If you're among the 63% of Americans who drink alcohol, you know that there's nothing like a wine tasting to raise people's spirits. Choosing the right high end wine is important for those who want to host a memorable event.
Here, we're going to talk about some luxury wine options that you and your guests are sure to love. Read on to learn what makes a wine high-class and what elegant choices you have for upcoming gatherings.
What Makes for a Luxury Wine?
In the most basic terms, luxury wine is simply a high-end bottle of wine. It's generally expensive because of its rarity. High-class wine is also produced in small batches by experts who take a lot of effort to craft a delicious bottle.
There are many reasons that people enjoy splurging on special luxury wines, including:
- Bold, unique flavors and unmatched undertones
- Quality, one-of-a-kind tasting experiences
- Difficult-to-find rarity and exclusivity
- A more complex flavor because of attention to detail during production
- A smoother texture than lower-end alternatives
- A feeling of exclusivity because luxury critics also enjoyed the wine
There are many different regions and grape varieties to explore, so there's no end to the luxury wine varieties you can try. Indulging in high-end wine lets you develop your palate so that you can have fun identifying various flavors and aromas. Eventually, you may even develop a sense of "place" for luxury wines so you can intuit where a bottle was likely cultivated.
French Wines
Many American producers label their sparkling wines as "champagne." However, it doesn't truly fall under this label because champagne is an exclusively French product.
It only is cultivated about 90 miles east of Paris. Because true champagne isn't made anywhere else in the world, it's a rare and unique drinking experience.
Our single most expensive wine falls into the French champagne category. The Armand de Brignac Brut Rose Champagne NV 6L comes in a beautifully designed pink bottle. The hue makes sense given its floral aromas and weightless cherry flavor.
The light and sweet flavors contrast well with the notes underneath them. Full-bodied strawberry and blackcurrant aromas work well with woody and smoky notes. While it's a high-priced luxury wine, this wonderful drink is a great choice for those with high wedding budgets looking to make their special day even more memorable.
Armand de Brignac Brut Gold
Liquorama also offers a golden alternative to our aforementioned delicious rose champagne. While still expensive, this delicious wine is several thousand dollars lower in price.
Its complex and full-bodied flavor is fresh and memorable, especially because it contains the same floral notes as its rose counterpart. The creamy texture, silky finish, and brioche accents make it the perfect way to experience France at a wedding, special anniversary, or high-end gala.
DRC Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux 2014
This wine, retailing for almost $3,000, is worth every penny because of its rich and eclectic story. It's produced directly in the Grands Echexaux and was cultivated on their 3.53-hectare plot. This makes it a wonderful rare drink that you'll enjoy showcasing at special occasions like weddings and bachelorette parties.
This wine shows the influence of its place of cultivation. This gives it an earthy flavor and rustic menthol undertones. It also has a high-quality complexity and length that you can enjoy between 2025 and 2065.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2006
If you want a somewhat more affordable wine that's still classy and exclusive, this delicious French wine is one of the greatest on the market. It's well worth the $1099.95 that it retails for because of the harmonious palate, fine-grain tannin, and detailed finish.
It also tastes deliciously like blackberry, graphite, and other fruity undertones, making it perfect for weddings and large gatherings where you're intent on starting a conversation.
Like all of Liquorama's offerings, you can pay for this one-of-a-kind drink in four interest-free payments rather than a single upfront lump sum.
Cristal Louis Roederer 2009
Cristal is a high-end wine classic because of the depth of its flavor. It's extremely rich and intense, which makes sense as it's now produced in Roederer's own vineyards. The texture is crisp and bright, and its creamy radiance makes it feel lively with every sip.
This sweet wine has citrus, apricot, and honeysuckle notes, making it perfect for dessert wine lovers. It also has vanilla-edged cocoa bean notes along with toasted hazelnut and cinnamon. This, combined with the pure and sharp nature of all Cristal drinks, makes it appealing and unique for luxury-minded drinkers.
You also don't need to cellar this wine. It's aged to perfection since 2009 and reached maturity in 2019. It's currently reached its perfect form and is ready to drink ASAP.
Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac 2019
Those who want something simple and elegant for under $200 will enjoy the 2019 Château Lynch-Bages. It's made primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon, but that flavor is well-balanced with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.
This complex beverage combines a lot of delicious flavors. The primary one is sweet blackcurrant in crème de cassis. However, those who enjoy a glass will also notice distinct notes of smoke, graphite, and flowers.
It's a crisp and fresh drink to help celebrate a special anniversary. It's also great for those who will be seeing loved ones after a long time and don't want to pull any punches on their first get-together in a while.
Australian Elegance
Australia ranks 5th in the world for wine production. Most of this wine is made in South Australia, though New South Wales and Victoria are also big producers.
Southern areas with a warmer climate are where Shiraz is primarily cultivated, and this variety is basically synonymous with fine Australian wines. However, Victoria's cool climate is also amazing because it produces Pinot Noir, a drink that people enjoy inexpensively and casually.
Still, if you're a fine wine enthusiast, Shiraz is the way to go. It will give you that sense of "place" that any luxury wine should strive for.
Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2017 is our most luxurious Australian wine available. This extremely memorable bottle has many "deep" undertones, including dark chocolate and black olive flavors. Hints of espresso, palo santo, and hazelnut butter also are front and center.
However, all of these flavors primarily intend to bring out the fruity core of the beverage. You'll taste boysenberry, huckleberry, and wild blackberry as well as notes of dried apricot and rosemary. You'll never forget the complexity here, and pairing the wine with dry-aged beef for tastings is a great way to make it even better.
Two Hands Bella's Garden Barossa Shiraz 2018
However, Shiraz doesn't need to be over $700. In fact, most of our Australian offerings are available for under $100!
This Garden Barossa Shiraz is only about $74, and it has such a unique flavor that it can compare with other more costly luxury wines. While it has classic black cherry and blackberry flavors, it also has hints of both vanilla and fine-roasted meat. This is especially intriguing because of the creamy and silky texture that you will enjoy when you take each sip.
Even more subtly, you'll catch notes of cinnamon spice, chocolate, and smoky cedar. This wine is nothing if not complex... and affordable.
Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Barossa Shiraz 2018
This Two Hands wine is another Australian bottle that screams "affordable luxury." It has a medium to full-bodied flavor that's extremely fresh and pure, and this is magnified by the balanced and silky texture that it offers.
This wine has blue fruit flavors as well as notes of cherry and blackberry. Spice, eucalyptus, and mint give it a wonderful complexity, as do licorice and lavender notes. You also will enjoy a creamy texture with undertones of dark chocolate, making this the perfect red for any luxury wine enthusiast with a sophisticated palette.
Argentinian High End Wine
Argentine is an often-overlooked wine producer, but they cultivate a special kind of delicious wine: Malbec. This amazing wine has a rich history and harnesses the flavors of some of the best grapes in the world.
These grapes, predictably called "Malbec grapes," have a thick skin that has many health-enhancing properties. It has some of the highest antioxidant properties, which means that it's heart-healthy when consumed in moderation.
Plus, the full-bodied flavor of higher-end Malbecs is nothing to turn up your nose at.
Our most luxurious Malbec, the Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard River Malbec 2018, has an intricate array of pure and focused aromas. You'll enjoy notes of various berries as well as black tea and licorice. Melted, fine tannins also give it a wonderfully balanced texture that you are sure to love as well as crisp metallic notes that set it apart,
This wine is great for pairing with grilled meats, especially steaks. Its floral notes make is a great light wine to pair with creamy cheeses, and the light and playful feel that it offers makes it an exciting addition to any dinner party.
Catena Zapata Mendoza Malbec Argentino
The Catena Zapata Mendoza Malbec Argentino 2019 is another one of our finest options. It's made from vineyards over a century old. The main flavors are blackberry, blue fruit, and dark chocolate.
However, there are also complex black truffle and bark undertones that high-end wine enthusiasts will love. This great wine is 100% Malbec, so you know you're getting the purest Argentinian wine available.
Achaval Ferrer Finca Bella Vista Mendoza Malbec 2013
Another fine Malbec, this delicious wine has the same precise notes as the Catena Zapata Mendoza. However, it has somewhat different flavors. It's primarily blueberry and hazelnut, but those who enjoy it will also enjoy bold citrus flavors and a persistent finish.
Its aromas are as strong as its flavors as well. You'll enjoy notes of dark raspberry and blackberry as well as violet. The finish gives it a perfumed and silky texture that everyone loves. It goes great with hard cheeses and red meats.
Chilean Wine
Chile is another South American country widely known for producing excellent wine. It has a small cultivation area that makes it rare and unique, and the wine is internationally acclaimed as having high-quality red grape varieties. From Carmenère to Cabernet Sauvignon, there's a lot for any sophisticated palate to explore.
The Montes Taita Wisdom in Wine Colchagua Valley Cabernet 2011 is a great Chilean wine that you can buy directly from Liquorama. It uses these high-quality red grapes and is one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon varieties available today.
The wine's complexity is intense, and the main flavors of blueberry, blackberry, and mocha work well with the underlying truffle aromas.
You'll also enjoy notes of bitter chocolate and earth cedar. The soft and rounded tannins bring them out nicely for a harmonious and memorable texture. While you can drink your bottle now, cellaring this wine for several years will allow you to take advantage of the long aging potential as well.
Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta Red Blend 2017
Clos Apalta also has that sense of cultivation location that any high-end bottle of wine should boast. It has earthy notes like vineyard dust, sandalwood, and black olives. Fresh florals complement these tones to give them a holistic, naturally-cultivated taste.
Experts cite this as a classically structured wine with a dense palate. Blackberries, walnuts, and chocolate flavors all come together for a complex Chilean amalgamation. It's made from 48% Carmenère, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, and 1% petit verdot for a delicious local flavor.
Order Special Wine Options Today
There are many high end wine options available to consumers, which means that selecting the right one can get overwhelming. However, it also means that you can find a unique bottle for every wine tasting and special occasion. Now that you know some luxury wine options available to you, it's time to select and order something delicious and elegant.
Liquorama is committed to delivering high-quality alcohol directly to your doorstep. From champagne to Cabernet Saugnin, we offer a wide range of wines at an affordable price. Contact us to learn more about our offerings so that you can add some sophistication to your upcoming wine night or dinner party.