Why Wine Spectator’s #1 for 2025 Feels… Predictable?

Wine Spectator has spoken, and—surprise, surprise—their #1 wine of 2025 is a Bordeaux. Specifically, Margaux's Chateau Giscours 2022. Cue the gasps, cue the monocles dropping into decanters, cue the collective industry nod as if to say, “Yes, of course it is, Willard.” It’s not that Bordeaux doesn’t deserve the spotlight. It practically invented the spotlight. If wine has a birthplace—culturally, philosophically, even spiritually—it's a patch of dirt in Bordeaux. (Left bank.)

But here’s the rub: today’s consumer isn’t drinking like it’s 1985, and the #1 pick feels more safe than seismic. Consumers aren’t just reaching for heritage; they’re reaching for disruption. They want mic drop wines that make you want to play some Drake. 

The Consumer Mood: Discovery Over Dynasty

Scroll through TikTok, Reddit, or even our own Shopify dashboard, and the pattern is unmistakable: people are hunting for up-and-coming regions that deliver freshness, authenticity, and—critical in this economy—value. These aren’t fringe drinkers. These are new collectors, younger sommeliers, and regular shoppers who clamor for something new.

Two regions in particular are stealing that spotlight:

Portugal: The Quiet Revolutionary

Portugal used to be that place Americans visited once, came home with a few Pastéis de Nata recipes, and promptly forgot. Not anymore. Modern Portuguese reds and whites are electric: expressive blends, native grapes with personality, and low price points. 

Wines from the Douro, Dão, and Alentejo are creating a level of excitement that Bordeaux did decades ago—only with fewer commas in the price tag. Consumers love it. Retailers love it. And critics? Still catching up.  Admittedly, I am playing catch up too as a wine reseller. 

Washington State: The Anti-Establishment Cabernet Frontier

Washington has spent 20 years proving that world-class Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah can come from a place that doesn’t rhyme with Chateau Lafite. And finally—finally—drinkers are waking up. These wines punch above their weight, offer balance and structure that remind you of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, and still feel like you discovered something.

In short, Washington is Bordeaux’s cool, slightly rebellious cousin who shows up at the family in a great pair of jeans and steals everyone's attention. 

So Why the Safe Pick?

Wine Spectator is a legacy publication with a legacy palate—and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Bordeaux is Bordeaux: eternal, consistent, the heavyweight champ of wine. But when every winery from Portugal to Paso is pushing boundaries, building sustainability programs, experimenting with blends, and appealing to the new generation of drinkers… choosing a Bordeaux as #1 feels less like following the owner's manual.  

Credit Where It’s Due: France Practically Invented Wine

Let’s be clear: dismissing France would be like dismissing oxygen. The French didn’t just “invent wine,” but they invented the rules, the vocabulary, the hierarchy, the whole modern concept of how we understand and judge what’s in the glass. Appellations, classifications, cellar traditions—Bordeaux set the standard.

But that’s exactly why today’s drinkers are branching out. Once you’ve memorized the rules, you start looking for the people breaking them.  Mountain man, Chris Carpenter of Cardinale, may not be anti-establishment anymore but the fact that he bartends every Friday night at the Rutherford Grill in Napa feels very Walter White.  

The Bottom Line

Wine Spectator’s choice for 2025 is prestigious. It’s polished. It’s classic. But it’s also safe—at a time when consumers are anything but. The real energy in the market is happening in places that aren’t bound by centuries of tradition, where winemakers aren’t afraid to experiment, and where bottles feel exciting from the very first sip.

Bordeaux may have invented the language of wine. But Portugal, Washington State, and a handful of other rising regions? They’re rewriting it. Now play some Drake.