21 Wines You Must Taste

Written by Carolyn Evans-Hammond | 31 May 2010

We’ve all met them. They talk loudly at dinner parties, swan about with inflated chests wearing flashy designer clothes and drive red Porches or some other symbol of early-, mid- or late-life crises. They sport supermodels as arm accessories. And they adore top wines — which, to them, are anything with cult status. You can always spot them ordering bottles of Dom at bars. And bragging about mixing it with orange juice on special mornings, not realizing their mistake.

Meanwhile, the truly well heeled wear impeccably tailored clothing with labels properly hidden, drive top-of-the-line sedans in muted tones, and share time with people whose talents exceed looking hot. And, when occasion calls for it, they uncork — with appropriate reverence — the bottles with status only within small circles of wine connoisseurs. The very best wines are discreet.

The Champagne Louis Roederer website, maker of the famous Cristal, reads: “When complimented on his elegance at the Epson Derby, Georges Brummel said the following words, which sum up the philosophy of Louis Roederer: ‘I cannot possibly be elegant, since you have noticed me.’” If not for celebrities discovering this wine, Cristal may have remained, as I’m quite sure was Louis Roederer’s hope, unnoticed beyond tight wine freak circles.

Despite the distracting strip-tease of new favourites seductively unveiled each year in the glossies and rags, the steady onslaught of spittle-splattered tasting notes, and the loud hum of wine marketing shouting brain-dead statements like “Niagara is the new Bordeaux,” the torrid truth remains: rarely will you find a list of the very best bottles in the world that cuts across all regions, styles and varieties. Why? Because the best wines don’t market. They don’t issue samples to journalists. They don’t advertise. They don’t enter competitions. They are tasted privately by critics by appointment only. And are usually available en premeur, on allocation or at auction only. Truth is, if the wine is good enough, the people will come. In throngs. And quite frankly, the bar is set so high that the list of the very best wines doesn’t change much decade to decade. And it’s etched in the collective consciousness of the wine trade.

So if you ever wanted to know what wines are the legendary leaders, read on. These are the 21 wines you must taste — if ever given a chance.