Exploration Brings Rewards

Part of the beauty of wine is the opportunity to expand horizons. Often there's also a value element to less-known wines.

- ALISON NAPJUS

Selecting a bottle of wine causes many people angst. Copious wine regions, grapes and producers, with new vintages and expressions each year, compound consumers' worry over getting the "best" wine, how much they pay for a bottle, etc. It's understandable that many decide to go with a safe bet choosing a wine they've tried before and know they like.

Yet part of the beauty of wine is the opportunity to explore, to find something new and different that speaks to you or that suits a particular occasion. There's also a value component to exploration, where often it's more affordable to try something from the wine world's farther-flung corners or up-and-coming names. Many of the best examples of "discovery wines" are a part of Wine Spectator's annual Top 100 list, a selection greatly driven by value and by the excitement of presenting something new or different to our readers.