Forget Liv-ex, Parker, the Spectator and Bettane. The best wine in the world is… the 2005 Cartuxa Pêra-Manca Alentejo Tinto 2005. Or at least that’s what Vivino, which claims to be the world’s largest online wine marketplace, says its “community” of 54 million wine drinkers has decided in the first annual Vivino Community Awards, which were announced today.
Of the 1,339 Vivino patrons who rated the Cartuxa, which sells online for $427 a bottle, the Portuguese red came out to be the top choice, even though it garnered only a 4.7 of a possible perfect 5.
“The Vivino Community Awards are chosen by the world’s most honest wine critics, our wine-drinking community, whose collective opinion, we believe, is more valuable than that of any one expert,” say Vivino founder Heini Zachariassen, although most of those 54 million didn’t have access to, nor probably could afford, the top wines.
But it nevertheless is interesting to see what those who could afford the top-priced wines in the world – and who were Vivino clients – liked best.
Blogger Iulian Grogorescu, who awarded the Cartuxa a perfect 5, in his review raved, “Full, full, full! All to the max, fruits, tnn – strong but pleasant, oak flavours, long finish. Outstanding.”
Number 2 on Vivino’s list is the 2000 Quintarelli Giuseppe Amarone della Valpolicella Classico ($475), followed by the 1990 Château Haut Brion ($2,500) at Number 3, the 1999 Casa Ferreirinha Barca Velha Douro ($800) at Number 4 and, at Number 5, 1989 Château La Mission Haut-Brion.
The Top 10 was rounded out by 2007 Masseto Toscana, 2017 Harlan Estates Napa Valley Red Wine, 2018 Ferreira Vintage Port (the most affordable at $135), 2015 Legado Douro Tinto and the 2016 Scarcrow Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. The best that the 2014 Domaine de La Romanée-Conti “La Tache” could manage was a Number 17 finish.
Wines from the United States led all countries with 29 wines in the 100. and France had 26. They were followed by Italy and Portugal, which each had 15 wines represented. Spain had 7, Argentina 4 and Australia and Chile two each. Nine bottles came from the Douro Valley. Red wines dominated the overall global top 100 list, with 85 represented. There are just eight sparkling, four Port, two white and a solitary dessert wine represented in the top 100.
“These awards demonstrate that participation in the world of wine shouldn’t be limited to any one group of people,” Zachariassen gamely proclaims. “There’s a passionate and diverse community of wine lovers on Vivino eager to share their opinions and to find great wines to drink.”
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