Ornellaia 2012 (Frescobaldi) is the 2022 “Red wine of the Year” for Uk magazine “Decanter”

Ornellaia 2012 from Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, an icon of Bolgheri, Italian wine and one of the jewels of the Frescobaldi group, is the “Red Wine of the Year” 2022 according to the prestigious Uk magazine “Decanter”: this is what the three judges (Vincenzo Arnese head sommelier at the restaurant Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London, Master of Wine Pedro Ballestero Torres and wine writer Amanda Barnes) determined when writing the list of the best tastings of the year, after two days of blind tastings of 125 labels reported by the many tasters who collaborate with the British magazine (including Italians Aldo Fiordelli and Alessandra Piubello, ed.).
Yet another important recognition for Italian wine from the most followed voice of wine critics in the Uk, following that of the 2021 ranking, when Italy saw one of its wines named the best of the whites, Cantina Terlano’s Primo Terlaner I Grande Cuvée 2018, one of the pearls of Alto Adige. And that came from “Decanter”, as well as Ornellaia as the best red wine, with one of the pearls of the Frescobaldi galaxy confirmed as one of the world’s most sought-after and acclaimed wines (while the best white of the year is Tolpuddle Vineyard’s Coal River Valley 2021 Chardonnay from Australia, and the “Sparkling Wine of the Year” is another sacred monster such as Louis Roederer’s Champagne Cristal Brut 2013, ed.), it is a choral recognition of the quality of Italian production, which sees many wines present in both the list of the best reds and the list of the best whites (while Italy is absent in the categories dedicated to bubbles and sweet or fortified wines, ed.)
Thus, the list of the world’s best reds for Italy also includes Mastroberardino’s Antonio Radici Taurasi Riserva 2008, Mauro Molino’s Barolo Gallinotto 2017, Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva 2016 from Produttori del Barbaresco, Tenuta delle Terre Nere’s Etna Calderara Sottana 2019, Pasqua’s Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2017, Castello del Terriccio’s Lupicaia 2016, Girlan winery’s Gschleier Alte Reben Vernatsch 2020, Caravaglio’s Palmento di Salina 2021, Giuseppe Apicella’s Costa d’Amalfi A’ Scippata Riserva 2017, Istine’s Chianti Classico Levigne Riserva 2016, above 94 points out of 100, while Le Fraghe’s Bardolino 2021, Passopisciaro’s Contrada G 2018 and Luigi Voghera’s Langhe Nebbiolo 2020 are also noted as “highly recommended”.
But Italy also hits the jackpot among whites, with Vietti’s Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi 2020, Marco Felluga’s Amani Friulano 2021 from Collio, Caravaglio’s Salina Chianu Cruci Bianco 2021, Bisci’s Verdicchio di Matelica Vigneto Fogliano 2019 and Manzone’s Rossese Bianco 2018, accompanied by the “recommended” Arbis Blanc 2019 from Borgo San Daniele, from Decugnano dei Barbi’s Orvieto Classico Mare Antico 2019, Fattoria Le Pupille’s Piemme 2018, Lis Friuli Isonzo 2017 from Lis Neris, and again from Marangona’s Lugana Trecampane 2019, Terlano’s Tradition Gewürztraminer 2021, Pieropan’s Soave Calvarino 2020, Thomas Niedermayr’s Sonnrain 2018, and Federico Graziani’s Etna Bianco Mareneve 2018.
An important selection that, once again, as is often the case when looking at Italy, is a mix of many territories, from Alto Adige to Sicily, many grape varieties and many brands, between very established realities that can now be considered almost “classics”, and emerging realities. An overall picture that is only a selection of a much larger and more varied mosaic, which is continuing to grow Italian wine in the United Kingdom, which, in the first 9 months 2022, increased imports of Italian wines in value by +14.9% over 2021, touching 582 million euros. In what after the U.S. and Germany is the third most important and solid pillar of the world market for Italian wine.