El Espinillo Viñas Viejas Garnacha 2015 Red, Bodegas Vega Berciana, DO Méntrida. The best Italian wines of the year cover everything from sparkling wines in Lombardia, Trentino and Veneto to whites from Friuli, Campania and Sicily to … So that’s our list for 2018. Last month we reported on American Rhone-style wines we tasted at the 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008. Here, the vines—usually Garnacha and Cariñena (Carignan)—can be as much as 100 years old, although younger Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon vines are also planted. This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue as part of the 13th Annual Seattle Magazine Wine Awards. It was a mouth-watering task to trawl through the year’s tastings and compile this list. So that’s our list for 2018. Drum roll, please … the Most Thrilling Niagara White Wine for 2018 is the 2027 Cellars Wismer Vineyard-Fox Croft Block Chardonnay 2017 and the Most Thrilling Niagara Red Wine for 2018 is the Two Sisters Stone Eagle Special Selection 2013. We noted that this event was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective because, unlike most tasting … Now that the trend has shifted to all things local, the region doesn’t hit the headlines except when the news involves the recovery of its Garnacha heritage. Grapes for the 2014 Ibizkus were sourced from six different plots planted with 60-year-old vines on sandy soils close to the sea in San Agustín and San José. Spain’s powerful yet refined reds dominate the team’s Top 100 Spanish Wines of 2018. Strict tasting rules were applied. Co-op Irresistible Bio-Bio Valley Malbec, Bio-Bio, Chile 2016 (£6.99, Co-op) The Co-op is known for putting ethical practices rather higher up its list of priorities than other supermarkets. Cheerleaders of the Washington wine scene (we include ourselves among them) have long touted Washington as a state that offers wines of incredible value, especially when compared to our two neighboring states to the south. Gold Medal, Marqués de VargasReserva 2010(Tempranillo / Rioja) $24For this wine, hand-picked grapes (75% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, 5% Granacha and 10% other varietals) were destemmed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, followed by aging for over two years in a combination of French, American and Russian oak barrels. C/ Piquer, 6. Grape vines have been grown on the Iberian Peninsula since at least 3000 B.C. Top drops: The best wines for 2018. The plot is owned and tended by Mateo, one of the best growers in Méntrida's cooperative. The champion wines were as follows: Freixenet’s Can Sala (Best Cava), Bodegas La Val’s Waitrose Viña Taboexa Albariño (Best Value White and Best Own Label), Bodegas Felix Sanz’s Viña Cimbrón Verdejo (Best White in Show), Señorio de Rubios’ Manuel d’Amaro Pedral (Best Discovery), Juan de la Barreda Acedo-Rico’s Torre de Barreda (Best Value Red), C&D Wines’ Muga Prado Enea Gran … Abadal Mandó is expected to carry the DO Pla de Bages seal from the 2016 vintage onwards following its inclusion in the appellation. Gold Medal, Finca La EstacadaSecua 2013(Cabernet Sauvigon & Syrah Blend / Cuenca) $25This wine was made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah grapes grown in a Mediterranean climate, and following harvest were macerated for 7 days then fermented over 10 days and aged for 24 months in oak barrels prior to bottling.Aroma: Dark cherries, strawberry jam, vanilla, honey, celery, bell pepper, black truffle, chalk, gravel, earthy, charcoal, spicy, port-like.Palate: Dark cherries, sweet plums, lemon, juicy, honey, fermented honey, chocolate, cooked bell pepper, bell pepper, eucalyptus, potting soil, minerals, leather, woody, oak, smooth.Finish: Dark chocolate, bell pepper, chamomile, complex meadow, balanced tannins with chalky minerality, smooth, nice finish. This wine is fragrant with scrubland and spicy aromas on the nose and a juicy, aromatic palate that invites further drinking. ... Read more: The best red wines under $20 | Sick of same old white wines? It is made by one of Rioja’s legends Telmo Rodriguez, who makes some seriously pricey wines. Red Blends Under $20 from Rioja, … See our 50 best wines of 2019 here. Decántalo is your online wine shop for buying wine online. It’s known locally as Tinto Fino—and it is a grape like no other. Click here to subscribe. We have over 4,000 wines in our wine shop. Some wines that left their mark on our palates. A traditional Spanish wine that's great for dinner parties. A smooth, fresh wine with pleasant fruit and good texture. It didn’t take long to find a candidate for my list of Best Wines of the Year – bingo! But many producers in the region use the same grape varieties (Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and others) to make bold, spicy, powerful dry reds with wonderful chocolatey, minerally flavors possibly from the region's schist soils. This producer has a checkered recent history: it was part of the Rumasa group, then acquired by Marcos Eguizábal, who also owned Paternina in Rioja. The order of service was established beforehand by lottery. This is some kind of top class champagne made from the Verdejo grape. Red wine: Somni (Priorat) Unfiltered, full of fruit and complexity. This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue as part of the 13th Annual Seattle Magazine Wine Awards. It’s been a bountiful year for high-end Australian wines. Pigar Bobal 2016 Red, Bodegas Pigar, DO Utiel-Requena. Because we love wine just as much as you do. Check the producer’s page for stockists. The best value Wine from Spain based on average price and critic scores. After 12 years, this Palo Cortado displays fine, nutty aromas with a intense, supple palate and it is sold at a remarkably favourable price. Extra Special Albariño 2018 Rias Baixas, Spain £18.99 ) is an excellent starting point world ’ known! 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