Wine Spectator's 2018 New York Wine Experience Brings The World's Best Wines To Times Square

Haut-Brion. Mouton Rothschild. Lafite Rothschild. Chateau Margaux. Cheval Blanc. Chateau d'Yquem. These are some of the finest wines in the world, and they're all ranked 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator, making them eligible for participation in this past weekend's 38th Annual New York Wine Experience's Grand Tastings, the flagship event of the annual festival, which brings together hundreds of wineries and thousands of guests for classes, seminars, and a gala. 269 individual wines were poured during this year's Grand Tastings, and if there's a finer selection of wine being poured at any festival on earth, I'd be very surprised.

The New York Wine Experience includes two full days of seated tastings, and this year's attendees were treated to seminars hosted by winemakers representing celebrated wines including Château Haut-Brion, Australian chardonnay, Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany's Biondi-Santi dating back to 1983, and four vintages of Burgundy Grand Cru. The main event however, was the nightly Grand Tasting, for which tickets sold for $375 per person (or $475 for one hour of early access).

At the Grand Tasting, held in the Marriott Marquis' bi-level grand ballroom (which we had the opportunity to attend), guests had the opportunity to mingle with wine lovers and in many cases the wine producers themselves. All the wines mentioned up top were poured (the 2008 Chateau Lafite Rothschild was a decided standout), and other noteworthy wines included 2011 Chateau Cheval Blanc, 2010 Chateau Pichon Baron, 2013 Gaja Barolo, 2008 Romano Dal Forno Amarone, 2014 Schrader Cellars Cabernet To Kalon Vineyard, 2015 Penfolds Bin 707, 2011 Paolo Scavino Barolo Riserva, 2014 Vina Cobos Malbec, 2012 BOND Vecina, and a stunning 2015 Montrachet. Even though the offerings skewed heavily toward French and Italian reds (as expected), other countries including Japan and Israel were represented, and there were small if impressive assortments of whites, fortified wines, and Champagnes. Bottles averaged around $100, but they ranged from as inexpensive as $20 to as jaw-droppingly expensive as $500 (BOND), $560 (Chateau Haut-Brion), $600 (Chateau Margaux), $645 (Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion), $865 (Montrachet), and $2,000 (Chateau Lafite Rothschild).

Needless to say, the event was an embarrassment of riches, and an amazing way to sample a seemingly endless array of wines that are far beyond the everyday price range. But more than that, it was an opportunity to try some of the finest wines on earth and chat with the people who devote their lives to maintaining the highest level of quality. If you're a wine lover, there's no reason why this event shouldn't be on your radar next year. 

Tickets to this event were provided at no cost to the writer.