Ah! Finally! A topic that we can all savor! Wines!
While I am not a Master Sommelier or a Master of Wine, I have dabbled in this field for quite a few years now, having created and implemented a few Wine Spectator Grand Award lists…and what have I learned?
For one thing, one of the biggest misconceptions about wine, is that it was invented for drinking…If that were the case, civilization would have never developed past the ancient times! Wine was truly created to enhance the experience of food and life!
As for the best wine in the world?
I could sit here, right now, and write about: Chateau Margaux 1920 or 1947, 1953 and 1961, or how about Champagne Bollinger 1911, one of the most beautiful Pinot Noirs, Romanee-Conti 1921, or the heavenly Sauterne, Chateau d’Yquem 1921…Chateau Latour 1928, or the Austrian wine from Neusiedlersee-Hugelland know as the Ruster Ausbruch vintage 1934, 1960…or another unsurpassable Burgundy - La Tache 1937 and 1975, or the 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, Saint Emillion…or the surreal Australian product of Penfolds Grange 1962! What about the tremendous Spanish wine from Ribera del Duero, the Vega Sicilia “UNICCO” 1970…Let’s not forget something from Rhone like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chateau Rayas 1978…the 1995 Champagne Dom Perignon..or the 1985 Bolgheri wine, Sassicaia or something more recent like Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo GAJA 2010! And I could go on and on….
Or perhaps, I should talk about the soils, the climate…the terroirs, the grape varietals and why some produce greater wines than others…but coming back to the question at hand…the best wine in the world?
Well, the best wine in the world is truly, the one that you like the most! Yes, it’s fine and dandy to do research and taste wines that “others” have deemed fabulous and grandiose…but my suggestion is…buy and taste whatever you can afford and make your own impressions and opinions….that is the beauty of wine….it’s not so much about the taste or the “nose” of the liquid as it is about the memories it brings to mind and the dreams it helps conjure!
Hope you enjoy! And remember, as with everything else, same as with wines: There are two things you can do! Either you do it or you don’t!
At Your Service,
Aurelian
