Wine Bottles on Shelf

Most Popular Wines of 2019 Announced

Posted by Tom King (Fine Wine Manager at Great Western Wine) on 24 Jan 2020

We are delighted to announce our top ten red, white and sparkling wines of 2019. It’s especially exciting that not all of these are ‘obvious’ choices, and that plenty of people have been willing to experiment with wines that are both delicious and interesting.

Red Wines

Who would have predicted that the Primitivo / Zinfandel grape would feature three times in our top ten reds? Between the three of them, our customers bought nearly 5,000 bottles in 2019!

1 Palladino Biferno Rosso Riserva
A wine of slightly mysterious origin, sourced from the remote and rural Molise region of southern Italy. Hundreds of people have been seduced by its charms, making it far and away our best-selling red of 2019.
2 Varvaglione ‘Papale Oro’ Primitivo di Manduria
We were astonished to see that our second best selling red is more than £20. On second thoughts, with its beautifully ripe fruit and gorgeous, velvety texture this really is utterly irresistible, so perhaps not such a surprise that we sold 2,642 bottles in 2019.
3 Les Mougeottes Pinot Noir Pays d’Oc
4 Ramón Bilbao Rioja Crianza
5 Da Vinci ‘Brunito’ Rosso Toscana
6 Ramon Bilbao Rioja Edicion Limitada
A Rioja aged in French oak barrels and made under the direction of genius oenologist, Rodolpho Bastida, this is a deep, dense, chocolatey wine that offers exceptional value for money.
7 Bogle Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel
8 Boheme Primitivo Salento
9 Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Pinot Noir
10 Domaine Brusset ‘Laurent B.’ Côtes du Rhône

White Wines

Three Chardonnays, two Sauvignon Blancs – as expected. But it’s great to see Chenin Blanc (twice!), Picpoul de Pinet, Vinho Verde and Gavi di Gavi there too.

1 Les Mougeottes Chardonnay Pays d’Oc
The prize for our most popular wine overall in 2019 goes to the white Burgundy lookalike, Les Mougeottes, a delicious southern French Chardonnay.
2 Bogle Vineyards Chardonnay
3 Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc
4 Frost Pocket Sauvignon Blanc
5 Roquemolière Picpoul de Pinet
6 Ken Forrester FMC Chenin Blanc
Made with the ambition to be ‘the world’s best Chenin Blanc’, it has also proved to be one of the most popular, with lots of people coming back again and again for its richness, complexity and balance comparable to top white Burgundy.
7 Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Reserve
8 Nicola Bergaglio ‘La Minaia’ Gavi di Gavi
Despite its modest price, this wine has repeatedly been awarded ‘Tre Bicchieri’ – the highest accolade of the Gambero Rosso Italian wine guide.
9 Domaine Paquet Mâcon Fuissé
10 Quinta da Lixa Vinho Verde

Sparkling Wines

It is perhaps no surprise that Champagne should feature twice in the top ten, and Prosecco four times. However, it is extremely pleasing to see an excellent English sparkling from Hampshire, a superb Cava and two sensational Canadians occupying the remaining places – all thoroughly well-deserved.

1 Champagne Gobillard Grande Réserve Premier Cru
Our best-selling Champagne for more than five years, this comes only from Premier Cru villages and is made by a very quality conscious grower-winemaker.
2 Ruggeri ‘Argeo’ Prosecco Brut
3 Stelle d’Italia Prosecco Extra Dry
4 Peller Ice Cuvée Sparkling
Made from a similar blend to Champagne, and bottle-aged for richness. The final adjustment is made with icewine, adding a unique complexity and beautiful, honeyed character, without obvious sweetness.
5 Pere Ventura ‘Tresor’ Cava Brut Reserva
It’s high time that Cava’s potential for greatness is recognised, so we’re thrilled that this superb quality example from Pere Ventura has made it into the top ten.
6 Ruggeri ‘Quartese’ Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore
7 Fiol Prosecco Extra Dry
8 Hattingley Valley ‘Classic Reserve’ English Sparkling
9 Peller Ice Cuvée Sparkling Rosé
10 Champagne Alfred Gratien Brut Classique
This superb Champagne was our team’s New Year’s choice – if you haven’t already tried it, you really ought to do so

!