TOP12WINES: BY WINE LOVERS FOR WINE LOVERS

 

 

 

Top12Wines' purpose is to re-rank all the best wines fairly by the public, by wine lovers, through series of private blind tastings.

 

 

 

WHAT IS A PRIVATE TASTING?

 

A comparative wine tasting organised at home with your friends: we send you high-quality wines originating from your geographical zone (Europe, North America, Africa, ...) for you and your friends to rank blindly and we calculate the results for you once the wines are all tasted.

 

 

 

WHAT IS A BEST VALUE TASTING?

 

If you book a Best Value tasting, you will receive wines valued under 10 euros and a 30% discount on the tasting price! It is aimed for those on a tight budget who still want to enjoy high-quality wines.

 

 

 

HOW TO REQUEST A PRIVATE TASTING?

 

1. Order a tasting from us

 

• Choose the wine category:

  • Red

  • White

  • Rosé

  • Sweet Wine

  • Sparkling White

  • Sparkling Rosé

  • Organic Red

  • Organic White

  • Best Value Red

  • Best Value White

 

• Choose the origin of the wines: Europe, South Africa, Australia/New-Zealand or North America (Transportation cost is added if the wines are delivered from outside your own wine region)

 

• Choose the number of bottles (Top6, Top9 or Top12).

 

• Tell us how many people will be tasting the wines (minimum of 7 tasters)

 

• Give us a date for your event (4 weeks in advance minimum)

 

2. Top12Wines delivers the bottles to your doorstep and we send you by email all the instructions to explain how to conduct the blind tasting, along with results and ranking sheet to print out for the guests.

 

3. Invite your friends and taste the wines blindly (using alias to replace the real name and socks to cover the labels). Send us the ranking sheets filled in: we calculate the results for you and integrate these results in our annual ranking.

 

 

See our tasting price here.

 

 

THE RANKINGS: 

 

The results of each tasting are calculated by compiling the rankings of all individual tasters, and this result feeds the ongoing current ranking of the category on Top12Wines.com.
 
Results are calculated by points allocation. Points are allocated as follows:
Best result + (average of all results x 0,1) = total points
 
At any point in time, the current ranking for each category is available online and the wines totalling the lowest number of points over the tastings of the last 365 days lead the rankings.
The wine totalling the lowest number of points at the end of the year is the Top12wines Champion of the category for the year.
Non-participation in a tasting automatically ranks the wine last for that tasting.
 

 

THE SELECTION: 

  
At any tasting, the wines in the Top 3 (for Top6 tastings) or Top6 (for Top12 tastings) of the current rankings of the selected category have priority to enter the line-up. The other wines that challenge them are taken from the Selection List.
 
The Selection List of each category is made of wines that have received awards, medals, top scores and accolades in any various competitions or wine reviews. But from time to time, we may also take in some competitors that may not have been recognized by the wine media or competitions yet.
 

 

THE RULES:  ​

 
Wines are ranked blind, meaning that the bottles are covered with blind socks, and the bottles carry alias stickers. Only at the end of the tasting, once all tasters have remitted their ranking, are the wines unveiled and everyone can discover which wine carried what alias name.
 

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THE EXPERIENCE:  ​

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Participating to a Top12Wines tasting is a very enjoyable experience, an opportunity to meet existing friends or new friends around a common interest, and an original way to improve your knowledge in wine.
 

 

BUY THE WINE: 

 
The rankings display indicative average retail prices of the wines ranked, as provided to us by the wineries at the time of the tastings. 
 
For convenience, you just need to click on the wine name to be redirected to a website where you can purchase the wine.  

 

 

WINE CATEGORIES LEXICAL:

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• Red Wine: Refers to wines made from red grape varietals, with an allowance for a maximum of 15% of the blend being from white grape varietals. The wine may be made from a single varietal or as a blend of varietals.

 

• Rose Wine: Refers to wines made using the Methode de Saignée or by blending of red and white grape varietals. The wines must show a colour between red and white wines, commonly known as Rosé. The wine may be made from a single varietal or as a blend of varietals. 

 

• White Wine: Refers to wines made from white grape varietals. Also refers to wines made partly or entirely from red grape varietals, as long as they are made into a white wine fashion, using a method of immediate removal of the skins of the grapes after pressing so that there is no colouration of the wine by the skins. The wine may be made from a single varietal or as a blend of varietals.

 

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• Sparkling: Refers to wines made using any of the sparkling wines methods:

  • Methode Traditionnelle: Formally known as Methode Champenoise, in reference to the fact that this is the method used to produce Champagne wines in France. Depending on the region of the world where they are produced, sparkling wines using the Methode Traditionnelle may be named Champagne (France), Crémant (France), Cava (Spain), Prosecco (Italy), Kap-Sekt (Germany), Methode Cap Classique (South Africa), or mention the internationally legally allowed Methode Traditionnelle name. This method uses a second fermentation in the bottle. 

  • Methode Charmat and other methods: Usually, most other methods just carry the mention Sparkling Wine, regardless of the method used.

 

• Brut: Applies to sparkling wines. Refers to wines showing a Residual Sugar level (RS) below 15g/l.

 

• Dry: Applies to still wines. Refers to wines showing a Residual Sugar level (RS) below 5g/l

 

• Off-dry: Applies to still wines. Refers to wines showing a Residual Sugar level (RS) between 5g/l and 15g/l.

 

• Semi-sweet: Applies to still wines. Refers to wines showing a Residual Sugar level (RS) between 15g/l and 45g/l.

 

• Sweet: Applies to still wines. Refers to wines showing a Residual Sugar level (RS) above 45g/l.

 

• Demi-sec: Applies to still wines. Refers to wines showing a Residual Sugar level (RS) between 15g/l and --g/l.

 

• Vintage: Refers to wines older than a certain number of years:

  • 10 years for Dry Red Wines

  • 5 years for Dry White Wines

  • 5 years for Off-dry White Wines

  • 10 years for Sweet White Wines

  • 10 years for Sparkling Wines

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• Organic: Refers to wines produced using organic and/or biodynamic principles and practices, and officially certified as such by an appropriate organisation.

 

• Best Value: Refers to wines of an average retail value below a certain level as mentioned in the denomination of the category, for example "Dry Red Wines Below 10 Euro".