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Every year, “Top 100” wine lists come out, but are they actually for you—or just for the industry? Most of the wines at the top are expensive, impossible to find, or repeat the same names every year.
In this video, I’m pulling back the curtain on how these rankings (like Wine Spectator and the IWC) are actually made. As a sommelier and WSET Diploma graduate, I’ve looked through the entire list to find what is actually worth your money. We’re moving past the snobbery and the $500 price tags to find bottles that are reliable, accessible, and exciting to drink.
By watching this video, you will gain:
– Understand the different philosophies behind major wine ratings and decide which one you actually trust.
-Skip the impossible-to-find bottles. I’m sharing my personal 10 recommendations from the list that offer genuine quality and value.
– Watch as I break down two of Italy’s “best” wines from the Top 10 to see if they actually live up to the score.
– Learn about high-quality bottles that offer the same character as the famous winners but at a much better price point.
Stop buying wine based on a number and start choosing based on what’s actually in the glass.
Do you trust wine scores, or do you find them intimidating? Let’s talk about your favorite (or most disappointing) “highly-rated” bottles in the comments!
00:00 — Why Top 100 lists feel like a scam
01:35 — Who is really behind the ratings? (Wine Spectator vs. IWC)
03:40 — My “Real” Top 10: Best bottles to actually buy
04:46 — Deep dive: Pinot Noir, Merlot, and hidden gems
09:00 — Tasting the Top 10: Is the Barbaresco worth it?
11:00 — Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: Prestige vs. Price
12:30 — Better-value alternatives you can find today
12:50 — How to use rankings without being tricked
Villa Verganti Veronesi: https://villavergantiveronesi.com/en/
#winetasting #sommelier #wineeducation #wine
27 Comments
As always a sophisticated presentation combined with an elegant outfit!
I stopped trusting Wine Spectator roughly 20 years ago. Right after the first controversy about JS started to come out from the producers I was working with at that time. After that, I ran a restaurant with a 500 Italian wines Wine List, created totally by me, and tried to get recognition from Wine Spectator, purely for marketing reasons. They constantly gave me just One Glass Awards, because I was not carrying wines they advertise in their publication. I stopped sending them my wine list and lived happily ever after
Obviously, the American system was designed with favoritism, manipulation and influence, it's what we do. Magazines rely on ad revenue to exist and when one person makes that decision it becomes rife with corruption. Let's say you're a huge advertiser in Wine Spectator and you have a nephew who can't get a job. We used to call them "make work jobs" at the union. Anyway, another fact filled consolidation of information. I could listen to your Italian all day.
Wait a minute. You're a mortal?
In full disclosure , I distribute Barnett , Remelluri , Castello di Ama as well as Produttori. Wine tasting , by nature , is subjective. There's also the obvious potential conflict of interest in selling ads while reviewing wineries that buy them. In my humble opinion , a greater potential error that relying on the ratings of others is the tendency I notice of people treating a specific winery like it's a bourbon or scotch producer with a consistant product year after year , when by nature ; wine is quite variable from vintage to vintage. I rarely drink the same wine more than once. There's an ocean of wine out there. Taste it , appreciate it , and move on to the next. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🥂
Grazie mille per i tuoi consigli. Sei come si dice in America: "You're a Godsend".
Cosa faremmo senza di te? Ho condiviso questo video mio FACEBOOK.
Conoscenza davvero preziosa!!!🙏🍾🥂🍷
I had the 2021 Produttori del Barbaresco before the WS came out with their list and I thought the wine was good but nothing special. I gave it 91-92 points.
Last years Wine Spectator Value of the year, Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2022, is probably the only wine recently where a rating meant anything. It was worth it. Most of the time, I prefer listening to your advice that something is good. I am starting to learn the Italian wines. Its a slow process. US and French wines a bit easier.
Thank you, Anya for this video. I certainly prefer a blind tasting with several people tasting the same wine.
happy new year madam, from a new subscriber from Iceland, somewhat new to red wine having been mostly a whisky man but already learned quite a bit from you about red wine as well as sparkling wine.
I didn't realise Katherine Jenkins was into wine.
"Stop trusting scores" is exactly what I tell everybody about my grades from school. They're just like…someone's opinions, man! 😜
Great video, very informative. Thank you!
Outstanding video as always! I very much appreciate the diversity of varietals, regions and styles in your top-10 list! I agree that 20-year tawnies are absolutely lovely…Port definitely seems under-appreciated. Graham's is wonderful, as is Taylor Fladgate. Are you a fan of vintage port as well?
So happy to see a local (to me) wine get a highlight!! Ken Wright is one of the legendary Oregon Pinot producers and Dick Shea is a master vintner. What a great pairing! Please let me know if you ever find your way to the Willamette Valley!
After this video, maybe you're the female version of my palate 🍷😁 For the record, the individual is always better than the collective. fantastic insight….btw i would buy the Shea for the labeling alone. That and the Russian River Pinot wonderful wines.
Super informative and so true!👏👏
Everyone here just talk about the wines …
The advantage of individual critics is that I can put my palate up against theirs over time, and discover whose palate matches mine more closely, and which critics are way off from my tastes, so I know which critics to ignore, and which opinions to put more weight toward.
Critics are a bit like friends in my personal wine circle. If my friend Joe is raving about a wine, I know I would probably love it too. But if my friend Jill is gushing about a wine, even though she’s a very nice intelligent person, I know I might not be so thrilled with that wine, because our tastes are different.
The advantage of panel tasting is that it will reward wines which are more appealing across a broad audience, and might be more suitable for a party or other larger gathering, where mass appeal is more important than personal preference.
It’s interesting to see your perspective on American wines, especially since they’re not as widely represented in Europe. I get the Ken Wright pick, he’s an Oregon icon, but personally I’d choose Cristom first and then Lynn Penner-Ash. In my opinion, their wines show a bit more depth and nuance. All solid choices, just different styles
Excellent production quality and informative. Subscribed
I appreciate your insight and sharing your thoughts. I have Cristom in the wine cellar . I also scratch my head at the gross mass marketing of wine. It’s very subjective the scoring system. I think it’s important for those that have gone down the wine rabbit hole to expand your palate and educate yourself. Enjoying nice wines out there while attempting to dodge the mass marketed stuff. Happy New Year! Keep up the great work. Retail wine in the US is broke.
You call yourself a professional sommelier but where do you work as one, didnt see it in your bio?
You say no snobbery but you are mannerisms and outfit seem like you are part of the Royal Family.
You say you are doing things differently from other pages, however, you talk flavors, aromas, the vintage, and aging. Just like everyone else.
You say you know and have followed producers for a while but provide 0 fun facts about them.
Barbaresco vs Barolo depends on sight and style of winemaker. I could easily fool you like I have done with my coworkers and myself on the difference. Its not so easy anymore as black and white.
You say dont let it dictate what you are allowed to enjoy but you did by give recommendations other than the list and having emotions and comments that show you dont like the list.
Where we recommendations on different locations, varieties, styles, or producers that are similar or have a relationship with those on the list?
Being honest, I saw nothing that made this page different than other channels on this subject. Im glad you have subscribers that are clearly obsessed with you but I dont see it.
The positive, it was nice to see you break down two different judging panels, but there was obvious bias because you work for the latter.
A pretentious nonsense, as always.
6.66K subscribers. That's getting satanically good.
Lately ive been drinking a lot of Gigondas and frankly i think many of them are on par with Chateaneuf du pape and much less expensive.I will try the one you recommended if i can find it in Miami.Thank you for your classy take on fine wine.
No Bordeaux?
Did you taste all 100 Wine Spectator wines of 2025 in order to determine your top 10 list?