Tips for holiday wine shopping

Every autumn, just before Thanksgiving, Wine Spectator Magazine releases its “Top 100” wines of the year. This year the bottle chosen as the best wine of 2023 comes from Italy. It’s the 2018 Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino that retails for $90 a bottle. The Argiano was one of 9200 wines blind-tasted and rated by the editors of the magazine. Of those 9200, 5819 bottles were rated 90 or better on the magazine’s one hundred 100-point scale, and from those wines the top 100 were selected. You can check out the entire list in the current issue of Wine Spectator.

In looking over the selections, I was pleased to see that there are 44 wines in the top 100 that cost $30 a bottle or less. The wine rated number 31 (2022 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc) was the least expensive bottle on the list and is priced at $12 a bottle. The most expensive wine is a Napa Valley red blend (2020 Cathiard Family Estate) rated number 98 and going for $225 a bottle.

The Wine Spectator ratings substantiate a view I’ve long held that the price of wine does not guarantee the quality – good or bad -of what’s inside the bottle. In other words, if you pay $100 for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon, you can’t be certain that it will be superior to one costing $25. The converse is true also.

So obviously, you should use criteria other than price to judge the quality of wine. That’s why lists like the one from Wine Spectator, other wine rating publications or websites, along with recommendations from wine critics, all provide a valuable service (can’t you just visualize me reaching over my shoulder to pat myself on the back?). Some of us also use rating systems such as the 100-point scale where wines rated 90 and above are considered to be excellent. Others depend on buying wine from exceptionally rated vintages, and/or from specific wine regions like Bordeaux or Napa.

Aside from using these external wine evaluation options, the most failsafe way to judge the quality of wine is to taste it yourself, and then decide what to buy. However, there are more economical ways to evaluate  wine that don’t require you to buy individual bottles. One option is to attend tastings that wine shops or wine appreciation groups regularly sponsor and conduct. At these events, the sponsoring organization usually provides, at a nominal fee, several different wines for attendees to taste and judge.

Here in Charleston, The Wine Shop at Capitol Market has been conducting wine tastings for decades. This shop also has knowledgeable staff who can guide you in your buying decisions. In addition, wine appreciation groups such as Les Amis Du Vin (The Friends of Wine) conduct regular tastings, most of which also feature dinners where food courses are paired with specific wines. I love events like these where the focus is on the symbiotic relationship between wine and food.

Another very cost effective and fun way of evaluating wine is to host or participate in home tastings. Each person at the tasting provides a bottle and each wine is then tasted, discussed and rated by the group. I always suggest tasting the wines blind. You do this by covering the label (by placing the bottles in plain bags) which eliminates any possibility of label bias (i.e., familiarity with certain wines and their prices).

Here’s another strategy you can employ to improve your chances of selecting a quality wine when you’re out shopping. Regardless of price, you should always try to select wines where the label indicates the specific origin of the wine. For example, a 2019 pinot noir that indicates it was produced in Monterey County, California should be superior to a 2019 pinot noir simply labeled as having been made in California. The more geographically specific the appellation of origin is on the label, the more likely that wine will be the better choice.

Now you’re armed with the tools to go out and find just the perfect festive gift for that special wine lover in your life. Happy Holidays!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book, Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com