Subscribe to the magazine | The Top 100 Lists Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines reviewed over the previous 12 months and select our Top 100, based on quality, value, availability and excitement. This annual list honors successful wineries, regions and vintages around the world. (* In 1998, some wines share the same rank, as the list was divided into top reds, whites and dessert wines.) View the wines of Add to Personal Wine ListGet Great Drinking Gear Now! Good Wine You Can Actually FindIn a perfect world, everyone would have the time to stop in at their local wine shop to pick up an eclectic bottle or two for dinner. But the reality is, sometimes all that’s possible is to grab a bottle of red or white from a supermarket or big box store.Here’s what I found at Target last week. Their selection isn’t huge, but it’s still possible to come home with something that won’t embarrass you. These may not be the most exciting wines on the block, and I wouldn’t necessarily serve them to wine-geek friends, but they’re decent drinking and widely available.

2012 Hess Select Chardonnay "Monterey County" ($9.99)The Hess Collection has always paid as much attention to the wines at the lower end of their line as to the top wines. The grapes for Hess Select Chardonnay come from their Shirtail Creek vineyard in Monterey County. The wine is crisp and aromatic, with zesty citrus and tropical notes. It even spent some time in French oak, not a given at this price. 2011 Clos du Bois Chardonnay "North Coast" ($9.99)Target is selling this Clos du Bois Chardonnay from the North Coast appellation at a good price. If you like your Chardonnay creamy and oaky, then this is the one that won’t break the bank. A respectable everyday Chardonnay.2012 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling "Columbia Valley" ($7.49)The entry-level Riesling from Washington’s respected Chateau Ste. Michelle is sourced from Columbia Valley. Crisp and refreshing with accents of lime and mineral, it is off-dry, which is important to know before you buy. But before you put that bottle down, consider that it’s just the wine for Thai dishes and other Asian cuisines.

2011 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages ($10.99)The most basic of Beaujolais from well-known producer Louis Jadot. It has some character, a bit of earthiness, but not the lush fruit or complexity of a Beaujolais cru. Still, for just more than $10, it’s a great pairing for grilled sausages, a burger or BBQ take-out. 2012 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti ($7.99)An enjoyable Chianti from Castello di Gabbiano at a very good price. Easy drinking, this is the red for a pizza or spaghetti night at home, and at this price, you don’t have to worry whether someone is pouring themselves wine at a pace far faster than everybody else. best box wine red 2016The very definition of quaffable wine.2011 Sterling Vintners Collection Cabernet Sauvignon "Central Coast" ($11.99)Okay, so this is a big step down from the behemoths Robert Parker anoints with the big scores. wine club gift ideas

But it’s Cabernet Sauvignon and it’s well under $20. Think of it as aspiring to be great with that Cab spiciness, and yes, the requisite notes of dark fruit and tobacco. It’s got tannin, too. Just pair it with a juicy steak or some pork chops and it will do fine.2011 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Claret ($15.99)With its dressy black label and gold netting, Francis Coppola’s Diamond Collection Claret (even the name is old-school) is a convincing package — and the most expensive wine on this list.  wine by post usaEven so, it’s less than $20 and looks like something pricier. places to buy wine accessoriesA Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet with small amounts of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it’s smooth and easy drinking, if a bit too tame.2011 Clos du Bois Merlot "North Coast" ($10.99)A blend of Merlot with tiny amounts of Syrah and Petit Verdot, this is a Merlot for drinkers who enjoy a soft, velvety wine with sweet fruit flavors and supple tannins. st james wine review

A gentle red, in other words, which would make nice with a roast chicken or grilled lamb chop.2012 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir "California" ($10.99)The best-known name in California wine, Robert Mondavi makes wines all over the map and price points. The Private Selection label is one of his least expensive lines, but implies some sort of exclusivity and panache for what is a very basic red wine from a historic Napa Valley producer. Just the thing for a burger or some ribs.2011 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Old Vine Zinfandel "California" ($10.49)From the Zinfandel pioneer Ravenswood, this is a bottle to grab for that barbecue you’re planning. best wine for healthy heartRipe, intense and peppery, this feisty Zin has more personality than you’d expect at this price point. best red wine for pregnancyThe grapes are sourced from vineyards all over California, and in this case old vine Zinfandel is blended with 16% Petite Sirah, 6% Syrah and 3% other dark grapes.11 red wines to go with lambOreo snack hacks by Michael Votaggio, Roy Choi and Nguyen TranBierBeisl's Bernhard Mairinger to open Imbiss downtown this summerbest way to keep wine fresh

After a short dry spell due to the rather low quantities of recent vintages the Austrian vintage 2011 presents itself with elegantly balanced white wines and reds from perfectly ripened grapes. With the pickings for the last ice wines at the beginning of February 2012, the harvest of 2011, which finally replenished empty Austrian cellars with a yield of more than 2.8 million hectolitres, was brought to an end.The wine year 2011 started with a relatively harsh winter causing also frost damage here and there, leading to crop losses in the affected regions such as for example the Weinviertel. best tasting wine that doesn't taste like alcoholThen, however, spring came, punctually and all-out. The above-average warm and sunny period lasted until early flowering, which proceeded under optimal conditions. One small drop of bitterness was the slight frost damage caused by a cool week at the beginning of May.In the second half of June the general weather situation changed and an utmost instable and humid phase, lasting throughout July (much to tourists’ regret) followed.

Just when fears for the grapes' vegetative development were raised, a sunny and warm August, largely without longer heat periods, turned tides. Anyhow, painstaking work in the vineyards proved to be essential in order to prevent sunburn of the ripening berries. For terraced vineyards with poor soils irrigation was a blessingThe most important time slot before the main harvest was characterised by a wonderfully warm Indian Summer, going on without any precipitation until October 8th. By this time harvest was already almost fully completed in the Burgenland. These very pleasant conditions were also given for the rest of October. Austrian winemakers slightly feared drought stress which the vines were partly exposed to. The situation was aggravated by extraordinarily high temperatures at night, which led to a relatively quick reduction of acidity. The main harvest could be scheduled very well, since at the beginning the cooler morning hours could be made use of in order not to bring in too heated crop.

Concluding from the now available data, the total Austrian wine harvest of 2011 will amount approx. 2.8 million hectolitres, which is a little more than the average of many years and much more than the yields of 2009 (2.35 million hectolitres) and 2010 (1.74 million hectolitres). There are, however, enormous variations depending on the region, such as for example a minus due to frost damage in the Weinviertel, and an almost two-digit plus in Styria, which remained untroubled by late Adriatic lows and dreaded hailstorms, which partially occurred in other regions, this time. The above described circumstances of grape development clearly led to a very high degree of grape ripeness and corresponding levels of alcohol, as this was the case in 2006 for the last time. Extract values range from good to average, acidity values appeared to be rather close to the lower limit. Even though the acidity is low from an analytical point of view, and stands in harsh contrast to the extremely high acidity values of last year, this characteristic is hardly experienced as a flaw sensorily.

Most white wines present themselves very balanced and harmonious.Because of the above described weather conditions, infections with downy mildew and powdery mildew did not occur widely. Fortunately also botrytis and other forms of rot also failed to appear, so that generally extremely sound crop could be processed to clean musts and wines. Generally, the characteristics of the varieties can be identified explicitly.For the key variety Grüner Veltliner in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) it was essential to sustain a good balance between alcohol and acidity, as well as a certain freshness and racy character with the lighter wines. In some regions it was difficult not to exceed the given limits for alcohol content for certain DAC origins. This vintage was, however, predestined for premium reserve wines and wines from specified sites with a high aging potential, since these do not count as much on youthful liveliness than on body and persistence. Many wines of the Pinot family have become excellent.

Especially Pinot Blancs have hardly ever turned out to be so elegant and concise when harvested at such a high degree of ripeness. Our Rieslings, no matter what region from, deserve to garner overall accolades. They display such a brilliant fruit and clarity, which is extremely seldomly found at such an early stage. As far as the ‚exotic’ rarities such as Roter Veltliner, Rotgipfler and Zierfandler are concerned, one may also predict an excellent vintage.In general, dry white wines turn out to be of a mature, partly very full-bodied type with a delicate acidity, which may rank between those of the vintages 2006 and 2007 qualitatively. Especially the full-bodied white wines, destined for a longer storage seem to be a class of their own. There are not any similarities with the past hot years such as 1992, 2000 or 2003. On the one hand the water supply was good in early summer and there were no extreme heat waves, on the other hand Austrian winegrowers have learned their lessons from the requirements of the past years.

Styria can show fully-ripened Sauvignon Blancs and Muskateller wines, which nonetheless boast the varietal fruity nuances and a fine, racy style, which distinguishes them a bit from those from the rest of Austria. Here, one predicts a vintage, which will at least come up to, but presumably even exceed the great wines of 2007. And here, as well as in the north of Burgenland, which could bring about well-balanced white wines due to an early harvest, one points out the special merits of the Pinot varieties.But 2011 also offered all climatic prerequisites in order to vinify excellent red wines. In the glass, they sparkle in shades of purple and combine high ripeness with an astonishing fruitiness and refined, soft tannins in the background. And it seems that they might well stand comparisons with similarly densely structured wines of 2006 and the particularly fruit-accentuated wines of 2009. All in all the gorgeous wines of 2011 may somewhat surpass both of the past great red wine years. These wines are thus solidly structured that they seem to be destined for an intense barrique aging.