25th anniversary Tokyo tasting | The Jancis Robinson Story | 🎁 20% off gift memberships

What makes wine 'fine'?

Wednesday 6 January 2016
Image

It’s New Year, and that means: quiz time! Publications by the score have been setting festive brainteasers, and I don’t want JancisRobinson.com to go without, so here’s my 2016 quiz: 

  • What is ‘fine wine’? 

There. Did you enjoy it? This may not be the longest quiz ever, but I reckon it’s a real poser. This very question was sprung on me a month or so ago by a former colleague, and it left me stumped. This was not his intention: he had recently joined the London wine-broking fraternity and was doing a bit of research on what this term means...

Become a member or log in to continue reading
JancisRobinson.com 25th anniversaty logo

This Mother’s Day, give the gift of great wine.

Mothering Sunday is 15 March – and a JancisRobinson.com gift membership is one of the most thoughtful presents you can give a wine lover.

For a limited time, get 20% off all annual gift memberships by entering promo code FORMUM26 at checkout. Offer ends 17 March.

Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Alex on taste

Image
Alex on taste 1 September For today's Throwback Thursday we are publishing free Alex's bi-monthly column for members that was published yesterday. 31...
Image
Alex on taste In 1989, when the six cast members of anarchic BBC radio comedy I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again reunited for...
Image
Alex on taste Every February I permit myself a bit of nostalgia when in the middle of the month the annual varsity blind...
Image
Alex on taste 9 July 2015 Alex's thoughts on where terroir begins and ends published on Monday are worth sharing with everyone for...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Richard Hemming surrounded by wine bottles ready for tasting
Tasting articles 124 wines reviewed, revealing assorted treasures buried in the far south-western corner of Australia. See also Visiting Great Southern. The...
MBT conclusions cover image
Mission Blind Tasting Time to put all the details together and take a stab at determining what’s in your glass. Now that you’ve...
El Pacto vineyard
Tasting articles Proof that Rioja remains a terrific source of mature wines at excellent prices. Above, one of the vineyards of El...
Vineyard landscape at West Cape Howe in the Great Southern region
Travel tips Discovering Western Australia’s wine wilderness. Come back tomorrow for reviews of wines from Great Southern. Wherever you stand in the...
Juan Valdelana
Tasting articles Plus a selection of top-quality wines made at sufficient scale that they can be found the world over. Above, Juan...
 Juan Carlos Sancha in the Cerro la Isa vineyard with mule
Tasting articles A focus on single-village, single-vineyard and single-variety Rioja. Above, Juan Carlos Sancha and his mule working the Cerro la Isa...
Doppo wine list
Nick on restaurants A gem for wine lovers in London’s Soho. Just part of its giant wine list (temporarily stolen) is shown above...
Freixenet winery in Spain
Wine news in 5 Also news on Germany’s Henkell group buying out legendary Cava company Freixenet (pictured above) and lawsuits on France’s copper fungicide...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.