Comprised of top-level wine buyers, qualified Masters of wine, and sommeliers, the UWR’s panel of judges blind-tasted over 2,000 wines from around the world. Here are the 15 best wines from the USA Wine Ratings that you must know.

1. Mercer Small Lot Petit Verdot 2015

Mercer Small Lot Petit Verdot, Wine of the Year at 2019 USA Wine Ratings, comes from the Spice Cabinet Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Along with the floral aromas on the nose, this wine also shows off notes of blueberries, rose petals, and wet stone minerality. On the palate, this high-quality wine of the United States has powdery tannins. Its bright acidity gives a lift to the finish- bringing the floral notes back up.

2. Isabella 2017

Isabella 2017, recently named 2019’s Best Spanish Wine at USA Wine Ratings, is a wine with mesmerizing deep cherry red-colored appearance. On the palate, it lets out dark red fruits, and hints of strawberry and raspberry. The flavors are balanced by smooth toasted notes and spicy licorice hues. Filled with tasty and fruity flavors, light notes of smoky, toasted vanilla, and well-rounded tannins give an amazing experience to the palate. A perfect wine to enjoy with paella and beef stew.

3. 2016 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the highly scored wines at #2019UWR, is a crisp and lively wine. Juicy, smooth, and rich is what defines this wine. This full-bodied gold medal winner has aromas of wet clay and wax, dark roasted coffee beans and nuts, and herbed chocolate bar. The palate shows off hints of but, dried cassis and citrus, and olive tapenade.

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CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST OF GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

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4. De Bortoli Rose Rose 2019

The Australian Rose, De Bortoli Rose Rose 2019 comes from King Valley region of Australia. This pale dry rose scored 90 points in the 2019 USA Ratings making it a gold medal winner. It has intense fruit aromas of peach and pomegranate. It shows off delicate aromas of berry and watermelon with a hint of spice. It is best suited with goat cheese tart and salad, chicken terrine or barbeque prawns.

5. Luna Winemaker’s Reserve 2016

2016 Winemaker’s Reserve 2016 has a subtle structure from the moderate use of French oak and a little Petit Verdot. This Cabernet Sauvignon shows off notes of currants, black cherries, anise and cedar on the nose. The palate has flavors of plums, vanilla, and black tea.

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6. 2016 Lunatic Red

2016 Lunatic Red is a blend of Sangiovese 34%, Tempranillo 16%, Alicante Bouschet 22%, and Petite Sirah 28%. It has a dark appearance and it shows notes of blueberry and blackberry with the spiciness of vanilla and nutmeg. The palate has flavors of boysenberry with underlying swirls of bacon and hints of violet. The finish is long with lush and velvety tannins.

7. 2017 Cabernet Franc Fulkerson Winery

2017 Cabernet Franc, one of the gold medal winners of 2019 UWR, is a classic red wine. It is a true expression of the Finger Lakes Region. This wine is delicate and complex with a hint of oak. Its nose has aromas of sweet cherry and creamy vanilla. The palate shows velvety flavors with sweet cherry following chewy black pepper and strong tannins in the finish.

8. Rockhound Rose

Rockhound Rose is made by winemaker Adam Martinez. This is a special pink wine of Fire House Wine Cellars, produced from Sangiovese grapes sourced from Washington state. During production, light handling of the red grape contributes the color from its skin to the juice that makes this rose. The judges of 2019 UWR admired this wine for its flavor profile which shows off fresh grapefruit notes along with wet stone and ripe strawberry.

9. Solmayor Tempranillo

Solmayor Tempranillo is a clean and bright wine with a cherry red appearance. On the nose, it has notes of red fruits like raspberry, ripe strawberry, and blackberry. The mouth is aromatic, soft and fresh in its passage with tannic structure. With 90 points overall, Solmayor Tempranillo obtained a gold medal at 2019 UWR.

10. 2018 Serafino GSM

2018 Serafino GSM is made from grape varieties such as Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro. This Australian wine lets out the aromas of forest berries, rose petals, cherries, plums, and spice. This gold medal winner varietal has a medium body with a beautiful long even bright palate with notes of musk, violets, plums, and mouthwatering orange rind tannins. It can be savored with game dishes including quail and pork belly, and white meat dishes.

11. 2017 Serafino Goose Island Shiraz

The 2017 Serafino Goose Island Shiraz comes from Serafino Wines based in McLaren Vale, South Australia. It has a dark red core with a dark red black tinged hue. The nose is lifted with aromas of liquorice, dark plum, and toasty vanilla oak followed by some earth and spice. On the palate, it has a plump juicy feel with liquorice and plum flavors blended with toasty vanilla oak and spice. Slight dry tannins leave a grainy feel on the finish.

12. 2017 Jaraman Shiraz

The 2017 Jaraman Shiraz is one of the award-winning wine brands of Wakefield Wines based in Australia. It has deep cerise red color to the center with a vibrant purple hue to the edges. It has lifted nose of plum and cherry fruit along with subtle black olive and spice. This elegant Shiraz has fantastic flavors or red berry fruits, violet and attractive oak characters of roasted coffee beans and dark chocolates. It is well-balanced with finely integrated tannins giving the palate intense and persistent length.

13. 2016 Estates Sharp Sisters Red Blend

The 2016 Estates Sharp Sisters Red Blend from Mercer Wine has a beautiful nose of blackberry preserves and raspberry jam with notes of sage and sweet burnt sugar. The ripe fruit blends perfectly with sleek tannin structure to create a broad and powerful yet elegant wine. The ripe flavors on the palate lead to a soft and lingering finish with a touch of bright acidity.

14. Calcannia 2016 Clare Valley Shiraz

The Calcannia 2016 Clare Valley Shiraz from Byrne Vineyards is high in quality and slightly higher in yields. It has deep plum color. On the nose, peppery hints overlay the ripe mulberry and plum aromas. On the palate, it is sophisticated and well-balanced with fruit sweetness and smooth tannins.

15. 2016 St. Andrews Shiraz

The 2016 St. Andrews Shiraz is another award-winning wine brand of Wakefield Wines in this list. It has concentrated ruby red color with dark mahogany hue to the edge. The wine has a complex nose with aromas of red berry fruits, dark chocolate, dusty spice, and hints of charcuterie, cigar box and roasted coffee. On the palate, it is rich and complex with layers of flavor. Dark berry fruit blends with lashing s of coffee, chocolate, and spice from high-quality oak. This is a generous wine with textural complexity and long, persistent flavors.