As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #1…
Tenuta Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2008
Let’s set the scene – it was a cold winter night and we really didn’t feel like opening a crazy bottle to go with our homemade pizza.  Our selection was running a bit low but tucked into the back of our closet was a bottle of this Italian red.  We figured there were worse things to try to pair with a pizza so we went for it.
Instantly, we fell in love with this wine.  It’s …

As par of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #2…
Pascal Janvier Jasnieres 2008
It’s exciting to experience wines from new or different areas… even more so when they deliver really inspired wines.  The first time we tasted this wine was at Lilly’s (of Dandelion Wines in Greenpoint, Brooklyn) insistence.  As we learned this year, when Lilly insists, you listen.
We’d not really heard much about the Jasnieres area in the Loire Valley, France – or Pascal Janvier, for that matter – so we figured it was worth trying once.  We opened …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #3…
Marcel Lapierre Raisins Gaulois IX
It is bittersweet that we select this wine as one of our top 10 of the year.  When we discovered this wine over the summer, it really impressed us with its flexibility in food pairing.  The delicate red fruits (cherry, red raspberry) delivered with the muscle of a cru beaujolais allowed us to open it with everything from fish to pizza to burgers.  And at less than $10, it is definitely a wine punching above its …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #4…
Selection Laurence Feraud Seguret 2007
There’s few wines that can compete with a Southern Rhone red, but there is a lot of vintage variation with these wines.  Fortunately, they have been on a roll for the last 10 years.  With the glaring exception of 2002, pretty much every year has experienced excellent weather for producing nice, ripe flavored wines.  And 2007 was a real gem for deep, fruit forward wines.
When we first came across this bottle, we were not familiar with …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #5…
Domaine Sigalas Santorini 2009
We begin our top 5 with – surprise surpise – another white!
What stood out about this wine is unlike the Ravines dry riesling, which is a stunning expression of a single varietal, this is truly an expression of place.  If a wine could unfold a lounge chair, set up a sun umbrella and sprawl out on a white sand beach, the Sigalas would do just that.  Luckily enough, it hails from Santorini – the Greek island which …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #6…
Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
For some reason, we drank a lot of old world wines this year – mostly French and Italian.  So maybe that’s why when we heard about Union Square Wine’s massive California Cabernet tasting, we lept at the chance to see what we’ve been missing.  To be honest, there were a lot of wines priced between $50-$150 that were not incredibly inspiring.  But the Spottswoode was really a standout.  Tasted alongside Shafer Hillside Select 2007, Robert Mondavi …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #7…
Domaine d’Uby VdP 2008
Three little letters that deliver one of the best valued wines we tasted all year.  This wine is made of a blend of colombard and ugni blanc… both of which are grapes rarely emblazoned prominantly across the front of a wine bottle but are pretty common in areas of southwestern France.
It might be hard to remember the great summer weather we had just a few months ago, but opening a bottle of this will make you miss it even …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #8…
Barnard Griffin Riesling 2008
“What, another riesling?” you are asking.  Yes.  But this one makes our top 10 for a different reason than the Ravines.
Let’s be honest: this wine is especially interesting because of its price-point.  You don’t often find such a well-made  riesling for under $12.  And another plus: it’s also very low in alcohol, which makes it a great bottle for the cook who likes to indulge in the kitchen while searing off some scallops.
Plump and juicy, it has …

As part of our Top 10 Wines 2010, we present #9…

Ravines Dry Riesling 2008
Being fortunate enough to live in New York City, we are able to easily access one of the biggest secrets of the wine world: New York State wines.  And while we are always indulging in the great cabernet francs coming out of Long Island, it was a Finger Lakes riesling that really blew us away this year.
First off, we have to be up front about one thing – we love riesling.  And more specifically, since out trip …

It’s that time of year for everyone to cobble together a “Top X” list of Y things in Z year.  For Tagwine, we’ve tried to keep it simple: our Top 10 Wines of 2010.
The criteria for our selection is not statistically sound… there are no fancy formulas or scores.  Instead, it’s based on:
1) What really stands out in our minds when we reflect on the wines we drank this year and 2) When we go shopping, which bottles inevitably end up in our case.
Over the next few days, we’ll be …