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A total of 17 Italian wines have been awarded a position in the Top 100 list which was compiled after tasting over 19,800 wines from across the globe, about 3000 of which were Italian. The ranking of each wine is based on several factors besides the quality (points awarded out of 100), like high quality-to-price ratio, market availability and buzz, an X-factor that can’t be defined precisely, according to the magazine. However, delWine has coined the term ‘SWAAD’ to define it as a wine that has oomph, a WOW factor and a wine that ‘touches the soul’.
“2015 was an outstanding year for Italian wines in the Wine Enthusiast,” says Kerin O'Keefe who heads the Italian reporting for Wine Enthusiast. “This is the first time an Italian wine has taken the top spot in the “Top 100 Best Buys” and second place in “Top Cellar Selections”. Now, San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2011 is number 1 in the “Enthusiast 100”. I am very proud and happy that out of almost 20,000 reviews this year in Wine Enthusiast (about 3,000 for Italy), Italian wines have displayed their class, finesse and worth,” she adds.
USA tops the list of ranked wines as usual, with 30 wines including California (17), Washington (7), Oregon (4) and New York (2) finding a place in The Enthusiast 100.. France follows at 18, barely brushing past Italy. The others in Top Five are Spain (7) and Portugal (5), making 77 wines ranked for these 5 countries. In all 16 countries have their wines in the list; India is missing in this year’s edition.
Average points scored by the Top 100 are 93.84- Il Grigio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione scored 95 points and listed at $44. (The highest was scored by 2 wines from Russian River Valley in California, selling for $59 and $65 and ranked at 7 and 25 respectively. Chairman of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, Sergio Zingarelli says, “To be chosen as a symbol of excellence in the worldwide winemaking sector crowns our hard work and rewards the cohesive nature of our consortium, the brave and intelligent choices we have made together in recent years, starting with the creation of a new type of Chianti Classico, Gran Selezione, which is now attracting the spotlight of international press.”
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is the latest and highest appellation that came into force through a legal decree in 2014 and was reported by delWine.
For a relevant Article on 'SWAAD' please click HERE |