Cult wine

iconwine (GB)

vin culte (F)

vino di culto (I)

vino de culto (ES)

vinho culto (PO)

Colloquial but imprecise term for a wine of outstanding quality. It has no meaning under wine law and there are no generally applicable criteria regarding origin, wine type or vinification. One common feature is that such wines were initially produced contrary to existing regulations (grape varieties, vinification, etc.) and were therefore declassified (e.g. country wine instead of quality wine). They are often produced in small quantities using complex methods and are very expensive. A term with a similar meaning is garage wine (boutique wine). A few examples, without any claim to completeness, of such wines are

Coulée de Serrant (Chenin Blanc) - Château de la Roche-aux-Moines - Savennières, Loire
Eméritus (CS, Syrah, Petit Verdot) - Marqués de Griñón - Dominio de Valdepusa, Spain
Grange (Pinotage) - Penfolds - Barossa Valley, Australia
Il Caberlot (Caberlot) - Il Carnasciale - Tuscany, Italy
Martha's Vineyard (Cabernet Sauvignon) - Napa Valley, California
Mas de Daumas-Gassac (Cabernet Sauvignon) - Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc
Pingus (Tempranillo) - Dominio de Pingus - Ribera del Duero, Spain
Rubicon (CS, CF, Merlot) - Inglenook Winery - Napa Valley, California
Sassicaia (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) - Bolgheri Sassicaia, Tuscany
Tignanello (Sangiovese, CS, CF) - Tenuta Tignanello/Antinori - Chianti-Classico, Tuscany

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See also under wine of the century, comet wine, premium wine, most expensive wines in the world and records.

Wine cradle: by clarali on Pixabay

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Cult wine

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