My Favorite Wine…2021
From the middle of December and into January, we’re typically inundated with ‘top wines of the year’ lists from various wine and lifestyle publications. Recently, it seems that every critic and even some liquor store chains are jumping in and announcing their own top ten (or twenty or one hundred). And although I realize that these lists are nothing more than the compilers’ opinions, I’m still annoyed by the entire practice and how these lists are marketed to the public.
Here’s what bugs me…the list makers seem to consider all wines as equal and thus, list them without any empirical qualification or contextual consideration. Wouldn’t it be more useful (and honest) to create sub lists, broken down by grape or place or style or price? Well, the current crop can’t do that as they still pretend that a numeric value without precise measuring tools can accurately ‘rate’ a wine. So, if all wines can be judged on a 100 (or 50 or 20) point scale, then all wines can be grouped together for ‘best of…’? But, if 100 points signifies a top wine (a perfect wine?), then wouldn’t the ‘best of…’ list be simply a retelling of 100-point wines? So then, logic would suggest that the least expensive 100-point wine would always be announced as the ‘best’ wine (since if all 100-point wines are great, perfect, wonderful, thus equal, then value becomes the determining factor). Why then isn’t that so? Sadly (and infuriatingly) the list makers don’t say. They don’t offer any criteria or explanations. But wait, the contests don’t even require all wines to be from a single vintage, merely that they are released in the same calendar year. Yet, a wine made in the Southern Hemisphere, all things being equal, is released either 6 months sooner or 6 months later than a wine from the Northern Hemisphere. Is that an advantage or disadvantage?
I could go on, but I’m sure you see my point. But, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?
So here’s the French Paradox Wine of the year, 2021…
Okay, some criteria first; to be considered, I decided, the wine must be:
- Compelling (or at least interesting)
- Affordable (under $30 per bottle), and
- Available (for purchase)
I announced the criteria to Matt and Ian last week, and we came up with 6 different wines pretty quickly…ranging from a red from Ventoux to a rosé from Abbruzzo. From there, we talked about the wines, tossed a few out, added a few more, slept on it, talked some more and finally decided that the French Paradox wine of the year is:
Wait…
Before you ask, let me offer this…a compelling wine, in my view (and it’s my contest, so I get to decide) must be surprising. Yes, it’s entirely possible that a wine from a very typical, very ordinary, very well-known grape can be shockingly good, but not really compelling (to me, anyway). I want to be surprised and delighted by the new or obscure or re-imagined wine. And yes, ‘affordable’, $30, is an arbitrary amount, but better a fixed arbitrary amount than any wine at any price. And finally, available…this is very important to me, as it makes me crazy to read about a wine that some columnist extols only to find out that the wine is made in such tiny amounts that none of us can find it! I mean, WTF! Why are you telling me about this wine if I can’t try it, Asimov!
So, without further ado or additional clarification, the French Paradox wine of the year 2021 is…
One last thing…we decided on 1 wine, rather than a list, well, just because. Okay, really, I thought we should remain consistent…every week, we talk about 1 wine as our ‘Favorite’. So, here it is, our Favorite for 2021:
2018 Suavia ‘Monte Carbonare’ Soave Classico (release the balloons!)
This wine is just crazy good, shockingly so. Made of 100% Garganega (yes, I know, you’ve never heard of the grape), from the (no longer very) famous wine region of Soave, in Veneto, in northeast Italy, it’s just exciting and compelling and delicious and, and, and…our wine of the year.
This is what the winery (Suavia) says about the wine:
‘WE ALWAYS SAY THAT THIS WINE “IS LIKE A BIT OF EARTH IN A GLASS.”AND IT’S TRUE. IN THE MONTE CARBONARE VINEYARD THE VINES SINK THEIR ROOTS DEEP DOWN INTO THE BLACK EARTH; PURE VOLCANO. THIS GIVES THE WINE PERSONALITY: FORTHRIGHT AND TRUTHFUL, WITH A SHARP MINERAL NATURE. IT TASTES OF RAIN ON FLINT, ON THE BLACK STONES OF THE DRY WALLS, AND OF THAT GOOD FRAGRANCE THAT THE COUNTRYSIDE RELEASES WHEN DAMPENED BY THE FIRST RAIN.’
Yeah, okay, that’s a very well crafted marketing message, but, its spot on and yet doesn’t entirely tell you enough about this wine because it’s also rich and full and while not particularly fruit driven, is lush and exotic and forward. Forward like white Burgundy or Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc, but not really reminiscent of those, but rather its evocative of those dramatically sexy white wines but still very much its own thing. It’s fermented in stainless and then spends 15 months in tank on its lees and 5 months in bottle before release. The result is a wine of transparency and yet voluptuous intensity. And (and!) we have it on sale for $25.99 and (and!) we have 50 bottles on hand.
So, there you have it…compelling, affordable, available. I really and truly hope you like it as much as we do…and Happy New Year!