Top Rated White Wines

"Wine is bottled poetry" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Indeed, wine is the soul of a culture, liquefied and captured in a bottle. White wine (which is anything but white....it mostly comes in a yellowish or golden hue) is an alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting the juice of a wide variety of grapes. Each distinct white wine varietal derives its name from the particular type of grape from which it is made. The grape varieties that are most commonly used for making some of the best white wine types include Chardonnay, Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscat, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Gruner-Veltliner and Muller-Thurgau among others. So, what are the top rated white wine varieties that are highly regarded by oenophiles and wine connoisseurs all over the world? Let's find out!

Best White Wines

The following are top rated white wines that are highly regarded as luxury gourmet accompaniments as well as the creme-de-la-creme of any wine collector's vintage collection. Let's check out these top rated white wine and find out what makes them so special.

Champagne: Champagne spells class even as a glass of it just stands solitary upon that bar table! Made primarily from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grape varieties, this white wine is known for its sophisticated connotations. There are four major types of champagne that are popular and appear among top 10 white wines of all time. These four types of champagne are Prestige Cuvee, Blanc de noirs, Blanc de blancs, Rose Champagne. The chardonnay varieties serve as excellent accompaniments for fish and chicken dishes.

Burgundy: Named after the province where this white chardonnay wine is made, Burgundy white wines carry the characteristic chardonnay flavors though tasting somewhat different from other chardonnay wine varieties at the same time. Burgundy white wines go well with poultry dishes and seafood.

Vendange Tardive: Mostly made from Gewurztraminer grapes, vendange tardive wine is a sweet wine having soft undertones and mild undercurrents of intensity. This is regarded as one of the top rated white wine for seduction as the way it very slowly, almost lovingly, takes over the senses of the drinker is akin to the subtle cunning of a seasoned seduction artist. Alsace white wines are a good example of vendange tardive wine. This variety of white wines go best with fois gras and fruit based desserts like tarte Tatin.

Full Bodied Pinot Gris: Made from the Pinot Grigio variety of white wine grapes, the Pinot Gris is a full bodied white wine that present a rich spicy-sweet, somewhat dry taste and a slightly heady aroma that encapsulates the drinker in an air of fulfillment and good cheer. Medium bodied versions of Pinot Gris wines are also produced. This variety of white wine can be paired with most food items, including salads, meat and seafood.

White Riesling: Made from Riesling grapes, as the name suggests, the sparkling Riesling dry white wines are characterized by their partially sweet, somewhat dry flavor. Its delicate balance between sugar and acidity makes it an excellent accompaniment for strong flavored and spicy foods. White Riesling wines go particularly well with fish, pork and Oriental dishes.

Top Rated White Wines 2010

Following table enlists of some of the best white wines that hit the wine stalls this year along with names of the manufacturers/ wineries that produced them.

Top White Wine 2010	Producer/ Winery
Sparkling/Dry J Vineyards & Winery	J Vineyards & Winery
Sauvignon Blanc or Fume	Kendall Jackson Wine Estates
Chardonnay	Jarvis Winery
Muscat	Robert Hall Winery
Rhone Other White Varietals and Blends	South Coast Winery
White Hybrid	Goose Watch Winery
Gewürztraminer	Keuka Spring Vineyards
Bordeaux Other Varietals and Blends	Airfield Estates Winery
Riesling	Willamette Valley Vineyards

For more information on white wines, you can check out the following links:-

• Types of White Wine
• Dry White Wine Types

That concludes an exclusive tour of some of the top rated white wine that you can get for those special social or personal occasions. On the other hand, life is itself a special event - what better way to celebrate it other than sipping some good old vintage white wine while a soft waltz instrumental plays in the background.....How else can you define bliss?