Wine Spectator’s 2017 New York Wine Experience brings the world’s best wines to Times Square

Haut-Brion. Mouton Rothschild. Lafite Rothschild. Chateau Margaux. Opus One. Chateau d’Yquem. These are some of the finest wines in the world, and they’re all ranked 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator, making them eligible for participation in this past weekend’s 37th Annual New York Wine Experience’s Grand Tastings, the flagship event of the annual festival, which brings together hundreds of wineries and thousands of guests for classes, seminars, and a gala. 266 individual wines were poured during this year’s Grand Tastings, and if there’s a finer selection of wine being poured at any festival on earth, I’d be very surprised.

The New York Wine Experience includes two full days of seated tastings, and this year’s attendees were treated to seminars hosted by winemakers representing celebrated wines including Veuve Clicquot (of which a rare La Grand Dame 1979 was poured),Burgundy’s Clos Vougeot, 1977 vintage port, Gaja Barbaresco, and Chateau Margaux interspersed with lavish meals and one-off tastings. The main event however, was the nightly Grand Tasting, for which tickets sold for $365 per person.

At the Grand Tasting, held in the Marriott Marquis’ bi-level grand ballroom, guests had the opportunity to mingle with wine lovers and in many cases the wine producers themselves. All the wines mentioned up top were poured (the 2006 Chateau Haut-Brion was a decided standout), and other noteworthy wines included a 2006 Chateau Cheval Blanc, a 2013 Gaja Barbaresco, 2013 Ao Yun (the festival’s first Chinese entrant), 2006 Romano Dal Forno Amarone, 2014 Continuum Estate, 2014 Penfolds Bin 707, 2010 Chateau-Figeac St. Emilion, 2013 Paul Hobbs Nathan Coombs Estate, 2005 Vega Sicilia Unico, 2011 BOND Pluribus, and a stunning 1941 Kopke port. Even though the offerings skewed heavily toward French and Italian reds (as expected), other countries including Japan and Israel were represented, and there were small if impressive assortments of whites, fortified wines, and Champagnes. Bottles averaged around $100, but they ranged from as inexpensive as $20 (2015 First Drop Shiraz) to as jaw-droppingly expensive as $500 (Penfolds, 2006 Harlan Estate, and 2010 Masseto), $531 (Romano Dal Forno), $575 (Chateau Haut-Brion), $590 (2006 Chateau D’Yquem), $650 (2006 Chateau Margaux), $770 (Kopke), and $810 (Cheval Blanc).

Needless to say, the event was an embarrassment of riches, and an amazing way to sample a seemingly endless array of wines that are far beyond the everyday price range. But more than that, it was an opportunity to try some of the finest wines on earth and chat with the people who devote their lives to maintaining the highest level of quality. If you’re a wine lover, there’s no reason why this event shouldn’t be on your radar next year. To learn which 101 wineries are America’s best, click here.