“Vivino Community Awards”: the best wines in the world and in Italy according to 50 million “critics

Italy definitely shines among the red wines of the world with its great classics; namely Amarone della Valpolicella, Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo and Bolgheri in the lead. Italy is on top also with its great white wines, especially Alto Adige, but not only, which are elbow to elbow to the dominating Champagne among the bubbles, thanks to the top brands of Franciacorta and Trentodoc. Italy has also carved out a space amount the rosé wines, in Southern Italy. This is the snapshot from the “Vivino Community Awards”, which are the top 100, divided by type, of the wines that 50 million users reviewed the most and deemed the best, on the largest digital wine marketplace in the world, which boasts a turnover of 265 million euros.
Vivino’s claim states, “The 100 best wines in the world: the rarest, the most desired and the most expensive”. In the red wines category, the number one award went to Pera-Manca Tinto 2015 by Cartuxa, from Portugal, while second place went to an Italian legend, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2000 by Quintarelli, ahead of another legend like Pessac-Léognan Premier Grand Cru Classé 1990 by Chateau Haut Brion in third place. There are, though, many great Italian names in the red wine Top 100, according to Vivino users. For instance, at number 7, there is Masseto 2007, by the Frescobaldi family, at nr.16 Cerretalto Brunello di Montalcino 2010 by Casanova di Neri, at nr. 18 Amarone della Valpolicella 2006 by Romano del Forno, at 19 Barolo Cascina Francia 2016 by Giacomo Conterno, at 22 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 by Case Basse di Soldera, at 39 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva La Mattonara 2006 by Zymè, at 40 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie 2015 by Il Marroneto, and at 42, Ornellaia 2005, again by Frescobaldi. On the second half of the ranking, however, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva De Buris 2008 by Tommasi is at number 57, Barolo Monprivato 2016 by Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio is in position 61, Sassicaia 2000 by Tenuta San Guido is 68, Lodovico 2012 of the Tenuta di Biserno, the winery that brought together the Antinori children Ilaria, Lodovico and Piero, is at 70, while Solaia 2016 by Antinori is nr. 76, Barbaresco 2001 by Gaja is in position 78, Matarocchio 2016 by the Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori again) 87, and Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Sergio Zenato 2012 by Zenato is 95. It is a parade of great names in Italian wine, important parts of our winemaking history, from the most famous territories.
Some of these same names were also found in the “Top 100” dedicated to white wines. The number one position went to Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 1986 by Marqués de Murrieta, from Spain, while Mersault Blanc 2018 by Domaine Coche Dury from France in second place and Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay 2012 by Marcassin, from the Sonoma Coast in the USA took third. The best of Italian white wines is Gaja and Rey Langhe 2015 by Gaja, ahead of Quarz Sauvingon 2019 by Terlano at nr. 11, then Appius 2015 in San Michele Appiano at 33, White Dry Zibibbo 2018 by Gabrio & Giotto Bini - Serragghia, at nr. 40, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2015 by Valentini, at 41 and Orestilla 2017 in Montonale, from the Lugana area, at number 50. Riserva Nova Domus Terlaner 2018 again in Terlano, at nr. 51, while Cervaro della Sala 2016 of the Castello della Sala (Marchesi Antinori), in Umbria, is nr. 52, then, Gewurztraminer Lunare 2017 of Terlano at nr. 81, Beyond the Clouds 2018 by Elena Walch at nr. 83 the, Chardonnay Toscana Private Collection 2017 of Isole e Olena at 83, and Ribolla Gialla 2012 by Gravner, number 85. The Alto Adige wines are the leaders while the Terlano winery stands out with three wines in the ranking.
As far as bubbles are concerned, though, this category is the domain of Champagne, where the classic dominates starting from number one position to Cristal Brut Champagne Millesimè 1999 by Louis Roederer, number two, Clos du Mesnil Blanc of the Blancs Brut Champagne 2004 by Krug, and again Louis Roederer, and Cristal Rosé Brut Champagne Millesimé 2008 at number three. The standard-bearers of sparkling wine for Italy, are, Cuvée Anna Maria Clementi Extra Brut 2009 by Ca’ del Bosco, icon of Franciacorta, at nr. 16, Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2005 of Ferrari, symbol of the Trentodoc, at 19, while Pink Moscato of the Risata brand is 71, at no. 74 the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Extra Dry 2019 by Collinobili (a Contarini brand), at no. 87 the Moscato of the Caposaldo brand (owned by the American group Kobrand), and at no. 98 the Vintage Collection Franciacorta Satén 2016 again by Cà del Bosco, the only Italian winery with two sparkling wines in the ranking.
The French wines dominate among the rosés as well. Garrus Rosè 2019 Cotes de Provence from Chateau d’Esclans, is number 1, Rosè 2020 by Rutini, from Argentina, is number 2, and Cos du Temple 2019 by Gérard Bertrand, from Languedoc is number 3. In this typology, however, Italy did quite well especially with its productions in the central-southern regions. The best Italian rosé is Panda Rosato 2019 by Lammidia, from Abruzzi, at nr. 39, Vetere Paestum Rosato 2018 by San Salvatore, from Calabria, is 44, while the Piedmont Lavignone Rosato by Pico Maccario, is 46, Dolce e Gabbana Rosa 2019 by Donnafugata is 48, Rosè 2020 Terre di Chieti by Tenuta Ulisse, at number 72, Pink 2019 of Podere San Cristoforo, from the Tuscan Maremma is at nr. 75, Cancelli Rosato 2019 in Rabasco, again from Abruzzi at nr. 78, Miraly Rosé Intrigant 2020 by Tenuta Montecchiesi, from Tuscany, at nr. 86 and Alea Rosa Rosato 2020 by Occhipinti, from Sicily is number 99.