We also took into account what we call the “Oh, wow!” element, which is the intangible appeal of a wine. We used “Wine Searcher” for all of our Top 100 prices, and we will do the same for all of our national Top 100s that will be released in the next six weeks and for our Top 100 “best value” wines. 40% are under $100 per bottle, and there are eight Rieslings at $40 or less. The average price of the bottles on the list is less than $200. This year we left off the list some perfectly rated wines because of their astronomical prices, such as some “First Growth” and California cult wines. But their superb quality and pedigree were too tempting not to include them. According to “Wine Searcher”, it is sold for $750 a bottle. In any case, Suckling further explains, “we have tried to keep the selection of wines reasonably priced, even though some of our 100-point wines are very expensive, including bottles like the 2019 Château Cheval Blanc St.-Emilion. An argument that evidently also applies to Italy’s other wine bigwig, Barolo, which has only one presence among the world’s best, not with recent vintages entering the market, but with a Riserva from the 2016 vintage. On the other hand, the absence of Brunello di Montalcino, a regular in the big international rankings, stands out however, it comes out with the 2018 vintage and the 2017 Riserva, which, according to Suckling, are evidently not among the best. Impossible, looking at the wines, not to notice a predominance of Tuscany, with almost always produced from Bordeaux-style vines, and as many as 5 “Igt Toscana”, a geographical indication that is becoming increasingly important for the Grand Duchy, and around which the Igt Toscana Consortium is working to build a project to enhance the value of an instrument with a potentially very strong brand for world markets, perhaps still underestimated by many producers. 86 are closing the ranking of the Italians. 83, and Toscana Siepi 2020 by Mazzei at No. 80, the Maremma Toscana Saffredi 2020 from Fattoria Le Pupille at No. The Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti Granato 2019 by Foradori, at No. 42, ahead of Petrolo’s Trebbiano Toscana Boggina B 2020, which is ranked at No. The myth of Bolgheri, Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia 2019, is ranked No. 39 there is Tua Rita’s Syrah Toscana per Semper 2020. 32 is for Syrah Costa Toscana Suisassi 2019 by Duemani di Luca D’Attoma, while at No. 27, then, for the Toscana Volta di Bertinga 2019 by Bertinga, in front of the Toscana Luce 2019 by Luce della Vite at No. 17, with the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ceni Primo 2019. 14, is Paolo Scavino, with the Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata Riserva 2016, in front of the Barone Ricasoli, at No. 1 is the Californian Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2019 by Beaulieu Vineyard, the first standard-bearer of Italian wines, at position No. Therefore, it is a question of the vintage, but as previously mentioned, there is no shortage of Italians. All the wines are from California, Oregon, or Washington”. Overall, 2019 wines were slightly fruitier than the more structured and harmonious 2018. It was the second consecutive great vintage after 2018. This was mostly due to the release of numerous outstanding wines from the 2019 vintage. The United States provided the most wines in our Top 100, with 28 bottles on our list. On the other hand, we chose fewer wines from Italy and South America, because the producers experienced hot and lower quality vintages. There are also 17 Napa Valley wines, the majority of which are from the exceptional 2019 vintage. For example, we really liked the best reds from Bordeaux’s excellent 2019 vintage, so many of them are on the list, 12 in total. And the reason is explained by the critic himself, in the introduction: “This year’s list of the World’s 100 Best Wines reflects not only the best wines we tasted in 2022, but also exceptional regions, vintages, and producers we discovered over the past 12 months”. A classification that, unlike others, and what Suckling himself has frequently done over the years, is not particularly generous to Italy, which has a total of 11 wines on the list, but not even one in the “Top 10”.

In times of rankings, after the great Italian results in the US that of “Wine Spectator” and “Wine Enthusiast” (which has published its rankings of the “Best Buys” and the “Cellar Selection”, waiting for the “The Enthusiast 100 of 2022”, ed), now is out the “Top 100 Wines of The World 2022” by James Suckling, one of the world’s most established critics, now based in Hong Kong, and followed above all in Asia.

Wine enthusiast top 100