Here are the 75 wines that have particularly impressed our staff and contributors in 2018, re-tasted blind by an expert panel. Tina Gellie reports...
75 wines tasted by our expert panel of Oz Clarke, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Tina Gellie
Decanter magazine’s ‘most exciting wines of the year’ list is all about wines that really made an impression for their ability to stand out from the crowd, whether that be through quirkiness or classicism.
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{"wineId":"21337","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26440","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"14485","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26442","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26500","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26503","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"14901","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26443","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26444","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"22965","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"13842","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26445","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26446","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26447","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"17757","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26450","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26451","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26452","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"20062","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26454","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26455","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26456","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26457","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"16473","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26458","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"22561","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26460","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"18929","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26486","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26487","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26494","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26502","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26484","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26490","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"16152","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26462","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"23163","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26464","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26465","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26466","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26467","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26468","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26469","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"22482","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26470","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"15446","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26471","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26472","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26473","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26474","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26475","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26476","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"11057","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26482","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26483","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26485","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26488","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26489","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26491","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"21316","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26492","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26493","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26495","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26496","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"14225","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26498","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26499","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26501","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26477","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26478","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"7346","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"25174","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"26479","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{}
‘It was a deliciously diverse array of wines – all different, all memorable.’– Sarah Jane Evans MW
Our tasters’ top picks from the tasting:
Oz Clarke
Oz Clarke is an award-winning communicator. His latest book is Red & White (Little Brown, £12.99)
Clarke’s honourable mentions went to the Sherries, a ‘remarkable’ Bierzo, ‘stunning’ South African Cinsault and an ‘astonishing’ Canadian Sauvignon Blanc.
‘But I’m going back to the old world for my favourites: Vassaltis’ brilliant Assyrtiko from Santorini; a Vinho Verde from Soalheiro I’d like to drink all summer, and the crunchy red Corbières from Domaine Le Champ des Murailles – the kind of red I long for in winter.’
Sarah Jane Evans MW
Sarah Jane Evans MW is DWWA co-chair, past chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine and an award-winning writer
For Evans, welcome surprises were from Greece and Georgia, plus the ‘glamorous’ Douro sparkling, ‘and the fact I put a Soave and a Pinot Gris in my top 10’.
She also highlighted the South African Albariño, which she said was ‘convincing, for a Spanish wine lover’, plus Vasse Felix’s Heytesbury Chardonnay – repeating the success of the 2014 vintage in last year’s line-up – plus stand-out Pinot Noirs and Garnachas.
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