Your Cellar in 2022: Find the Best New Wines to Collect This Year

To find the best new wines to collect this year, consider offerings from renowned Bordeaux and Burgundy producers as well as top-rated wines from California and Chile.

Now that a new year is upon us, it’s the perfect time to refresh your collection with some exciting wines. This year, there are dozens of top-quality vintages to get excited about, from well-known Old-World estates to up-and-coming New-World producers. In this guide, you’ll learn how to find the best new wines to collect right now that go beyond just the usual “blue chip” labels and producers.

While there are plenty of iconic, world-renowned wines that are worth buying this year, there are also a few unusual wines that will gain traction in 2022. If you want your collection to stand out, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of the wines professional critics and experienced investors are adding to their shopping carts this year.

The Top 20 Old-World Wines to Collect in 2022

Wines from iconic Old-World producers are a safe bet every year, so it’s no surprise that some of the best new wines to collect in 2022 are from historic regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Châteauneuf du Pape in the Rhône, and various areas of Italy. However, while you will find several “blue chip investment” wines on this list, including vintages from Louis Roederer, Krug, Château Montrose, and Château Léoville Poyferré, there are also some lesser-known wines that deserve your attention. With so many high-quality new wines on the market, it’s an ideal time to diversify your investments.

There are a few standout vintages that you should pay special attention to in 2022:

2018 Bordeaux and Burgundy 

In Bordeaux and Burgundy, the 2018 vintage is receiving high praise across the board from professional critics. In Bordeaux, 2018 wines are concentrated but retain a fresh acidity that will allow them to age for a long time. The yields were also low, so these wines are rare and should increase steadily in value over time. In Burgundy, the 2018 vintage is widely considered to be the best since 2015, and the wines are especially bold and concentrated.

2016 Italian Wines 

Growing conditions in many areas of Italy were particularly difficult in 2016. As a result, yields were especially low. However, the little wine that was produced is very high in quality and has great potential for aging. Now is the perfect time to invest in top-rated 2016 Chianti, Amarone, Brunello di Montalcino, and Barolo. The wine has had some time to age already, but the finest bottles will likely need many more years in a cellar before they reach peak maturity. By investing in these wines now, you’ll secure them at a lower price, as they may be worth much more in the next five or ten years.

2008 Champagne 

The much-anticipated 2008 vintage has made its way to the secondary market and continues to be one of the most popular vintages among collectors. This is a legendary vintage, as the wines are perfectly balanced and have profound aging potential. If you haven’t already secured your 2008 Champagne investments, 2022 is your year.

2019 Châteauneuf du Pape

There’s plenty of buzz around the 2019 Châteauneuf du Pape vintage. These wines are tannic and high in alcohol, but they retain the same elegance and freshness of some of the best vintages in the region’s history. Experts expect these wines to be long-lived, so it’s a wise decision to invest in them while they’re young.

Now that you have an idea of which Old-World vintages and regions are trending on the market right now, below are 20 top wines you should consider securing in 2022, in no particular order:

1. 2018 Château Léoville-Poyferré
2. 2018 Château Pichon Lalande
3. 2016 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port
4. 2018 Maison Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
5. 2018 Louis Jadot Musigny Grand Cru
6. 2008 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne
7. 2020 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
8. 2008 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 
9. 2015 Romano Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta 
10. 2018 Château Trotanoy
11. 2019 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes
12. 2019 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf du Pape
13. 2020 Château Léoville Barton
14. 2018 Château Canon
15. 2018 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
16. 2018 Château Clinet
17. 2019 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin
18. 2018 Château Montrose
19. 2019 Clos Saint-Jean Châteauneuf du Pape La Combe Des Fous
20. 2018 Gaja Barbaresco

While all of these wines are promising, the 2018 Château Léoville Poyferré vintage is particularly noteworthy. Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Spectator rated this wine quite highly, and both included it in their lists of the top ten best wines they tried in 2021.

While there are many excellent Old-World wines like these that you should secure for your cellar, now is the best time to look into New-World offerings as well. There are some exciting options that every collector should be aware of if they want to find the best new wines to collect this year.

The Top 15 New-World Wines to Collect in 2022

As with the Old-World wines, there are some clear patterns in New-World market trends that you should look for when you try to find the best new wines to collect.

2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 

The 2018 vintage is thought to be one of the best of the past two decades in Napa Valley, which is saying something, considering this region has seen multiple high-quality vintages since the early 2000s. The growing season was picture perfect and the fruit was allowed to mature slowly on the vine. The result is wines that are refined and full of character. This will be a highly sought-after vintage once these wines reach maturity.

2019 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Oregon and California 

The relatively cool growing season was ideal for delicate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in both Oregon and California. These wines are particularly elegant, so they will likely continue to increase in value and demand on the secondary market.

Argentina and Australia Are Gaining Ground 

Aside from these two overarching trends, the popularity of wines from New Zealand, Chile, and Australia also continues to rise. Recent vintages from 2020 and 2018 are rated highly by most professional critics and should be excellent additions to any collection.

With this in mind, here are the top 20 new wines to collect from some of the most renowned New-World regions, listed in no particular order:

1. 2018 Dominus
2. 2018 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon
3. 2018 Joseph Phelps Insignia
4. 2020 Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay
5. 2018 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
6. 2018 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five
7. 2018 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Tierra Roja
8. 2018 Ovid Hexameter
9. 2018 Seña Red
10. 2018 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
11. 2018 Almaviva Puente Alto Red
12. 2018 Maybach Family Cabernet Sauvignon Materium Weitz Vineyard
13. 2018 Eisele Vineyard Altagracia Cabernet Sauvignon
14. 2018 Bryant Family Bettina Bryant Red
15. 2018 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

By far the standout wine from this list is 2018 Dominus. Jeb Dunnuck, contributors from Wine Spectator, and James Suckling’s website all ranked 2018 Dominus among their favorite recent wines – Wine Spectator even selected it for the number one spot on its top 100 list. Critics note that this wine is drinking well now, but it’s one that collectors should seriously consider keeping around for 30 or more years. This wine is very likely to sell out on most primary and secondary marketplaces, so it’s important to secure your investments as early as possible.

How to Find the Best New Wines to Collect

To find the best new wines to collect in 2022, you need to be aware of the trends and secure your investments quickly. The wine market is constantly evolving, and with so many new producers cropping up, it’s never been more important to stay on top of the latest news and critical reviews. Now that we’re seeing more exciting wine coming from unusual regions such as Chile, Oregon, and Argentina, it’s an exciting time to be a fine wine collector because you have so many more options compared to decades past.

However, this also means that navigating the fine wine market has become slightly more overwhelming. It’s tempting to invest in the same well-known producers year after year. While you can and should maintain a collection of wine from legendary producers with extensive histories, this year, consider broadening your horizons. With guidance from the experts and access to online markets, finding the best new wines to collect is simple.

Even if you aren’t sure where to start or you need help narrowing down your wishlist, you can take advantage of Vinfolio’s private client program, which takes most of the guesswork out of fine wine investing. Becoming a private client means gaining first access to some of the most sought-after allocations (an important benefit when you’re trying to find popular wines like 2018 Dominus). You’ll also gain preferred rates on shipping, storage, and consignment wine sales, as well as invitations to exclusive wine events.

The second most important tip for finding the best new wines to collect in 2022 is to secure your allocations early in the year. Many wine enthusiasts like to refresh their collections at the start of a new year and the most popular wines tend to sell out quickly. So, if you plan on buying new wine in 2022, start finalizing your wishlist now.

Buying wine on pre-arrival is another great way to secure your bottles early. Or, you could buy wine by the case, as some collectors don’t have the storage space necessary to keep full investment-grade cases of wine. Generally speaking, individual bottles sell out much faster than cases, and you’ll have greater flexibility with your collection when you own a case of wine. You can drink a few bottles yourself and resell the rest when the time comes, potentially giving you the greatest enjoyment from your collection.

Whether you plan on buying multiple cases of top-rated wine or you simply want to add a curated selection of unusual bottles to your cellar, 2022 should be an excellent year for wine enthusiasts. There’s no better way to kick off the new year than with a fresh batch of top-quality wines that nearly everyone in the wine industry is raving over.

Whether you are starting your high-end wine collection or adding to an established portfolio, Vinfolio is your partner in buying, selling, and professional storage. Contact us today to get access to the world’s finest wine.