As a wine expert, I was happy when I moved to Italy and thought that everyone here is very informed and great connoisseurs of wine. but it turned out that this is not at all the case.. I was very angry that my surroundings do not know the names of the wines, grapes, or the names of the cheeses that have been loved for 60 (!) years, living in the same place in Abruzzo , For example, my friend's fiance ..this man would shrug and say to a cheese plate of a dozen different pieces, “It’s just cheese.”
It's good that there are wine enthusiasts who create small bars and enotecas (sometimes called “drogheria”!) with an excellent selection of wines from around the world and delicacies. cheers 🥂
We shouldn't confuse best with top. Though the "top" wines might be classed growths from Bordeaux or DRC from Burgundy, these are not wines most of us can afford to drink. Personally, I would define the "best" wine as quality wine we can enjoy and drink often. As an importer of French wine I am sure that the quest to find such wines is a level playing field. I visit many French vineyards and trade events and have the same opportunity to buy the wines as my French counterparts.
To Elizabeth Gabbay's point about the wines in the British press, I assume these are generally supermarket wines or those in nationals (i.e. Majestic). Their business models require them to have wines on their shelves at £7-£20, which by definition means their wines are most likely to be a producers entry level options (a €3 wine in France becomes a £10 bottle in the UK after the addition of duty, VAT, and transport). The supermarket buyers do a great job at sourcing well priced, consistent, typical examples from French appellations, but these are unlikely to hit great heights. Independent merchants such as Wickhams (shameless plug for me), Yapp Brothers or others, are more likely to have more interesting wines though less likely to have press coverage.
To Moisan's point- I agree that cheap French wines are no longer cheap by the time they reach England, but taxes and duty on a bottle of wine are the same no matter where the wine comes from. If you're buying wine in England, buy the wine you enjoy. Cheers!
Henry, as you well know in any producers' cellar there are always gems, the carrot before the horse! The wine snobs gobble up all the expensive stuff, that's the market. You have to leave a bit at home for family and friends to enjoy.
I think something similar holds for many wine producing countries/regions. I live in Washington state in the United States in the heart of the state’s wine industry. There are many small wineries that have limited distribution and have decent product. Many of them are what I think are good value. The really good wines might make it to the Seattle area, with only a small quantity going beyond. It seems like less of a “keep the best, sell the rest” and more of a “not enough product to distribute widely but good enough to be worthwhile.”
As a wine expert, I was happy when I moved to Italy and thought that everyone here is very informed and great connoisseurs of wine. but it turned out that this is not at all the case.. I was very angry that my surroundings do not know the names of the wines, grapes, or the names of the cheeses that have been loved for 60 (!) years, living in the same place in Abruzzo , For example, my friend's fiance ..this man would shrug and say to a cheese plate of a dozen different pieces, “It’s just cheese.”
It's good that there are wine enthusiasts who create small bars and enotecas (sometimes called “drogheria”!) with an excellent selection of wines from around the world and delicacies. cheers 🥂
We shouldn't confuse best with top. Though the "top" wines might be classed growths from Bordeaux or DRC from Burgundy, these are not wines most of us can afford to drink. Personally, I would define the "best" wine as quality wine we can enjoy and drink often. As an importer of French wine I am sure that the quest to find such wines is a level playing field. I visit many French vineyards and trade events and have the same opportunity to buy the wines as my French counterparts.
To Elizabeth Gabbay's point about the wines in the British press, I assume these are generally supermarket wines or those in nationals (i.e. Majestic). Their business models require them to have wines on their shelves at £7-£20, which by definition means their wines are most likely to be a producers entry level options (a €3 wine in France becomes a £10 bottle in the UK after the addition of duty, VAT, and transport). The supermarket buyers do a great job at sourcing well priced, consistent, typical examples from French appellations, but these are unlikely to hit great heights. Independent merchants such as Wickhams (shameless plug for me), Yapp Brothers or others, are more likely to have more interesting wines though less likely to have press coverage.
To Moisan's point- I agree that cheap French wines are no longer cheap by the time they reach England, but taxes and duty on a bottle of wine are the same no matter where the wine comes from. If you're buying wine in England, buy the wine you enjoy. Cheers!
Henry, as you well know in any producers' cellar there are always gems, the carrot before the horse! The wine snobs gobble up all the expensive stuff, that's the market. You have to leave a bit at home for family and friends to enjoy.
I think something similar holds for many wine producing countries/regions. I live in Washington state in the United States in the heart of the state’s wine industry. There are many small wineries that have limited distribution and have decent product. Many of them are what I think are good value. The really good wines might make it to the Seattle area, with only a small quantity going beyond. It seems like less of a “keep the best, sell the rest” and more of a “not enough product to distribute widely but good enough to be worthwhile.”