Because many people are lost when it comes to choosing the right wine, Jean-Marc Hubertus, the product manager for wines and champagnes at the Luxembourgish retailer Cactus, offers his tips to prevent mistakes.
1. If you don’t know anything about wine, what should you look at first when picking a wine and making the best choice possible?
Jean-Marc Hubertus: In the majority of cases, a novice unfortunately does not know the vintages, which is a first obstacle. He should favour bottles of red wines that are already 2 to 3 years old so that the tannins have softened, and for whites and rosés, prefer very young wines, ideally from the last vintage released on the market (today 2021). It is also better to prefer wines that display on their label “vigneron récoltant”, or “mis en bouteille au domaine ou au château” which guarantees the control of the vigneron as well as the origin of the wine.
Ideally, people who are not very knowledgeable should contact our trained wine advisors, who can guide them in their choice. Cactus also offers oenological training courses through the “Vin sur Vin” club, for novices wishing to develop their knowledge!
2. Can labels that mention award-winning wines help to avoid mistakes? Are some of these awards more reliable than others?
J.-M.H.: Generally speaking, an award does not guarantee that a wine is of good quality. Unfortunately, after tasting thousands of medal-winning wines, I have noticed that there is no competition that guarantees the impeccable quality of a wine. In addition, many bottles are not awarded prizes because the producers do not wish to participate or do not have the time or the need to participate in competitions.
Nevertheless, at Cactus, after having tasted a multitude of samples, we systematically select wines that have been awarded medals or noted by specialists for our “discovery wine” campaigns. Frequently, only one wine emerges from a tasting of 20 or more wines, and it is this gem that will be highlighted. Experience has shown us that consumers are reassured by awards or specialist ratings, which is why we have decided to communicate around these distinguished wines.
3. Are the “crus bourgeois “* of Bordeaux a safe bet? And if so, why? Are there other “denominations” like this one that can help us to choose more easily when we find ourselves in the crowded section of Bordeaux wines?
J.-M.H.: The “crus bourgeois” are indeed reliable references. It is important to know that the classification of the Crus Bourgeois was revised in 2020 and will be valid until 2025. This five-year revision is indeed a guarantee of quality, unlike the classification of the “Grand Crus Classés” of 1855 which, apart from one exception, has not changed since. 249 vineyards are divided into three categories: 179 crus bourgeois, 56 crus bourgeois supérieurs and 14 crus bourgeois exceptionnels. These references are selected during a blind tasting of 5 vintages, twice, by different experts. This provides a guarantee. And if in 5 years a château’s quality drops, it is not sure that it can keep its classification.
The classification of Saint-Emilion Grands Crus Classés is also a guarantee of quality, because it is questioned every 10 years.
* The designation concerns the Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Listrac, Moulis, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estephe appellations.