Iconic wines

Having raved and ranted about high prices and low wine consumption in India, it is natural to go to the other end of the scale and talk about the best wines worldwide.

Steven Spurrier’s “Judgment of Paris” wines notwithstanding, the best French wines are still probably the best. They are also the most expensive wines in the world: the release price of the Premiere Grand Cru Bordeaux wines from the Medoc (Chateau Latour, Ch. Margaux, Ch. Lafite, Ch. Haut-Brion, and Ch. Mouton-Rothschild) may be depressed this year due to the global recession, but at $1,200-1,800 per bottle, it is still nothing to sneeze at. The Chateau Petrus 2005 is currently quoted at $4,975 — and it’s not going to even start being drinkable for another five years! And the top drop from Romanee-Conti will set you back by over $2,300 — if you can get hold of a bottle. Other iconic wines from this area include Le Pin, Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yquem.

 

France has the largest collection of top wines in the world — even Robert Parker has listed some 100 French wineries in his book The World’s Greatest Wine Estates. There’s a good reason for this: there are few wines that can equal the sheer power, complexity, elegance and longevity of the best Bordeaux, Burgundies or Rhone wines. And no other country has so many outstanding wines.

While not as expensive, there are may other wines that are rated on par with the best French wines. Californian wines like Screaming Eagle, Byrant Family, Colgin Cellars, Harlan Estate, Opus One and Chateau Montalena lead the charge — prices start at $150, and the wines are generally available only on allocation.

Some Italian wines are also great — the best Barolos and the “Super Tuscans” are of amazing quality and longevity. In particular, wines from Gaja ($450 downwards) and La Spinetta ($550 downwards), both from Piedmont (which is where Barolos are made), have iconic status while wineries like Antinori (who make Tignanello), Tentua San Guido (Sassicaia), La Brancaia, and Castello di Ama (all from Tuscany) have propelled their hybrid Sangiovese-French grape blends to the world stage in recent years. A good thing about the Super Tuscans is their price, which hovers around the $100 mark making them great value.

Then there are the great Spanish wines from the Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Priorat areas: the 1996 Domingo de Pingus, which received a 95 rating in Wine Spectator magazine, goes for $220. Fernandez’s 1996 Condado de Haza sells for $100, while the wines from Vega Sicilia are just superlative.

From Australia, the only truly iconic wine is probably Penfolds Grange — made largely from Shiraz (with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon), this wine is Australia’s “most-collected” wine, and a 1951 bottle was once auctioned for A$50,000! However, a clutch of other wineries rate higher — Clarendon Hills, Greenock Creek and Torbreck all make outstanding wines, while other exceptional wineries include Bass Philip, Cullen, Giaconda, Henschke, Moss Wood, Mount Mary, Rockford and Wendouree (to name just a few).

Similarly, South Africa has some excellent wines, from wineries like Kanonkop Estate, Vergelegen, Neil Ellis Wines, Hamilton-Russell Vineyards, Rustenberg Wines, Glen Carlou Vineyards and many more.

And I haven’t even touched upon the best Argentinian wines (Catena) or Chile or Germany or… gosh, there are so many great wines around!

Most of the time we are drinking ordinary wines not worth talking about. Occasionally, one opens a better wine and remark upon its quality and length. But once in a while there is magic: a great wine, special company, wonderful ambience — something to remember for the rest of one’s life. That is what it’s all about — that’s what makes it worthwhile. Try it, sometime.

Sante.

(al.chandra@gmail.com)