That is in fact quite a complicated question that is impossible to answer briefly, but if I had to answer it with simply one word, it would be: Burgundy.
I say that because, first of all, the famous wine known as “Burgundy” comes from this appellation. It’s vinified from 100% Pinot Noir grapes and I feel sure that you’ll come across little or no argument from most wine lovers that a top-drawer Burgundy is the finest expression of this temperamental varietal to be found anywhere in the world, and, arguably, the very finest red wine in the world. It’s surely the world’s most costly wine. That is to say, Burgundy’s most highly-acclaimed wine, Romanee-Conti, of which just about 450 cases are produced a year from grapes grown in the 4.5 acre Romanee-Conti vineyard, is the world’s priciest wine. The law of supply and demand is clearly involved in this case but, for instance, in 1996, Sotheby’s sold a set of eight 750 ml. bottles of 1990 Romanee-Conti for $224,900; which works out to over $28,000 per bottle for a wine that was made just six years before it was sold for this fabulous sum. So, is it actually worth that much money? Well, I wouldn’t say so. It seems to me that any person who has that kind of money to spend on a few bottles of wine, they could devote it to a lot of more worthwhile things, but at any rate, here’s what wine critic Clive Coates has said when it comes to Romanee-Conti:
“This is the purest, most aristocratic and most intense example of Pinot Noir you could possibly imagine. Not only nectar: a yardstick with which to judge all other Burgundies.”
But Burgundy does not only produce outstanding reds, it’s also the home of incredible white wines, the two most famous of which are Chablis and Montrachet. White Burgundies are generally known as “white Burgundy,” and mostly vinified from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Chardonnay is by far the most popular white wine grape all over the world and, in the opinion of the majority of connoisseurs, finds its best expression in Burgundy. Montrachet especially is believed by many to be the greatest dry white wine in the world. So, it can be argued that Burgundy makes both the greatest red and white wines in the world, so, I think my claim that it’s the the place where the best wines come from is justified.
If I had to nominate the finest wine-producing country in the world, I would have to say France. One reason for that choice is the stellar wines of Burgundy, but that’s in no way the end of the story. Whilst a lot of people find Burgundy to be the world’s best red, that title is usually given to another French wine: Bordeaux, made from the renowned “Bordeaux blend” of the native French grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc–the first two of which are very popular as varietals in both old and new world wine-producing countries.
And France has another great white wine-producing region in Alsace, which produces some of the finest Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blancs in the world and I haven’t yet mentioned Champagne, which is without peer among the world’s sparkling wines. Another proof of France’s dominant position in the world of wine is the undeniable effect it has had on new world producers–the wines made in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America are produced overwhelmingly from grapes which are native to France
Add there’s even more: thanks to the fact that France is, in most years, the world’s biggest wine producer (France is eclipsed by Italy in some years ), there are many excellent French wines available at really affordable prices. A couple of regions to go to for great deals on wine are the Loire Valley and southern France. You can get excellent wines produced in these regions for just $10.00 to $15.00. As a matter of fact, you can even get some very good Bordeaux for very sensible prices. In fact, France fairly abounds with incredible wine bargains, for exactly the same reason that it also turns out some of the most expensive wines: supply and demand. While most of France’s most sought-after wines are in limited supply, the country also produces an astounding amount of truly outstanding wine.
Even though I have already committed myself to the position that the world’s greatest wine comes from France, I will nevertheless append two caveats:
1. Italy is an additional pretender to the crown of being the world’s finest wine-producing country. Their wine production is on a similar scale to France’s, Italy has an extraordinary diversity of native varietals from which they produce a lot of excellent wines in the large number of micro-climates Italy is lucky enough to have, and Italian wines are exceptionally food friendly. It’s generally difficult to match French wines with food, but this is normally a much less complicated process with Italian wines.
2. Even though it’s true that Bordeaux is considered by a lot of people to be the greatest red wine in the world, it lost out in a head-to-head contest with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, on two different occasions. The first upset was in 1976 at a blind tasting that goes by the name of the Judgment of Paris. The eleven judges–nine French, one American and one British–gave better marks to the Napa wines, which were vying with some of Bordeaux’s most renowned wines. There were critics who thought the final results inconclusive, declaring that the French wines would age far better than their American counterparts. A re-tasting was organized 30 years later, in which the original ten wines, which ranged in vintage from 1969 to 1973, were once again blind tasted. This time the American wines won hands down, with the Napa Valley Cabs taking the top five slots. So it can be argued that the best reds in the world come from Napa Valley.
In summary, I believe that, all in all, the greatest wine in the world is produced in France. But that certainly is not the last word on the matter; there are a large number of of caveats which easily could be added to the two I mentioned. Quality has been getting better by leaps and bounds in more or less\practically every wine-producing region in the world for the past twenty years at the very least. I personally routinely drink wines made in France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, The United States, Chili and Argentina. All of these countries make outstanding wines, quite a few at very low prices. And there are many nations I haven’t even talked about which also produce interesting, high-quality wines. It seems to me that the best way to answer the question, “Where does the best wine come from?” is to get stuck in and start tasting various wines from various areas of the world yourself. That may not be the most direct route to discovering the answer, but it definitely is the most satisfying.
If you’re interested in finding out more about wine, particularly wine tours in Santa Barbara county, then why not visit Eric Hilton’s website: Santa Barbara Wine Tours.
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