WBSS While the top sommeliers gathered to make the World's Best Sommeliers' Selection, we asked them what makes a fine wine fine? Then we asked them for some of their favourite examples of fine wines.
Amanda Wassmer-Bulgin, sommelier and co-owner of Swiss restaurant Memories, kicked off the debate by referencing the Define Fine Wine white paper from the international thinktank Fine Minds 4 Fine Wines, organised by Areni Global.
The paper says: “A Fine Wine is complex, balanced, with a potential to age – though highly drinkable at every stage of its development. A wine that provokes emotions and wonders to the one drinking it, while reflecting the expression of truth intended by its maker and which is sustainably produced.”
“Like a work of art, Fine Wine is also a cultural object, that links people and places, past and future… Like great art, we know a Fine Wine when we see it.”
“Amanda then added her own opinion: “I do think that a fine wine needs to evoke something. A lot of the wines I was tasting up to now are really solid wines, but I need a little more emotion… I think, for me, this is what fine wine is about. We can’t forget we’re not doctors, we’re not working for NASA, we’re celebrating something really pleasurable. And I think fine wine should be more than just tasting it analytically... Wine is about emotions of a story and, moving forward, I hope that wine is seen as more than just a commodity.”
“Jhonel Faelnar, beverage director at Atomix in New York, pointed out that sommeliers are partly responsible for defining a fine wine. Once a wine is listed in a fine-dining establishment, it is seen as a fine wine. He explained: “Whether or not we like it – and hopefully we do enjoy that responsibility – we are kind of choosing what the next generation of drinkers and also the current generation of drinkers are paying attention to. Because it’s on our wine list and we have that aura.”
But Nina Højgaard Jensen, sommelier at Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark, cautioned: “We must be rational in our approach… because wine can sometimes be put up on this pedestal, which I don’t believe it was ever intended to be on.
Some examples of fine wines from the WBSS 2024 sommeliers:
Savennières Clos de la Hutte
Boudignon Thibaud
Loire, France
2021
Pinot Noir Clos de la Perrière
Saint-Sébaste, by J.P. Kuntzer
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Silvaner Creutz
Zehnthof Luckert
Franken, Germany
Verdelho Frasqueira
Barbeito
Madeira, Portugal
1981
Saumagen Riesling GG
Rings
Pfalz
2022
Blanc de Blanc Brut Nature
Johannes Aufricht
Bodensee, Germany
Valpolicella Classico Superiore Camporenzo
Monte Dall’Ora
Colli Orientali del Friuli Friulano San Zuan
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Vigna del Convento”
Valle Reale
Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore
Cataldo Calabretta
Vernaccia d’Oristano Antico Gregori
Contini
To continue this engaging conversation and provide deeper insights, please read the full article "What Makes a Fine Wine Fine." It delves into the various factors that contribute to the exceptional quality of fine wines, from terroir and viticulture practices to aging processes and sensory characteristics.
