I have selected my twelve top wines but this was a tough choice to make. My thinking was to think of the wines I would like to show my best buddy so here goes. Pierre Moncuit Champagne is just a legend of a Champagne. It comes from this small house in the best village in the Cote de Blancs and shows such elegance that it’s a must-try Champagne. Chateau Montelena's Potter Valley Riesling is a bit of a curveball as most people don’t think California makes Riesling and secondly, this one is so good and can last for decades. I tried a bottle of the 1992 recently and it was still very much alive with great acidity and texture on the palate. I also have a bit of a sweet tooth so thought I would chuck in my current favourite sweet wine. The Solio di Valdiserre by Isolabella delle Croce which is 100% Muscat and has some lovely bottle age on it being form 2007. The estate is perched on top of the hills in Piedmont and this altitude gives the wine great acidity to balance the lovely aromatics you get form the muscat.

As for the reds well I would also want to show some great Burgundy and the Marsannay Champs St Etienne by Joseph Roty encapsulates the greatness and history of Burgundy. The family used to give all the wine to the church but now luckily for us they sale it commercially. This is a single vineyard wine which is very rare in Burgundy. The Gravel Hill Shiraz from Hartenberg is one of SA's most iconic wines but is a collectors secret as it has only been available since the 2005 vintage. It comes from a single block of vines located on petrified gravel and makes wines which can age for 20+ years. This wine needs time but if you give it some and then plenty of decanting wow you are rewarded with a new world wine with the finesse of the old. The Judd Pinot from Ten Minutes by Tractor is one of the great Pinot Noirs of the New World, it looks and taste more French in style and puts many wines from Burgundy in the shade. Elegance and finesse are the traits of this wine.