My 15 Favorite Wines of 2018

It turns out I tasted a few (hundred) wines this year. There were a few duds in the heap but the vast majority were good to very good. There were even a few outstanding ones in there! But this list isn't necessarily the best wines I tried in 2018, although many were among the best. It's a list of my favorite wines of 2018 because I wanted to include things like my favorite everyday wines, which are affordable gems.

Read on and maybe you'll find one that becomes a favorite for you!

Just a few of my favorites.

Key: Producer, Wine Name (Variety), Appellation, Year

Everyday Red, White, & Rosé

Red
Marcel Lapierre, Raisins Gaulois (Gamay), Vin de France, 2016
Primarily Morgon cru Beaujolais

White
Domaine de la Pépière, La Pepie Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne), Muscadet Sèvre et Maine/Loire Valley, 2016

Rosé
Domaine de Fontsainte, Gris de Gris (Grenache Gris, Grenache Noir, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvedre),  Corbières/Languedoc-Roussillon, 2016

Italian Red & White

Red
A&G Fantino, Laboro Disubbidiente (Nebbiolo), Vino Rosso, 2005
Declassified Barolo Riserva

White
Occhipinti, SP68 Bianco (Zibibbo, Albanello), Sicily, 2016

French Red & White

Red
Chateau Barde-Haut, Saint-Émilion (Merlot, Cabernet Franc), Saint-Émilion/Bordeaux, 2014

White
Champalou, Les Fondraux (Chenin Blanc), Vouvray/Loire Valley, 2016

California Red & White

Red
Theorem Vineyards, Voir Dire (Cabernet Sauvignon), Diamond Mountain District/Napa, 2014

White
Idlewild, Cortese (Cortese), Fox Hill Vineyard/Mendocino, 2016

South African Wine

B Vintners, Black Bream Pinot Noir (Pinot Noir), Walker Bay/South Africa, 2016

Fortified Wine

Quinta do Noval, LBV Unfiltered Single Vineyard (Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesca and Touriga Nacional), Porto, 2012

Sparkling Wine

Dhondt-Grellet, Dans un Premier Temps (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier), Champagne, NV

Exotic Wine

Peter Setet Golop Mives Borhaz Kft, Meggyes - Istenhegy (Tokaji Harslevelu Felszaraz), Tokaji/Hungary, 2013

Skin-Contact/Orange Wine

Movia, Ambra Sivi Grigio (Pinot Gris), Brda/Slovenia, 2012

Beaujolais

Marcel Lapierre, Morgon (Gamay), Morgon/Beaujolais, 2017

Next: My Favorite Wine for Every Time of the Day