These wines are the standouts of the 2010 lunar drinking year. Why the lunar year? Notwithstanding I reside in Asia, the nucleus of my ideologies revolve around a back to nature approach with wine, food and the environment – sustainable, organic and biodynamic principals that have its roots in ancient feng shui and Chinese gardening that have evolved over the eons yet pivotal today. So not only do I care about the planet, I have gone lunar!

This digest is the distillation of all the wines The Wandering Palate has assessed at trade tastings around the world, some of them mammoth annual events, others more intimate tastings, retrospective vertical line-ups, professional workshops, new release luncheons and dinners. Throw in the occasional wine judging appearance, regional wine celebrations or symposiums and assiduous assessing at the resident tasting bench as well as countless home dinners and frequenting of restaurants. Most importantly, the continuous vineyard visits, unquestionably the most enlightening, grassroots way of interpreting wine and its regional and cultural nexus.

Whilst these extraordinary wines are benchmarks of genuine artisan vignerons and highly expressive of terroir or ‘sense of place’ encompassing the unique qualities of their region and micro-climate, there is also an underlying message in adjudging beyond the merits of the individual wine – it is a proclamation of the winery and dedication to environmentally sustainable viticulture and perhaps most importantly, outstanding price/quality rapport. Ultimately, the goal is to promote underappreciated wines or wine styles and to inspire further discovery and adventurism in your wine consumption.

A point of difference, this is a retrospective account, thus not conjecture or tarred by commercialism in trying to promote what is about to be released. That said many of these wines are quite likely to be current releases in Asia or available on the secondary market worldwide, if you look hard enough. More importantly, it is the winery itself that you should be directing your curiosity sampling the current vintage, or an older one for that matter.

This is an unashamedly subjective selection but motivated by objective goals and by no means intended to be definitive; besides, the more you know about wine, the more realize how little you know about wine!

All the wines that have made it this far have been tried over a meal, as you would normally enjoy them moreover, their intended purpose. There are no scores, a flawed and soulless methodology that I detest. At the end of the day, the most significant wine critic in the world is you, for my part is only to stimulate a thirst for real wine.

Tasting notes and extended articles on each wine/winery/region will be posted over the coming month, click on each heading accordingly.

Cheers! Curtis Marsh – The Wandering Palate

Defining Wine Event of the Year
Presenting with Sharon Stone and Curtis Stone at the Singapore Sun Festival
www.singaporesunfestival.com

Winery of the Year
Schubert – Martinborough – Wairarapa, New Zealand
www.schubert.co.nz

Vigneron of the Year
Ron and Emily Laughton
www.jasperhill.com

Best Wine of the Year
NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino 15 Macharnudo Alto Jerez – Xérès – Sherry
http://www.equiponavazos.com/en/inden.htm

Best Rose of the Year
Farr Rising Pinot Noir Saignee Rose 2009 – Geelong, Victoria, Australia
www.byfarr.com.au

Best White Wine of the Year
Vinoptima Gewürztraminer 2004 – Ormand, Gisborne, New Zealand
www.vinoptima.co.nz

Best Champagne of the Year
NV Jean-Baptise Geoffrey Blanc de Rosé – Champagne, France
http://www.thewanderingpalate.com/must-have-wines/christmas-must-have-wines-2010/
www.champagne-geoffroy.com

Best Sparkling Wine of the Year
Gembrook Hill Blanc de Blancs 2006 – Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
www.gembrookhill.com.au

Best Sweet Wine of the Year
Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling 2010 – Clare Valley, South Australia
www.mounthorrocks.com

Best Wine with Cheese of the Year
Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Vouvray Moelleux 1997 – Loire Valley, France
www.huet-echansonne.com

Best Fortified Wine of the Year
Emilio Lustau East India Sherry – Jerez – Xérès – Sherry, Spain
www.emilio-lustau.com

Biodynamic Property of the Year
Chateau Pontet-Canet – Bordeaux, France
www.pontet-canet.com

Best Winery Restaurant
TarraWarra – Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
www.tarrawarra.com.au

Best Vineyard Accommodation
Chard Farm – Central Otago, New Zealand
www.chardfarm.co.nz

Most Underappreciated Wine Region
Beaujolais and its Cru Villages – France
www.beaujolais.com

Best Wine of the Year from the Cellar
Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2002 and 2003 – Central Otago, New Zealand
www.quartzreef.co.nz

Best Red Discovery of the Year
Markowitsch Pinot Noir Reserve 2004 – Carnuntum, Austria
www.markowitsch.at

Best White Discovery of the Year
Sugarloaf Ridge Pinot Gris 2010 – Hobart, Tasmania
www.sugarloafridge.com.au

Most Profound Wine Experience of the Year
German Riesling – VDP Tasting-Lunch, China Club, Hong Kong
www.vdp.de

Most Memorable Wine Lunch of the Year
Lunch with Jancis Robinson – at my place!
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201007162.html

Pinot Noir Fix of the Year – most affordable with requisite pinosity
Ata Rangi Crimson 2008 – Martinborough, New Zealand
www.atarangi.co.nz

Most Consistent Best Value Wine
Monte Antico 2006 – Tuscany, Italy
Neill Empson Selection www.empson.com

New Zealand – Red Wine of the Year
2007 & 2008 Vidal Syrah – Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
www.vidal.co.nz

New Zealand – White Wine of the Year
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2007 – Kumeu – Auckland, New Zealand
www.kumeuriver.co.nz

Australia – White Wine of the Year
Prentice Pinot Gris Remato 2010 – King Valley, Victoria, Australia
www.prenticewine.com.au

Australia – Red Wine of the Year
Arlewood Estate La Bratta Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon  2007 – Margaret River, Western Australia
www.arlewood.com.au

USA – Red Wine of the Year
Calera Reed Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir 1997 – Central Coast, California
www.calerawine.com

USA – White Wine of the Year
Kistler Vineyard Cuvée Cathleen Chardonnay 2007 – Sonoma Valley, California
www.kistlervineyards.com

Best Bordeaux of the Year
Chateau Leoville Las Case 2001 – Pauillac
http://www.thewanderingpalate.com/must-have-wines/chateau-leoville-las-case-1978-1981-2001/

France – White Wine of the Year
Domaine Billaud-Simon, Chablis AC 2008, France
http://www.thewanderingpalate.com/must-have-wines/domaine-billaud-simon-chablis-2008-france/
www.billaud-simon.com

France – Red Wine of the Year
Georges Duboeuf Chateau des Capitans Julienas 2009 &
Georges Duboeuf Morgon Domaine Mont Chavy 2009
Beaujolais, France
www.duboeuf.com

Austria – White Wine of the Year
Tement Sauvignon Blanc – Styria, Austria
http://www.thewanderingpalate.com/must-have-wines/tement-sauvignon-blanc-2009-austria/
www.tement.at

Austria – Red Wine of the Year
Markovitsch Pinot Noir Reserve 2004 – Carnuntum, Austria
www.markowitsch.at

Germany – Wine of the Year
2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese – Mosel, Germany.
www.weingut-fritz-haag.de

Italy – White Wine of the Year
Zuani Vigne Bianco – Collio, Italy
www.zuanivini.it

Italy – Red Wine of the Year
Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco ‘Camp Gros’ 1999 – Piedmont, Italy
www.marchesidigresy.com

Wine Accessory of the Year
winesave
www.winesave.com

Wine Glass of the Year
Schott-Zwiesel Vina range – Burgundy red glass
http://www.schott-zwiesel.com/en/products/vina.html#one

Wine Bar of the Year
Taberna – Singapore

Wine List of the Year
France-Soir – French Bistro – Melbourne, Australia
www.france-soir.com.au

Sommelier of the Year – Asia
Stephanie Rigourd – Hilton Hotel, Singapore

Wine Merchant of the Year
Noel Young Wines – Trumpington, England
www.nywines.co.uk

Wine Merchant of the Year – Asia region
Altaya – Hong Kong
www.altayawines.com

Specialist Importer of the Year – Asia region
Artisan Cellars – Grower Champagnes
www.artisan-cellars.com

Most Dynamic Wine Marketer of the Year
Christophe Brunet – Sommelier and Wine Ambassador for Prestige Family Vineyards www.pfv.org

Best Wine Educator – Asia Region
Vincrest – Hong Kong and servicing Asia region
www.vincrest.com

Favourite Wine Website of the Year
CellarTracker
www.cellartracker.com

Most Trusted Authority on Wine of the Year
Jancis Robinson MW
www.jancisrobinson.com

Wine Book of the Year (Global)
Matt Kramer on Wine: A Matchless Collection of Columns, Essays, and Observations by America’s most original and lucid Wine Writer (2010)
Matt Kramer

Wine Book of the Year (Asia) & Best Wine e-Book
108 Great Chinese Dishes Paired – CH’NG Poh Tiong
www.108chinesepairings.com

Best Wine Magazine
Australian Gourmet Traveler Wine
http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/in_the_magazine_home.htm

Best Wine Storage in Asia
Winebond – Singapore
www.winebond.net

Best Service for Wine Air-Freight around the Globe
DHL (Third Consecutive Year)
www.dhl.com

Guest Wandering Palate
Noel Young, our Wine Merchant of the Year, will be providing us with his top selections from South Africa, Spain, Portugal and other parts of the vinous globe that the Wandering Palate does not have much exposure to this year. The reality is, being based in the UK, Noel gets to see more wine than most and he is an assiduous and indefatigable taster (and drinker) and has a sharp eye/palate for discovering wines with excellent price/quality rapport.