Wine Spectator's top 100 list: Tuscany has 7 recognitions, Piedmont only 3.

Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines for 2008...
Position - Score - Price -
Label 1 - 96 - $75 - Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta Colchagua Valley 2005
2 - 97 - $100 - Château Rauzan-Ségla Margaux 2005
3 - 95 - $40 - Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines 2005
4 - 97 - $57 - Château Guiraud Sauternes 2005
5 - 95 - $55 - Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 2005
6 - 94 - $62 - Pio Cesare Barolo 2004
7 - 96 - $100 - Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2005
8 - 96 - $95 - Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005
9 - 95 - $90 - Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2007
10 - 93 - $24 - Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2007
11 - 95 - $57 - Château Clerc Milon Pauillac 2005
12 - 96 - $69 - Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Don Melchor 2005
13 - 94 - $42 - Mount Eden Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 2004
14 - 95 - $65 - Aldo & Riccardo Seghesio Barolo Vigneto La Villa 2004
15 - 96 - $110 - Sette Ponti Toscana Oreno 2006
16 - 95 - $53 - Elderton Ode To Lorraine Barossa 2005
17 - 95 - $50 - Argyle Extended Tirage Willamette Valley 1998
18 - 97 - $100 - Château Malescot-St.-Exupéry Margaux 2005
19 - 96 - $83 - Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan White 2005
20 - 97 - $95 - Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley T6 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 2005
21 - 100 - $260 - Château L’Evangile Pomerol 2005
22 - 95 - $63 - Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Grandi Annate Riserva 2004
23 - 96 - $100 - Jean-Paul & Jean-Luc Jamet Côte-Rôtie 2005
24 - 96 - $125 - Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Napa Valley 2005
25 - 94 - $58 - Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2005
26 - 95 - $155 - Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 2005
27 - 97 - $175 - Peter Michael Les Pavots Knights Valley 2005
28 - 98 - $206 - Château Cos-d’Estournel St.-Estèphe 2005
29 - 96 - $100 - A. Clape Cornas 2005
30 - 93 - $25 - Byron Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley 2005
31 - 93 - $28 - La Massa Toscana 2006
32 - 92 - $18 - Château Puygueraud Côtes de Francs 2005
33 - 93 - $18 - Winzer Krems Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken Kremstal Edition Chremisa 2006
34 - 93 - $34 - Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero Crianza 2005
35 - 96 - $125 - Pride Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma-Napa Counties Reserve 2005
36 - 94 - $62 - Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos Toro San Román 2004
37 - 93 - $27 - Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2006
38 - 92 - $25 - Bodega Colomé Malbec Calchaquí Valley 2006
39 - 93 - $27 - Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille 2005
40 - 91 - $19 - Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2008
41 - 93 - $35 - Domaine La Roquète Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005
42 - 92 - $25 - Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2005
43 - 92 - $30 - Château Pipeau St.-Emilion 2005
44 - 91 - $12 - Leasingham Riesling Clare Valley Magnus 2007
45 - 94 - $80 - Jermann Venezia-Giulia Vintage Tunina 2006
46 - 93 - $28 - Warwick Estate Reserve Simonsberg-Stellenbosch 2005
47 - 92 - $35 - Beringer Chardonnay Napa Valley Private Reserve 2006
48 - 93 - $37 - DeLille Doyenne Aix Red Columbia Valley 2005
49 - 92 - $42 - Dierberg Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 2005
50 - 91 - $28 - Firriato Nero d’Avola-Syrah Sicilia Santagostino Baglio Soria 2006
51 - 90 - $17 - Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Berardenga 2006
52 - 90 - $17 - Bodegas LAN Rioja Reserva 2004
53 - 90 - $18 - François Pelissié Cahors Croix du Mayne 2005
54 - 91 - $22 - Robert Eymael (Mönchhof) Riesling Kabinett Mosel Ürzig Würzgarten 2007
55 - 91 - $19 - Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 2007
56 - 90 - $15 - St.-Urbans-Hof Riesling QbA Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 2007
57 - 90 - $16 - Sogrape Dão Callabriga 2005
58 - 90 - $20 - Louis Latour Marsannay 2005
59 - 90 - $18 - Terredora Falanghina Irpinia 2007
60 - 91 - $16 - La Sauvageonne Coteaux du Languedoc Les Ruffes 2006
61 - 93 - $30 - Januik Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2005
62 - 93 - $30 - Neyers Syrah Sonoma Coast Old Lakeville Road 2006
63 - 93 - $30 - Montirius Vacqueyras Le Clos 2005
64 - 96 - $112 - Achával-Ferrer Malbec Mendoza Finca Altamira 2006
65 - 91 - $30 - Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva 2004
66 - 92 - $30 - Altocedro Malbec La Consulta Reserva 2006
67 - 93 - $45 - Outpost Zinfandel Howell Mountain 2005
68 - 93 - $58 - Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Evenstad Reserve 2005
69 - 94 - $85 - Hewitt Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2005
70 - 90 - $19 - Attems Pinot Grigio Collio 2007
71 - 90 - $20 - Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza 2004
72 - 91 - $24 - Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Alsace 2006
73 - 91 - $23 - Cardwell Hill Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2006
74 - 92 - $24 - Gemtree Shiraz McLaren Vale Uncut 2006
75 - 90 - $19 - Suavia Soave Classico 2007
76 - 90 - $25 - Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Riserva 2005
77 - 91 - $38 - Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne NV
78 - 90 - $17 - Domaine de Nizas Coteaux du Languedoc 2004
79 - 90 - $24 - Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Kabinett Mosel Piesporter Goldtröpfchen 2007
80 - 92 - $33 - Les Verrières de Montagnac Coteaux du Languedoc Clos des Soutyères 2006
81 - 91 - $32 - Querciabella Chianti Classico 2006
82 - 93 - $35 - Luca Malbec Uco Valley 2007
83 - 92 - $35 - Two Hands Shiraz McLaren Vale Angels Share 2007
84 - 91 - $39 - Stefano Farina Barolo 2004
85 - 93 - $55 - Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2005
86 - 90 - $16 - Adegas Morgadío Albariño Rias Baixas Legado del Conde 2007
87 - 92 - $42 - William Fèvre Chablis Montmains 2005
88 - 92 - $40 - Château de St.-Cosme Gigondas 2006
89 - 90 - $18 - Stadt Krems Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken Kremstal Sandgrube 2006
90 - 90 - $24 - Churchill Douro Churchill Estates 2006
91 - 90 - $27 - Golan Heights Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee Yarden 2004
92 - 90 - $30 - Domaine Gilles Noblet Pouilly-Fuissé 2006
93 - 92 - $21 - Meinhard Forstreiter Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken Kremstal Schiefer 2006
94 - 93 - $65 - Château Giscours Margaux 2005
95 - 96 - $135 - Merus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2005
96 - 93 - $60 - Cabreo Toscana Il Borgo 2006
97 - 91 - $50 - Vincent Girardin Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2005
98 - 92 - $32 - Niepoort Douro Vertente 2005
99 - 93 - $62 - Domaine Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie 2005
100 - 94 - $55 - Konzelmann Vidal Niagara Peninsula Ice Wine 2006 (375 ml)

Our wines at La Vendemmia 2008!

On September 22, VINUM NOVUM and Vendange Institute celebrated the vendemmia at Pub Italia, one of Ottawa's most popular hang outs and a Preston Street landmark. Guests enjoyed a rich and varied tasting menu accompanied by three Italian beers and five Italian wines. More Vinum Novum events to come. Stay tuned!

The 2008 harvest + 10%

The 2008 harvest will be both negative and positive. The quality will be better that the 2007 harvest. It will not be exceptional in Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli. In Central Italy an increase of 15% is expected in Abruzzo. A decrease is expected in Umbria. After the 2007 production decrease this season, is expected to be a very positive for Souther Italy( Sicily, Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Puglia). The harvest will be stable in Sardinia.

Wine labels, an artist's matter!

A wine label is an important source of information for each of us. Country of origin, quality, type of wine, alcohol content, producer, bottler, importer, are all information that influence our choice before we buy a wine. Not all the wineries care about a label, some did not change anything in over 45 years, while others have a new design every years. Nowadays you can see images of artist and designers: pieces of art for collectors. Obviously label design does not determine the wine's quality, even if some producers are more interested in wine design than in producing quality wines. Informations in a wine label are more important to determine what is a quality wine for us. Vintage date are very important, for example, to determine the quality of a wine. The taste and quality of the wine can change from year to year depending on the climate. Although I have been quite attracted to some of the very innovative design that marks some labels, this normally fails to attract me when I choose a wine.

One of my favourite grapes: Aglianico del Vulture

Aglianico is one of my favourite grapes. Its homeland is Basilicata, a very small and remote Italian region. This old grape was cultivated in Greece by Phoenician pioneers. The Greeks were the first to bring this grape to Southern Italy. Cultivated near the Vulture vulcano, this grape expresses extraordinary characteristics of minerality - remnants of the salts and iron unique to the volcanic terrain, perfectly absorbed by the grape. I really like "black wines" and the Aglianico is 100% "black"! Full bodied with firm tannins, high acidity: all good references for a wine that we suggest to store in a cellar for a long aging process. The best wines express hints of chocolate and black plum notes. Nothing is better than a good glass of Aglianico del Vulture paired with grilled lamb chops. Try it and let me know....!!

Let's blog on wine...

My name is David. I am the Director of Vinum Novum, a wine agency in Ottawa that prides itself in bringing new or as I like to call them "indie" wines to the Ontario market place. This blog will be a forum for exchanging ideas, thoughts, likes, dislikes, myths and dreams on wine as well as the life that surrounds it, the moments that can make a glass an unforgettable experience. Perhaps it is because wine is so intrinsically linked to history and to love and not only romantic love (although it has often played a decisive role in such circumstances), but love for the land and the bounty that it brings us.