All The Wines I've Loved This Year
Thinking back on my most memorable bottles of 2025.
Ah yes, that time of year once again when I think back on all the wines I’ve had the privilege to taste over the past 12 months. It was literally hundreds of wines—many forgettable, but a few that were truly memorable.
At Everyday Drinking, we kicked off 2025 back in January by declaring “White Wine Is The Future of Wine.” So it’s perhaps no coincidence that my top-ten list skews more white than red. In fact, there’s only one truly red wine on my list.
Beyond whites, it was a year of genre-defying, hard-to-categorize wines—pink, orange, rosado, light red, sparkling—that I got most excited about.
Since I spent a good portion of my year in Spain, it’s probably no surprise to find two bottles from Rioja and two from Catalonia on the list. But the rest of the bottles span the wine world: Loire, Austria, Sicily, Tuscany, Alsace, California.
Certainly, I tasted more than 10 amazing wines this year (including plenty of reds). For instance, I’m excluding (for obvious journalistic reasons) the four wonderful bottles that are part of my limited edition “New Spain” Gift Box (which you can still buy here and receive before Christmas!)
Without further ado, here are the wines from 2025 that I keep thinking about.
1. López de Heredia ‘Viña Tondonia’ Gran Reserva Rosado 2012 ($260)
Yes, my most memorable wine of the year was a rosé. But not just any rosé. This one—a clarete from legendary Rioja winery López de Heredia—is a blend of garnacha, tempranillo, and viur, aged more than six years in old barrels. I was lucky enough to drink this during an amazing lunch at a magical restaurant called Venta Moncalvillo in Rioja. Complex, nuanced, elegant—this is unlike any rosé you’ve ever had before. It’s got everything—fruit, herbs, flowers, minerality, freshness—with notes of red berries, rose, fennel, wet stone, and something deep and ineffable. Pricey, but a true unicorn.
Read my profile of López de Heredia from June:
2. Celler Pardas ‘Els Pagesos’ 2017
I first tasted this amazing sparkler, made from the obscure Catalan red grape sumoll, during a visit to Celler Pardas in 2025. Winemaker Ramon Parera is a vinylhead with a huge record collection and amazing stereo in the tasting room, and he put on Alex Chilton’s Clichés on the turntable—and that idiosyncratic, shambolic music was a perfect pairing. This wine is something completely unique, with notes of bitter melon, lavender, blood orange, yuzu, an underlying umami, briny quality on the palate, and a long, crisp finish. It was like tasting new knowledge. Els Pagesos is not yet imported to the U.S., but let’s hope it will be soon.
Read my report on Corpinnat from March:
3. Christian Tschida Birdscape Pink 2023 ($45)
Anyone who follows my work knows how much I love the wines of Christian Tschida. I had this bottle on a couple of occasions in 2025, and it quickly became a favorite. So, is this a rosé or a light red? Honestly, who cares? Tschida’s “pink maceration” wine—a mashup blend of blaufränkisch, pinot noir, and a few white varieties—is the dictionary definition of the wine term “crunchy.” Savory, spicy, with notes of dill, tarragon, forest floor, cranberry, pomegranate, and rhubarb. Simply delightful.
Read my piece about genre-defying wines from May:
4. La Vinyeta Microvins Carignan Blanc 2022 ($33)
This year I dove a little deeper into the wines of Empordá, an appellation that sits in the far northeast corner of Catalonia, on the Costa Brava. There’s less than 300 hectares of carignan blanc in the world, and only around 20 hectares in Empordá. In fact, the appellation did not allow carignan blanc until only a few years ago. Tasting La Vinyeta’s stunning 100 percent carignan blanc, from 90-year-old vines, and aged in chestnut barrels suggests the appellation made the right decision. Bright, floral, citrussy, lithe and lively on the palate that turns powerful and mineral at midpalate, with an intense salty finish.
Read my report on Catalan whites from March:
5. Stefano Amerighi Cortona Syrah 2021 ($40)
I attended several days of tastings in Tuscany last winter. One of the great surprises for me were the exciting syrahs from Cortona. This one, from one of Italy’s top winemakers, is gorgeous. Dark, savory, and herbal on the nose, juicy and fresh on the palate, with crisp acidity and chalky tannins. Can stand alongside the prestigious syrahs from the northern Rhône, and an amazing value.
Read my tasting report on Tuscany from August:
6. Christian Binner ‘Bombisch!’ Rosé NV ($25)
From famed Alsatian natural winemaker Christian Binner, another category-defying blend—60% gewürztraminer, 30% pinot gris, and 10% riesling—from two vintages (2022 and 2023) with significant skin contact and aged in wooden vats. As I drink this pink wine made from white grapes, I wonder: Am I drinking an orange? A rosé? Does it matter? Vibrant and juicy, but complex, with backbone and structure. Just a happy, happy wine that makes me think of warmer days.
Revisit my recent orange wine rant:
7. Ruth Lewandowski ‘Stock Pot” Grüner Veltliner 2023 ($38)
I could have chosen any number of bottles from winemaker Evan Lewandowski, among California’s most exciting new-wave producers. This one happens made with one of my favorite white grapes, grüner veltiner, grown far away from Austria. Most grüner from California plays on the fruity side, but this one leans hard into the grape’s savory/veggie side, with notes of celery, root vegetable, white pepper, and yellow apple. Very memorable.
Read my appreciation of new-wave California wines from October:
8. La Grange Tiphaine “Clef de Sol” Montlouis-sur-Loire 2022 ($38)
Can’t have a top ten list without at least one from the Loire, right? La Grange Tiphaine is part of a growing roster of great producers in Montlouis who make dry, mineral-driven chenin blanc full of tension and energy. This, from 80-year-old vines and matured a year on fine lees, is a benchmark bottling. Delicate nose of honeysuckle, lime zest, and ripe pear. On the palate, lean and linear, with notes of nectarine and yellow apple, and a crisp, earthy finish. Just a gorgeous, world-class white wine.
Check out my round-up of Loire chenin blanc from January:
9. Arianna Occhipinti ‘SP68’ Bianco Siciliane IGT 2024 ($30)
During my tastings this past summer, I was reminded how much I love this wine by Arianna Occhipinti. Complex, refreshing, and one of my favorite Italian whites. A blend of zibibbo along with a rare, ancient variety called albanello, aged six months in concrete. Pretty aromas of fresh-cut flowers, honeysuckle, sage, saffron, and citrus peel. On the palate, notes of nectarine and mango, balanced by stony and salty notes and sea spray finish. Beautiful, and with its lower alcohol, eminently drinkable—the bottle just magically disappears.
Read my piece on Sicilian whites from August:
10. Remírez de Ganuza ‘Olagar’ Gran Reserva 2017 ($120)
A stunning world-class white from a 40-year-old vineyard sited 2,300 feet above sea level. Elegant and complex. The nose is chenin blanc-like, with aromas of bees wax, lavender, and yellow apple. On the palate, there’s ripe apple and pear, and an underlying and appealing waxy, unctuous quality. As I asked earlier in the year: If you’re not drinking Rioja’s whites, what are you even doing?
Check out my report on Rioja whites from January:
