My Top Five Wines of the Year: Australia, the Loire, Portugal & South Africa

They say that life’s too short to drink bad wine and, in my case, it’s way too short to taste bad wine and write about it!  With the exception of lesser vintages in vertical reports, I rate highly every wine which makes its way onto these pages.

So it’s no easy task to select my top wines of the year but, in strictly alphabetical order, next week I’ll be reporting on my top five wines for each of my areas of focus, Australia (28^th), the Loire (29^th), Portugal (30^th) and South Africa (New Year’s Eve).  Those which remain most firmly etched in my memory.

For now, just a few photographic clues, one for each country, for fellow wine detectives.  And, yes, my headline pic really is from a wine cellar – jars of vintage labels!

Here’s hoping you’ve enjoyed reading all my recommendations this year and I’m looking forward to sharing many more vinous highs with you in 2012!

Wishing you happy holidays and all the very best for the New Year.