We're sorry, but we could not fulfill your request for /top-50-amazon-wines/ on this server. An invalid request was received from your browser. This may be caused by a malfunctioning proxy server or browser privacy software. Your technical support key is: 36b3-264a-1756-6707 You can use this key to fix this problem yourself. If you are unable to fix the problem yourself, please contact info at wine.net and be sure to provide the technical support key shown above.Each year since 1988, Wine Spectator has released its Top 100 list, where our editors select the most exciting wines from the thousands we reviewed during the course of the year. The 2015 Top 100 emphasizes how much the wine world has changed since Wine Spectator put together its inaugural honor roll, in 1988. That year, the Top 10 counted three Bordeauxs, four Burgundies, two Italian reds and one California Cabernet. Now, less than three decades later, outstanding wines from almost every corner of the globe compete with these historic leaders for attention.

Put simply, it’s a great time to be a wine lover. The wines our editors found among the most interesting in 2015 are a diverse group—ranging from emerging labels and regions to traditional estates exploring new directions—and all generated the excitement we call the “X-factor.”why buy expensive wine glasses In addition, our selection also prioritizes quality (based on score), value (based on price) and availability (based on the number of cases either made or imported into the United States). best wine selection nycThese criteria were applied to the more than 5,700 wines that rated outstanding (90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale) this year to determine our Top 100 of 2015.best wine back labels

Overall, the average score and average price are the same as in 2014’s Top 100: 93 points and $47—an excellent quality-to-price ratio.best kindle wine books Many wines on the list are made in limited quantities, a reflection of the greater wine world. best sweet wine to give as a giftAs such, our Top 100 is not a “shopping list,” but rather a guide to wineries to watch in the coming months and years. top 10 wine festivals usaThe selections reflect the producers and wines our editors were particularly passionate about in 2015.best wine and spirits We hope you enjoy the exciting list of fine values, rising stars and historic producers that populate Wine Spectator’s 2015 Top 100.best cheap wine bars nyc

The August 2015 issue of Wines & Vines magazine is full of interesting and useful information as usual. One article that caught my eye provides IRI off-premise wine sales data for the top 20 U.S. wine brands. new age wine redWhat are the best-selling off-premise brands? What’s hot (and what’s not)? The best-selling brand in the IRI league table is Gallo’s Barefoot, which accounted for an incredible $622 million in sales in the 52 weeks ending on June 14, 2015. That’s 5% more than the previous year in value terms and a 7% increase in volume. Congratulations to Gallo on their great success with this popular-priced ($5.64 average) wine. It is commonplace to say today that the sub-$9 wine category is in a slump, but Barefoot is the obvious exception to the rule Sutter Home from Trinchero Family Estates is #2, but a long way back at $356 million sales. The rule does apply here — value is down 2% on the year and volume is down 3%.

The Wine Group’s Franzia Box is just behind with $325 million in sales on the year, flat in value terms and down 5% in volume.  Franzia’s average price per 750 ml equivalent is up 11 cents to $2.17 compared with Sutter Home’s $5.25. Who are the other big players? Here are the remaining members of the top ten listed in  order: #4 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi (Constellation), #5 Yellow Tail, #6 Kendall Jackson, #7 Beringer (Treasury), #8  Chateau Ste Michelle, #9 Cupcake (The Wine Group), and #10 Mènage à Trois (Trinchero). The next ten largest brands includes four Gallo product lines (Gallo Family Vineyards, Apothic, Carlo Rossi and Livingston Cellars), four from Constellation Brands (Black Box, Clos Du Bois, Robert Mondavi Private Selection and Rex Goliath) plus 14 Hands from Ste Michelle and Bogle Vineyards. Clearly the Big Three companies (Gallo, Constellation and The Wine Group) dominate the list, but note how Trinchero and Ste Michelle punch above their weight.

Kudos to Bogle for their success, too. The biggest wine brands are not always the hottest brands and the IRI data reported in Wines & Vines bears this out. As noted above, many of the top brands are experiencing slower sales in value terms including Sutter Home (-2%), Yellow Tail (-5%), Gallo Family Vineyards (-2%), Carlo Rossi (-3%), Clos Du Bois (-2%), Mondavi Private Selection (-4%), Livingston Cellars (-5%) and Rex Goliath (-4%). These declines are matched by some spectacular gains elsewhere on the wine wall, often at much higher price points. Mènage à Trois tops the Hot List with 24% growth in value and 23% increase in volume, continuing its incredible market run. Black Box is right behind with 23% value growth. Gallo’s Apothic is next 21% value growth. Continuing down the Hot List (among the 20 largest brands) is 14 Hands (+17%), Bogle (+15%) and Chateau Ste Michelle (12% value growth). When you’re hot you’re hot, I guess. While Beringer and Clos Du Bois  have experienced falling average prices according to IRI (-11 cents per bottle equivalent for Beringer and -27 cents for Clos Du Bois), Mènage à Trois has seen its average price rise by 10 cents while Apothic’s average price holds steady at $9.58.