than the illustrious Jancis Robinson MW from United Kingdom. Renowned for her illustrious career and unwavering impartiality, Robinson's victory resonates worldwide. Surprisingly, over 70% of her votes hailed from outside Europe, particularly from America, underscoring her global appeal.
Markus del Monego MW Steps Into the Spotlight!
In a surprising turn of events, the second-place spot went to Markus del Monego MW, a German critic who also holds the title of World's Best Sommelier. Del Monego's clear and professional reviews, coupled with his down-to-earth approach, garnered widespread acclaim. His victory was particularly celebrated by the tastingbook community, as he has been a trusted member on the platform since its inception. The majority of his votes, 75%, came from Europe, with the remainder from Asia and America.
Securing the third-place position is Korean American Wine Critic Jeannie Cho Lee MW. Lee's comprehensive and professional wine assessments earned her high praise, with a significant portion of her votes originating from Asia and America.
Erin Larkin Surprisingly Tops as Australia's Wine Critic!
In this very male-dominated field, women performed exceptionally well in this year's competition, claiming the top spots in rankings 1, 3, 6, 12, and 13. Australian wine critic Erin Larkin, making her debut in the competition, surprised many by outshining established Australian critics and securing the 12th position. Larkin, the youngest finalist, recently joined Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, having been a part of tastingbook for 8 years.
Other notable climbers include French critic Michel Bettane (4), Swedish critic Richard Juhlin (9), American critic Jeff Leve (10), German critic Axel Probst (15), and Danish critic Izak Litwar (22). However, some well-known critics experienced a decline in rankings compared to previous years, indicating a shifting landscape in the world of wine criticism.
As independent critics emerge triumphant in 2024, tastingbook had the opportunity to interview the award recipients on the challenges of being a critic, their influences, and the role of artificial intelligence in future wine assessments. Their insightful responses are featured alongside their introductions.
Tastingbook extends heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and finalists, each of whom has earned their place among the best of the best. Cheers to their continued contributions to the world of wine criticism!
CHAMPAGNE HALL OF FAME
– The ranking of the all time best champagnes of the millennia.
The world’s one and only international champagne magazine – Fine Champagne Magazine – and Tastingbook.com have ranked the world’s best champagnes of this millennia in a grand ‘Champagne Hall of Fame’ tasting.
Over one hundred top ten champagnes from Fine Champagne Magazine’s annual 100 Best Champagnes’ rankings in 2010-2022 were included in the Champagne Hall of Fame tasting. From these champagnes 30 best scoring ones entered into the grand finale organised in September 2023.
The jury formed by the international wine & champagne professionals from ten countries around the world gathered for the Champagne Hall of Fame tasting finals in Helsinki.
All finalist champagnes were prestige quality and came from fifteen different champagne houses. Dom Pérignon, which has had more champagnes in top 10 rankings in Fine Champagne Magazine Best 100 Champagnes lists than any other champagne house in the history, had six different cuvées in the final. The second most champagnes in finale came from Taittinger with its four different Comte de Champagne vintages.
The most noteworthy champagne on the list is Rare Champagne, whose every vintage produced in the 2000s was included in the finals, and whose award-winner Rare Champagne 2002 (already in The Best Champagne of the Year 2011!) took the second place in the Champagne Hall of Fame tasting. This amazing champagne is still so youthful and shows no signs of slowing down.
Regarding the ageing potential of the finalist champagnes, the list includes a large number of champagnes that will show their true greatness in following years, or some even in following decades. These are especially the champagnes of the top vintages 2008 and 2012. Despite their potential, it was great to experience how much pleasure they provided already at this young stage. However, once they gain more bottle age, it can be expected that many of them will be rated closer to 100-point margin in the future.
Champagne Hall of Fame ranking -results: https://tastingbook.com
BWW 2022 – The Best Wine Critics of the World have been selected – Jeb Dunnuck is the surprise Winner!
BWW – The Best Wine of The World Competition is the largest wine competition in the world, whether measured by the number of wines or consumers involved or the judges taking part. Besides annual ranking of the best wines from over 20,000 different wines, the BWW competition also ranks the best wine shops and best wine critics based. Since 2018, BWW competition has received over 9 million votes.
Tastingbook.com's international pro members – wine importers, sommeliers, wine merchants and wine producers around the world – have listed anonymously the wine critics who they consider should be on the Top 50 Wine Critic list in BWW2022.
The competition was very tight again this year. There was only 5,000 votes’ difference between the winner and the least voted critic in the final, and difference between the top three, Jeb Dunnuck, Jancis Robinson MW and James Suckling, was just under 1,000 votes.
Independent wine critics were particularly successful. In addition to Jeb Dunnuck, there was several independent wine critics among the top 20 list – e.g., Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Allen Meadows, Markus del Monego MW, Tim Atkin MW, Richard Juhlin, Jeff Leve, Axel Probst, Andrew Caillard MW and Luca Gardini.
In BWW2022, the Best Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Jeb Dunnuck.
"I'm honored to be acknowledged, and I'd like to say thank you to all who voted in the competition. We're a young company, but the team at JebDunnuck.com has put in an incredible amount of work over the past five years. We continue to grow, and I believe the best is yet to come. Knowing that there were over 340,000 votes cast means a lot. I'm also happy to see many independent critics on the list. There's an unfortunate trend in wine criticism today that finds too many well-known publications on the trade's payroll. This rightly erodes trust and does lasting damage to the industry. Wine criticism exists to help consumers find wines they like, but this requires consumers to know and trust the person (not the publication) writing the reviews. I would again like to thank you for acknowledging our contributions, and I wish you all the best in wine and life.” – Jeb Dunnuck”
The Best Wine Critic of the World -competition is part of the BWW2022 – the Best Wine of the
World Competition, which was held in the world's largest wine information service –
tastingbook.com.
The 50 shortlisted wine critics received in total 314,126 votes from wine professionals and wine
lovers from 63 countries during the public voting period.
Other prestigious awards:
The Best Burgundy Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Allen Meadows (www.burghound.com)
The Best Rhône Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Jeb Dunnuck (jebdunnuck.com)
The Best Champagne Critic of the World -title was awarded to Richard Juhlin (www.champagneclub.com)
The Best Italy Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Luca Gardini (www.gardininotes.com)
The Best Spain Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to José Peñin (www.guiapenin.wine)
The Best Port Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Axel Probst (www.worldofport.de)
The Best Germany Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Markus del Monego MW (www.tastetainment.de)
The Best Austria Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Peter Moser (www.falstaff.com)
The Best Napa Valley Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Antonio Galloni (www.vinous.com)
The Best Australia Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to James Halliday (www.winecompanion.com.au)
Tastingbook.com is the world’s largest Fine Wine media and social community trusted by tens of thousands of wine professionals and wineries around the world.
Tastingbook is unbiased, ad-free, non-commercial, free to everyone and easy to use.
Once in a Lifetime tasting: 100 x Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder from 1882 until today.
Enjoy a well-earned pension Mr. Robert Parker, the next generation of wine reviews are here!
Tb points are the world's most unbiased, accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date wine reviews.
Robert Parker has been the most respected and influential wine critic in the world for the past thirty years. He has influenced the desirability of wines, selling prices and also the way wine is made. Now that Parker has just been officially retired, dozens of critics compete for his place. None of them has succeeded to rise to the empty throne so far.
In BWW 2018 - The Best Wine of the World competition was chosen the world's best wine critic. 50 most famous critics participated in the competition. The wine professionals gave them over 250,000 votes. The competition was tight, as only the modest 800 votes were separated from the first and the tenth.
The Tastingbook was founded in 2012 for the belief that - One thousand wine tasting views mean more than one. At that time, we did not believe, nor did we want, after Parker, any individual critic to have the same power as he had. The autocrazy flourished in the 18th century, and even though Parker was the Sun King of his time, there is no place for a similar monarch in the wine world of the 21st century.
Fortunately, there is no longer a need for dictatorship, as Tastingbook.com, the world's largest wine information platform, is now launching a Tastingbook points for wines.
Tb points are undoubtedly the most accurate, the most comprehensive and the most up-date that anyone has ever given to wines, because they don't only tell the opinion of one professional wine taster, but all of them and also take into account the quality of the vintage and the quality of the vineyard.
Tb points consist of the following factors:
- 50 of the best-known wine critics. The Tastingbook's “search engine” retrieves the wine points published by the critics on the pages of wine shops and wineries. Then the algorithm of the tastingbook calculates the average of the points.
- tastingbook’s wine reviews of thousands of professionals and other users. Then the algorithm of the tastingbook calculates the average of the points.
- the quality of the Vintage. The Tastingbook Algorithm compares the development of the points of the respective vintage for the past 50 years and calculates the point factor for the year.
- the reputation of the vineyard. The Tastingbook Algorithm compares the vineyard's ability to produce top wines over the past 50 years to other vineyards and calculates a point factor for the vineyard.
- In the tastingbook, the wine’s wine points are always updated immediately, when they get new reviews.
BWW 2021 - Best Wines of World have been selected – Château Mouton Rothschild is the Winner!
BWW – Best Wine of the World Competition is the largest wine competition in the world, whether measured by the number of wines, the number of consumers involved or the judges taking part.
The BWW 2021competition was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com. 20,4675 wines received in total over 3 million votes from 190,000 wine professionals and wine lovers from 115 countries during the three months voting period.
After the voting period, only 100 most voted wines in six different categories remained in the Finals, organized in December 2020. The six main categories included red wine, white wine, rose wine, sparkling wine, fortified wine, and champagne. Under each category, the best wines were also awarded according to price level and country categories.
In the Finals the wines were evaluated and ranked two different times as blind by the jury of Tastingbook.com Professionals (selected Judges from over 11 000 Pros: Wine writes, bloggers, MW's. Wine dealers etc.)
The Title above all categories - The Best Wine of the World 2021 - was awarded to the wine that won the highest scores in the Finals.
In BWW Competition 2021, the Best Wine of the World -title was awarded to the Château Mouton Rothschild 2018, Bordeaux, France.
”Mouton 2018 conveys all the unique personality of its site, along with the depth and richness of the vintage. We are delighted and proud that it shined and was recognized at such a level during the blind tasting finals."
Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy /Directeur des Propriétés / Baron Philippe de Rothschild, S.A
The Best Winery of the World -title was awarded to the Penfolds, Australia.
“We’re very proud and grateful to receive these awards in the world’s largest wine
competition The Best Wine of the World (BWW) Competition 2021 - in not one but five categories! This acknowledgement is a testament to the hard work of our Penfolds team – who strive to deliver excellence through innovation & experimentation – finessing 177 years of knowledge into every bottle. This year Grange celebrates its 70th Anniversary - so what a terrific way to start 2021! Peter Gago, Chief Winemaker of Penfolds
Other Winners of the main categories are:
Best White Wine of the World: Winner: Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2018 (Australia) Best Champagne of the World: Winner: Rare Champagne 2008 (Champagne, France)
Best Red Wine of the World: Winner Winner: Château Mouton Rothschild 2018 (Bordeaux, France)
Best Sparkling Wine of the World: Winner: Fontanafredda Contessa Rosa Alta Langa Rosé 2014 (Piedmont, Italy)
Best Rosé Wine of the World: Winner: Ixsir Grande Réserve Rosé 2018 (Mount Bekaa, Lebanon) Best Sweet Wine of the World: Winner: Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2018 (Rheingau, Germany)
Best Port Wine of the World: Winner: Niepoort Vintage Port 2017 (Douro, Portugal)
Best Cabernet Sauvignon Wine of the World: Bond St Eden 2015 (Napa Valley, USA)
Best Merlot Wine of the World: Masseto 2015 (Tuscany, Italy)
Best Pinot Noir Wine of the World: Armand Rousseau Chambertin 2014 (Burgundy, France) Best Champagne House of the World: Winner: Champagne Piper-Heidsieck (France)
Best New Winery of the World: Winner: Promontory (Napa Valley, USA)
Best Winemaker of the World: Winner: Cory Empting (Harlan Estate / Bond / Promontory)
”Cory Empting and his fabulous team (to whom he would be the first to give the credit) are the common thread in seeking to elaborate the purest expressions of the distinctive character of each of our diverse vineyard sites. His intuitive, thoughtful approach and strong leadership reflect a deep respect for tradition as well as an openness to innovation.
Don Weaver / Director, Harlan Estate
Other 250 winners can be found at www.tastingbook.com
In BWW Competition 2020, the Best Wine Shop of the World -title was awarded to Millésima from France.
The Best Wine Shop of the World -competition is part of the The BWW2020 - Best Wine of the World Competition, which was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com. The 50 shortlisted wine shops received in total 214,198 votes from wine professionalists and wine lovers from 71 countries during the voting period.
"Millésima is part of the family-owned-and-operated Group Bernard, whose parent company Lucien Bernard was founded in 1928, specialising in wines and spirits. A graduate of ESC Bordeaux with a Master's Degree in Economics, Patrick Bernard first worked at Banque du Drouas before joining the family business through Lucien Bernard. In 1983, he established a company by the name of Vins des Grands Vignobles, which became Millésima in June of 1988, dedicated to the traditional trade of Bordeaux crus classé wines. On January 1, 1988, the company published its first catalogue of the 100 greatest classified growths of Bordeaux, with the objective being to focus on sale to individual customers. From 1992 onwards, a printed catalogue has been published and sent out to the following countries: Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, French and German Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain. A true pioneer of the modern age, Millésima has been moving towards e-commerce ever since 1997, developing its platform for online wine sales through its 15 websites, each adapted to different foreign markets. Representing the fourth generation of the family business, it is today Fabrice Bernard who has succeeded Patrick Bernard at the helm of Millésima. After graduating ESC Amiens and working for Renault Credit International and Nissan Finance, he joined Millésima in 2007 as Marketing Manager, becoming Managing Director in 2012 and Chief Executive Officer in 2017, in the footsteps of his father."
BWW 2020 - TOP 20 Best Wine Shops of the World are:
1. Millésima (France)
2. Rare Wine (Denmark)
3. Vinmonipolet (Norway)
4. Farr Vintners (UK)
5. Berry Bros.& Rudd (UK)
6. Sokolin (US)
7. Justeri & Brooks (UK)
8. Wine.com (US)
9. Lay & Wheeler (UK)
10. Vivino ( Denmark)
11. K&L Wine Merchants (US)
12. Corney&Barrow (UK)
13. Acker Wines (US)
14. Fortnum & Mason (UK)
15. Alko (Finland)
16. Vanquish (UK)
17. Nickolls & Perks(UK)
18. Paulson Rare Wine (Germany)
19. Best of Wines (Netherland)
20. Fauchon (France)
The Best Wine Critic of the World -competition is part of the BWW2020 - Best Wine of the World Competition, which was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com.
Tastingbook.com's international pros members - wine writers, sommeliers, wine merchants and wine producers around the world, have listed anonymously the wine critics who they consider should be on the BWW2020 - Top 50 Wine Critic list.
Special BWW Competition -Best Wine of the 1980’s -Competition's winners have been selected!
The winner is Sassicaia 1985
First time ever, a whole decade was included in to the BWW-competition. Results of the largest 1980’s tasting in this century were surprising – the best wine of the 1980’s comes from Italy.
In the Finals, 250 best wines from vintages 1980-1989, chosen by tastingbook.com and FINE Wine Magazine'swine professionals, were evaluated and ranked as blind by the panels of 24 professionals coming from Australia, India, USA, UK, Germany, Lithuania, Norway and Finland (selected Judges from over 8000 tastingbook.com pros: wine writers, bloggers, MW's. wine makers etc.)
The Best Wine of the 1980’s -title was given to the Sassicaia 1985
“No wine has ever been as great as this from Sassicaia, and it is one of the best wines Italy has ever produced.”James Suckling 100 points
“I had this wine in a blind tasting - I have had it frequently, and have never failed to give it a perfect rating. A monumental Cabernet Sauvignon, it is one of the greatest wines made this century. Robert Parker 100 points
Other Winners of the main categories are:
Best Red Wine of the 1980’s: Winner: Sassicaia 1985, Tuscany, Italy
Best White Wine of the 1980’s: Winner: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 1986, Burgundy, France
Best Champagne of the 1980’s: Winner: Dom Pérignon P3 Rosé 1988, Champagne, France
Best Fortified Wine of the 1980’s: Winner: Quinta do Noval Nacional 1982, Douro, Portugal
Best Sweet Wine of the 1980’s: Winner: Château d´Yquem 1986, Sauternes, France
All the winners, TOP 100 list and prizes can be found at www.tastingbook.com
BWW- Best Wine of the World 2017 Competition Winners have been selected - the Best wine in the world is Harlan Estate 2013.
BWW-The Best Wine of the World-competition is by far the toughest wine competition on this planet. Unlike any other industry competition, only 1% of the wines involved will be awarded.
The BWW competition was held in the world's largest wine information service - Tastingbook.com. Over 22,500 wines received in total 1,333,896 votes from 620,000 wine professionals and wine lovers from 105 countries during the three month voting period.
After the voting period, only 180 most voted wines in six different categories remained in the Finals, organized in January 2018.
In the Finals the wines were evaluated and ranked three different times as blind by the panels of Tasting Book Professionals (selected Judges from over 7000 Pros: Wine writers, bloggers, MW's. Wine makers etc.)
The six main categories included red wine, white wine, rose wine, sparkling wine, fortified wine and champagne. Under each category, the best wines were also awarded according to price level and country.
In BWW Competition 2017, the Best Wine of the World title was awarded to Harlan Estate 2013 - Napa Valley / California, USA.
"The family and the team at Harlan Estate are humbled and honored to receive this honor. It is gratifying to be recognized for doing something you love.” Bill Harlan, the Owner of the Harlan Estate.
Other Winners of the main categories are:
Best Winery of the World: E.Guigal, Rhône, France
Best Red Wine of the World: Winner Harlan Estate 2013, Napa Valley, United States
Best White Wine of the World: Winner: E.Guigal Ex-Voto Ermitage Blanc 2013, Rhône, France
Best Champagne of the World: Winner: Dom Perignon 2002, Champagne, France
Best Sparkling Wine of the World: Winner: Bisol Private Cartizze Valdobbiadene Superiore Non Dosato N.V, Veneto, Italy
Best Fortified Wine of the World: Winner: Graham’s Vintage Port 2011, Douro, Portugal
Best Sweet Wine of the World: Winner: Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg TBA 2016, Rheingau, Germany
Best Wine Critic of the World: James Suckling, United States
All the winners and prizes can be found at www.tastingbook.com
BWW is the largest wine competition in the world, whether measured by the number of wines, the number of consumers involved or the judges taking part.
BWW warmly welcomes all vineyards to enter their wine for the 2018 competition.
Registration is the easiest, fastest, and most affordable in the business.
Registration will begin on March 1st at www.bwwcompetition.com.
WITH PENFOLDS GRANGE IN THE LEAD, THE AUSTRALIAN WINES GATHERED THE MAJORITY OF THE 1.3 MILLION PUBLIC VOTES IN THE BWW - BEST WINE OF THE WORLD 2017 COMPETITION
The BWW-Best Wines of the World -competition surpassed all its goals in its initial stages.
The competition was a success by all standards: 22 588 wines received a total of 1,333,896 votes from more than 620,000 wine-lovers and professionals around the world.
The most successful red wines were the Italian Monteverro 2012 and the Australian Penfolds Grange 2012 and Henschke Hill of Grace 2012.
The most popular white wines included the Australian Sirromet Le Sauvage Chardonnay 2013, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2010 and Emmerich Knoll Grûner Veltliner Vinothekfûllung 2015.
Favorites among the Champagnes were Dom Perignon 2002, followed by Piper Heidsieck Rare 2002 and Roederer Cristal 2002.
The French wines gaining the most votes were Guigal La Mouline 2010, Le Pin 2010 and Armand Rousseau Chambertin 2010.
American favorites were Heitz Martha’s Vineyard 2012 and Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2014.
With the Italian Monteverro in the lead, Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2011, Masseto 2011 and Tua Ritan Redigaffi 2004 gained much popularity.
Vega Sicilian Unico 2008 and Pingus 2008 gathered the most votes in the Spanish selection.
The public votes and votes given by wine professionals are tallied, and the wines with the most votes from each competition category enter the finals that will be held in the January 2018. In the finals, the wines undergo a blind evaluation by panels consisting of leading wine writers, Masters of Wine and wine professionals. Less than 1% of all the wines in the competition was selected for the finals.
BWW – the Best Wine of the World Competition, true to its name, selects the Best Wines in the World. It is the largest wine competition in the world, whether measured by the number of wines, the number of consumers involved or the judges taking part.
The competition differs significantly from other wine competitions in that the wines are selected by consumers all around the world and many thousands wine during a three-month period of voting, which takes place on Tastingbook.com and via social media, such as Facebook and Instagram.
The competition is arranged by the world’s largest wine information platform Tastingbook.com (www.tastingbook.com) and the world’s leading fine wine magazines – FINE Magazines (www.fine-magazines.com).
Acker Merrall and the tastingbook.com launch the world's’ easiest to use, largest web based wine appraisal service
Acker Merrall & Condit, America’s oldest wine shop and the world’s leading wine auction house, and Tastingbook.com, the world’s largest wine information source, have today launched the largest web based wine collection appraisal service for its members, wine collectors and Acker Merrall customers around the world. Tastingbook.com, which offers its deep, frequently updated content of wine reviews and evaluations at no cost to wine collectors, was launched in 2015 by the well known Finnish wine writer and founder of the Fine Wine Magazines Pekka Nuikki. Tastingbook.com has today over one million pages of wine information, over 400,000 pro tasting notes and around 1.5 million visitors every month. Over 6000 wine professionals from 59 countries are keeping it updated, enabling collectors to know the most up-to-date impressions of the world’s greatest wines from its members. On Tastingbook.com wine collectors will find the most up-to-date tasting reports virtually from every major tastings from all around the world.
The initial launch of this easy-to-use service will speed the appraisal process for wine lovers who wish to know the value of their wine collections quickly. Within the My Wine Cellar section of the Tastingbook.com site, its members can upload and enter their collections for appraisal quickly by Acker Merrall. They can choose to have their entire collection appraised by Acker Merrall or limit that appraisal to a specific selection of their wines that they choose. A confidential, automated appraisal request will be sent to Acker Merrall, who has been #1 in the wine auction market over the last decade. Combined with Acker Merrall’s unparalleled knowledge of wine auction trends and prices, collectors can utilize Acker Merrall’s consultative services to determine when, how and where to most effectively auction a portion or their entire wine collection.
“I am a frequent contributor and user of Tastingbook.com because it is easy to use, fun and very informative compared to any other wine site out there. Tastingbook.com has a sophistication and polish that is unique. When Pekka and I began to discuss the need for an easy to use appraisal site for his members during late 2016, I immediately said ‘Yes! Let’s do this together,” said Acker Merrall & Condit Companies’ Chairman John Kapon. “As the world’s largest wine auction firm during the past decade, we know how important it is for wine collectors to be able to know quickly and confidentially the value of their collections. I am very happy that Pekka and I made the decision to move forward together on the launch of this service.”
100 Best Champagnes for 2017
FINE Champagne and tastingbook.com select the World’s Best Champagne – The winner is Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle
FINE Champagne magazine, the international publication devoted to champagne and tastingbook.com, the World's largest wine information source, announce their list of the ‘100 Best Champagnes for 2017’.
After days of blind-tasting hundreds of champagnes, the final results were tabulated. Any champagne making it into the Top 100 in the rigorous tasting by our editorial board and guest specialists can warmly be recommended. Still, there can only be one winner.
In 2010 the title was given to Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV, in 2011 to Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002, in 2012 to Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2000, in 2013 to Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000, in 2014 to Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2002 and last year to Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 2002.
This year awards a multi-vintaged prestige cuvée as Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle claims the title of ‘Best Champagne for 2017’.
FINE Champagne’s TOP 10 champagnes for 2017
1 Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV 95,75p
2 Dom Pérignon Rosé 2003 95,25p
3 Charles Heidsieck Rosé Réserve NV 94,50p
4 Dom Pérignon Brut 2006 94,25p
5 Krug Vintage 2003 93,75p
6 Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV 93,50p
7 Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne magnum 1996 93,25p
8 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2006 93,00p
8 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995 93,00p
10 Henriot Rosé Millésime 2008 92,50p
10 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2006 92,50p
FINE Champagne magazine’s aim with this annual ranking is to taste the vast offering on the international markets in order to select the champagnes that are showing best this very moment. The most important criterion is the quality of the wine and its accessibility today.
The full TOP 100 list, click here
Tastingbook Announces its List of the "TOP 100 Bordeaux 2014 Vintage"
Tastingbook.com, the world's largest wine information service and a renowned industry authority, tasted all the best Bordeaux 2014 vintage wines at last week's Primeur-tasting and here is the first public TOP 100 list of them.
The Primeur Week in Bordeaux ended just a few days ago, just before Easter. Thetastingbook.com tasted during those intense days around 400 samples of the best wines from 2014 Vintage. For us, the wines were generally better than we expected and the vintage 2014 has nothing to shame. It will be a good buy in the future, especially if the prices is in a right level.
"The 2014 is not a great vintage like 2005, 2009 or 2010 but it will be able to secure a position as one of the very good vintages of Bordeaux," says Tastingbook's Pro, Markus Del Monego MW. "Especially, the Cabernets took advantage of the late ripening period, presenting convincing wines. However, there are also some excellent Merlots which reward the patience and meticulous work of the vintners. White wines are crisp and elegant and there are some fine examples of sweet wines to be found."
Here are our 10 top-scoring wines from Bordeaux. Click through for links to full tasting notes, ratings and reviews to see the full TOP-100 list.
- Chateau Ausone 2014, Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Chateau Cheval Blanc 2014, Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Chateau Haut-Brion 2014, Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2014, Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Le Pin 2014 , Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Chateau Margaux 2014, Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2014, Bordeaux, France, 97 points
- Chateau Cos d'Estournel 2014, Bordeaux, France, 96 points
- Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2014, Bordeaux, France, 96 points
- Chateau Pontet Canet 2014, Bordeaux, France, 96 points
Tastingbook Created the World's Largest Wine Ranking - The 10.000 Best Wines Ever Made
The World's largest wine information service - thetastingbook.com, has created ranking of best wines ever made, with masses of background information and some useful warnings on counterfeit wines.
In choosing the all-time top wines, the most important criterion by far for us was the quality of the wine today. We believe it is also the only one that really matters to the ordinary consumer. Even the best marketing campaign or award-winning history cannot turn a bad wine into a good one.
The Tastinbook's over 1000 wine professionals have tasted the selected wines more than one hundred times at best; even at worst, at least three. This has given us a comprehensive view of the development and constancy of the wines, and removed errors caused by poorly stored or counterfeit bottles.
Although we have mostly tasted wines from the twentieth and twenty-one centuries, we also opened hundreds of bottles from the nineteenth.
Therefore we can confidently declare that the wines in our top 10.000 ranking truly deserve their places thanks to their quality and their ability to delight drinkers today," said Mr Pekka Nuikki, the CEO of the Tastingbook.
Our main mission here at the tastingbook.com is to help consumers enjoy wines at the time when they offer the greatest enjoyment and value for money. We want to encourage our users to open and experience the wines that are at their best right now. That is why the biggest weighting in our scores is given to the wines' current enjoyability, which we feel should be the factor that most determines consumers' buying habits.
We have tasted each wine at least three different times and on average 7 different times, believing that it is important to take account of the fact that each bottle is different. We eliminated all instances of bad or suspected fake bottles and say.
"We believe that it is unfair to rank wines based on just one single tasting experience," said Pekka Nuikki, the CEO of the Tastingbook.
The 10.000 Best Wines ever made-listing will be updated every day.
THE WINNER OF FINE´S 100-TASTING, PENFOLDS GRANGE 1971, WILL TURN WORLD ON TO AUSTRALIA’S FINEST WINES
by Tony Love News Corp Australia Network
THE naming of Penfolds’ 1971 Grange as the world’s greatest wine of the 1970s will have immediate impact on Australia’s reputation in international fine wine circles.
Current Chief Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago, still in shock over the announcement that one of the finest vintages of Australia’s most famous red wine has beaten the greatest French estates to such an accolade, believes the win means just as much for Australia’s wine industry as it does for his employer Penfolds.
“It’s really amazing for Australia,” Mr Gago said.
“This will alter the perception that we are only good for critter and basic commodity wines,” he said.
The half-million dollar, internationally judged tasting of hundreds of famed labels from France, Spain, Germany, Italy and new world producers like Australia and the US placed Penfolds 1971 Grange at the top of an astounding collection of luxury global wines.
Included in the judging, held by European FINE Wine magazine FINE, were the greatest French wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone.
The 1971 Grange tipped out the legendary Chateau d’Yquem 1975 Sauternes, considered the world’s best sweet wine, in a 98.5 points to 98 points showdown, while other Granges from the 1970, 1972 and 1976 vintages also made it into the top 100 listings.
The results of the tasting will reverberate around the fine wine world, Mr Gago said after being told of the judges’ decision.
“Grange always gets benchmarked against similar wines, but the fantastic thing was this was the best of the best across the whole decade,” he said.
“It’s a whole new level of seriousness and will be noticed by the elite wine connoisseurs of France, the UK and US and Germany.”
The 1971 vintage of Grange has long been considered one of the great years of the famed lineage of Australia’s most famous red wine, made mostly from shiraz but in this outing also including 13 per cent of cabernet sauvignon.
Along with the 1955 and 1990 vintages, it has convinced prominent overseas wine judges and critics to name Penfolds Grange as a global icon.
Its fame has led to many other South Australian shiraz being lauded as one of the continent’s leading gifts to the wine world. Wines such as Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz are also revered by collectors around the globe.
Australia also is renowned in international circles for its extraordinary history of aged fortified wines from the Victoria’s northeast Rutherglen region, and its capacity for Hunter Valley Semillon to age for many years to deliver one of the most unique white wine styles.
100 Best Champagnes for 2015
FINE Champagne magazine selects the World’s Best Champagne – Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 2002 claims the crown
FINE Champagne magazine, the international publication devoted to champagne and a renowned industry authority, announces its list of the “100 Best Champagnes for 2015”.
After days of blind-tastings of hundreds of champagnes the final results were tabulated. Any champagne making it to the Top 100 in the rigorous tasting of our editorial board can warmly be recommended. Still, there can only be one winner. In 2010 the title was given to Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV, in 2011 to Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002, in to 2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2000, in 2013 to Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000, and last year to Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2002. This year rosé’s triumph continued with the majestic Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 2002 claiming the title of the ‘Best Champagne for 2015’
FINE Champagne’s TOP 10 champagnes for 2015
1 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 2002 94,44p
2 Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé 2004 94,27p
3 Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2004 94,06p
4 Ruinart Dom Ruinart 2004 94,02p
5 Charles Heidsieck Vintage Rosé 1999 94,00p
6 Dom Pérignon Brut 2004 93,81p
7 Piper-Heidsieck Rare2002 93,63p
8 Krug Vintage 2000 93,52p
9 Louis Roederer Cristal 2004 93,38p
10 Henriot Millésime 2006 93,15p
FINE Champagne magazine’s aim with this annual ranking is to taste the entire offering on the international markets in order to select the champagnes that are showing best this very moment. The most important criterion is the quality of the wine and its accessibility today.
Champagne Magazine's 100 Best Champagnes for 2021!
The world's only Champagne magazine and tastingbook.com select the World's Best Champagnes – The winner is Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2008
For the tenth time, the world's one and only Champagne Magazine and world's largest wine information platform Tastingbook.com, put hundreds of champagnes in line and ranked the 100 best champagnes on global markets for 2021.
After days of blind-tasting hundreds of champagnes, the final results were tabulated. Any champagne making it into the Top 100 in the rigorous tasting by our editorial board can warmly be recommended.
This time the winner was one of the most esteemed prestige blanc de blancs champagne of the world – Comtes de Champagne from Taittinger and its most recent vintage 2008. Comtes de Champagne is not the newcomer on podium, as it was claimed in 2012 as the winner of 100 Best Champagnes with its vintage 2000.
"The recently-released and much-awaited Comtes de Champagne 2008 was one of the last remaining prestige cuvées from the hyped 2008 vintage to see daylight. But it was worth the wait. The first nose is radiantly fruity with gorgeous gunpowdery toastiness lingering on top of the zingy lemon, lime, peach and grass notes. Remarkable purity and finesse on this racey and mineral, slowly evolving, still super youthful Comtes packed with energy and tension", Essi Avellan MW comments
The second place was shared this year by two great new cuvees – Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle No. 24 and Dom Pérignon 2010. Both very solid and concentrated, still babies but drinking perfectly well already.
Although the top ten list is dominated by the well-established prestige champagnes, there are two superb finds – Laurent-Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV and Palmer&Co Vintage 2012.
The quality of all the top 100 champagnes was pleasingly high - over 70 champagnes were rated by 90 points and plus, and the average scores of the top 10 was highest ever - 95 points!
The 100 Best Champagnes tasting is an annual rating of Fine Champagne Magazine that is organised in collaboration with the world's largest wine information source Tastingbook.com.
FINE Champagne's TOP 10 champagnes for 2021
1. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2008
2. Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle No. 24
2. Dom Pérignon 2010
4. Maison Mumm Cuvée Lalou 2006
5. Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2007
6. Moët & Chandon MCIII 001.14
7. Louis Roederer Cristal 2012
8. Rare Champagne Rosé Millésime 2008
9. Laurent-Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature
10. Palmer & Co Vintage 2012
Previous winners:
2020 Dom Pérignon 2008
2018 Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006
2017 Moët & Chandon MCIII 001.14 NV
2016 Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV
2015 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 2002
2014 Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2002
2013 Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000
2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2000
2011 Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002
2010 Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV
BWW 2020 - Best Wine Critics of World have been selected – Neal Martin is the Winner!
The Best Wine Critic of the World -competition is part of the BWW2020 - Best Wine of the World Competition, which was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com.
Tastingbook.com's international pros members - wine writers, sommeliers, wine merchants and wine producers around the world, have listed anonymously the wine critics who they consider should be on the BWW2020 - Top 50 Wine Critic list.
The 50 shortlisted wine critics received in total 218,966 votesfrom wine professionals and wine lovers from 56 countries during the voting period.
In BWW Competition 2020, the Best Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Neal Martin.
"Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Best Wine Critic Competition, not least since many of the votes are cast by fellow wine professionals. Although by definition a competition, everyone that contributes towards communicating about wine has something to offer and is fighting the same cause - to encourage more people to drink well. That is more important today than ever in the shadow of proposed import tariffs and ever-stronger anti-alcohol lobbyists. Despite these immediate challenges, wine has been enjoyed for thousands of years and it will be enjoyed for thousands more. - Neal Martin(Senior Editor - Vinous)"
Other prestigious Awards:
-the Best Bordeaux Wine Critic of the World-title was awarded to Michel Bettane.
-the Best Burgundy Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Allen Meadows.
-the Best Rhône Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Jeb Dunnuck.
-the Best Alsace Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Stephan Reinhardt.
-the Best Champagne Critic of the World -title was awarded to Richard Juhlin.
-the Best Italy Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to James Suckling.
-the Best Spain Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to José Peñin.
-the Best Port Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Axel Probst.
-the Best Germany Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to David Schildknecht.
-the Best Austria Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Peter Moser.
-the Best South Africa Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to John Platter.
-the Best Napa Valley Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to James Laube.
-the Best Australia Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Andrew Caillard MW
The TOP 20 Wine Critics list with more information can be found at www.tastingbook.com
BWW is the largest wine competition in the world, whether measured by the number of wines, the number of consumers involved or the judges taking part.
BWW 2018 - Best Wine Critics of World have been selected – Jancis Robinson MW is the Winner!
BWW-The Best Wine of the World-competition is by far the toughest wine competition on this planet. Unlike any other industry competition, only 1% of the wines involved will be awarded.
The BWW competition was held in the world's largest wine information service - tastingbook.com. 18,477 wines received in total 2,354,989 votes from 416,000 wine professionals and wine lovers from 116 countries during the three months voting period.
After the voting period, only 100 most voted wines in six different categories remained in the Finals, organized in January 2019. The six main categories included red wine, white wine, rose wine, sparkling wine, fortified wine, champagne and Wine Critic.
In BWW Competition 2018, the Best Wine Critic of the World -title was awarded to Jancis Robinson MW.
"I feel extremely honoured to have been recognised by so many wine professionals around the world, particularly when the competition is so extremely strong. And I’m thrilled to see that my JancisRobinson.com colleague Julia Harding MW is also highly valued.
I think all of us who write about wine know that, however enviable our work seems, it is increasingly demanding, even if always rewarding. Here’s to wine! And of course, to the organisers of this poll.”Jancis Robinson MW
TOP 20 Best Wine Critics are:
1. Jancis Robinson MW
2. Jeannie Cho Lee MW
3. James Suckling
4. Antonio Galloni
5. Neal Martin
6. Michel Bettane
7. Allen Meadows
8. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
9. Tim Atkin MW
10. Richard Juhlin
11. Andrew Caillard MW
12. Eric Asimov
13. Julia Harding MW
14. Markus Del Monego MW
15. René Gabriel
16. Jeff Leve
17. José Peñin
18. Christer Byklum
19. Jeremy Oliver
20. Robert Parker
Most voted wines of the main categories are:
Most voted Red Wine of the World: Winner:Hill of Grace 2013, Henschke, Australia
Most votedWhite Wine of the World: Winner: Montrachet2009, Ramonet, France
Most votedChampagne of the World: Winner: Dom Pérignon 2008, France
Most voted Sparkling Wine of the World: Winner:Original Sparkling Shiraz N.V, Seppelt, Australia
Most voted Fortified Wine of the World:Winner:Graham’s Vintage Port 2016, Portugal
Most votedRosé Wine of the World: Winner: Boat Shed Nebbiolo Rosé, Longview, Australia
Most votedSweet Wine of the World: Winner: Château d’ Yquem 2011, France
The TOP 50 Wine Critics and 1000 Most voted wines -lists can be found at www.tastingbook.com
100 Best Champagnes for 2018 - Dom Pérignon is finally the winner.
After winning a number of pole positions in previous years, Dom Pérignon finally won the jackpot - The 2018 winner is Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006
FINE Champagne magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne and tastingbook.com, the world’s largest wine information source, announce their list of the ‘100 Best Champagnes for 2018’.
After days of blind-tasting hundreds of champagnes, the final results were tabulated. Any champagne making it into the Top 100 in the rigorous tasting by our editorial board and guest specialists can warmly be recommended. Still, there can only be one winner. This year our choice is Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006.
Having started life as Moët & Chandon’s prestige cuvée, today Dom Pérignon enjoys an independent position as an icon of champagne. The first vintage of Dom Pérignon Rosé, 1959, was launched in 1971. Characterised by aromas and structure Pinot Noir, it is truly Burgundian in character. This trait is more pronounced in the latest vintages, as cellar master Richard Geoffroy dares to be increasingly adventurous with it. 26th Dom Pérignon Rosé to be released and record-breaking 5th in a row, the 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is an act of creation in a hot and dry year.
“Technically my most challenging Vintage was 2006. I keep referring to risk at Dom Pérignon, to step outside one's comfort zone: to me it's the essence - an element of magic comes out of it.”Richard Geoffroy
Stunningly concentrated and packed with succulent fruitiness, the winealready now shows a beautiful complexity of gunpowder, licorice and oriental spices complementing the plush yet firm Pinot fruit.
FINE Champagne’s TOP 10 champagnes for 2018
1 Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006
2 Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002
3 Dom Ruinart Rosé 2004
4 Dom Pérignon 2008
4 Louis Roederer Cristal 2009
4 Deutz Cuvée William Deutz 2006
7 Pol Roger Rosé 2008
7 Krug Grande Cuvée NV
9 Charles Heidsieck Rosé 2006
10 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2004
Our Fifth Anniversary Dinner
Five years! Yes, that is how long it has been since the FINE Wine & Champagne India magazine began to pave the path to change the landscape of fine wine in India – a very challenging task in very challenging conditions.
The milestone fifth FINE Anniversary was celebrated just as it has been in the past – with grandeur and diplomatic pomp – the “FINE Ambassadors’ and High Commissioners’ Table” was co-hosted by H.E. Aapo Pölhö, the Ambassador of Finland to India, and Rajiv Singhal, Publisher of FINE Magazines, at the grand Residence of Finland in New Delhi.
H.E. Aapo and his wife, Inkeri Siekkinen, have been very gracious hosts – they plan everything to the minutest detail. This year, they brought the very talented Peruvian chef, Enrico Tosso, to take charge in the kitchen. Chef Enrico, very painstakingly, created the seven-course menu over several iterations that were moderated by our wine team (Arjun Sachar and Vipul Thakur, who also took care of all the bottles and their varying individual service requirements) to pair the trophy wines that were equally painstakingly selected by the participating Heads of Mission.
In its fifth year, the “FINE Ambassadors’ and High Commissioners’ Table” showcased wine from Australia, Austria, Canada, Champagne, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, and Spain – a perfect dozen! A group of friends of wine and friends of FINE were privy to the pleasure of partaking in this feast.
Our guests trickled in at the invited hour, and they were welcomed by the much needed and very refreshing Palliser Estate Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013 from New Zealand. High Commissioner Grahame Morton told us that his grandmother bought land in the region, because it had very good grass for the sheep! Wine appeared only in the last four decades,
India discovers ‘A Century of Australian Wine Heritage’
Wine Australia, in partnership with FINE Wine & Champagne hosted ‘A Century of Australian Wine Heritage’ on Friday, 22 January, 2016 in New Delhi, India.
Held at High Commissioner Patrick Suckling’s residence, the intimate tasting was presented by Wine Australia Chair Brian Walsh, who introduced guests to Australia’s fine wine heritage through a tasting line up of wines spanning vintages from the last hundred years. Arjun Sharma, Chairman of Select Group India, a highly regarded hospitality, retail and tourism group, said of the event, ‘It was a privilege to attend this spectacular wine tasting. I learnt about the legacy of ancient and premium wines that Australia has to offer. ‘I will definitely put Australia in my travel plans to discover their fine wines and to explore business opportunities.’
‘It’s been wonderful to travel to India and share some of our finest examples of Australian wine from the last century. This event has been two years in the making because these wines haven’t been easy to find. They’ve come frompersonal cellars, wineries and auction houses.
Rajiv Singhal, Publisher and Editor of FINE Wine & Champagne, was a guest of Wine Australia’s global wine forum held in Adelaide, South Australia in 2013. Mr Singhal was impressed by the age and quality of some of the older wines he tasted and for the last two years he has worked with Wine Australia and Austrade to source aged Australian wines from each decade of the last century.
‘This tasting is a culmination of an enriching first visit to Australia in 2013 where I was introduced to old vintages dating back to the early 20th century. ‘I am delighted that we have been able to host this exclusive and unique tasting in New Delhi.’
The wines tasted included:
1915 Seppeltsfield 100 Year Old Para Vintage Tawny
1930 Seppeltsfield Para Vintage Tawny
1936 Hardys Vintage Port
1947 Orlando Vintage Tawny Port
1954 Hardys Bin M177 Show Tawny Port
1957 Orlando Vintage Tawny Port
1963 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz
1967 Brown Brothers Milawa Everton Hills Shiraz and Cabernet 1970 d’Arenberg Shiraz
1970 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
1975 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
1978 Tahbilk Reserve Bin 65 Cabernet Sauvignon 1984 Penfolds Grange
1986 Yalumba Signature Cabernet Shiraz
1998 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon
Tastingbook.com Announces its List of the "The TOP 100 Domaine de La Romanee Conti Wines Ever Made"
Thetastingbook.com, the world's largest wine information service and a renowned industry authority have tasted over 300 vintages of Domaine De La Romanee Conti's vintages. The winner was a surprise - La Tache 1962
The tastingbook's over 1000 wine professional have tasted all the Domaine's best vintages and created the TOP 100 list. The full list of all the 300 DRC vintages can be read in thetastingbook.com.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is without question the most famous estate in Burgundy and arguably the greatest, producing some of the best wines in the world. It is probably one of the most traditional wineries in France. Wines are produced in small quantities while the demand is huge. The domaine has 25 hectares of vineyards, all Grand Crus, including the jewel in the crown, the 1.8 hectare monopole of Romanee Conti. Romanee-Conti.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti's all time TOP 10 are today:
1. La Tache 1962
2. Romanee Conti 1945
3. La Tache 1937
4. Romanee Conti 1937
5. Richebourg 1937
6. Romanee Saint Vivant 1949
7. La Tache 1949
8. La Tache 1959
9. La Tache 1985
10. Romanee Conti 1985
The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti's TOP 100 listing will be updated every day.