Skip to main content

Join the Cult: The five best cult wines in the world

Cult wines are nothing new. For decades, wine enthusiasts have been carefully cultivating pricey, limited availability wines from around the world for their personal cellars. While names such as Screaming Eagle and Penfolds Grange normally come to mind, some new and old world upstarts are getting in on the action. From Oregon to Bordeaux to Central Otago, small wineries are crafting some incredible vino for your collection. Drink now or better yet, save it for a later day. You can’t go wrong with these five reds from around the world.

Antica Terra makes some of the best wine in Oregon.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2010 Antica Terra Pinot Noir Botanica

Recommended Videos

One of the smaller Williamette Valley wine estates, Antica Terra is also arguably the best. Winemaker Maggie Harrison painstakingly crafts some of the best new world wines around. The 2010 Pinot Noir Botanica gets the most accolades due to its lovely bouquet and cherry and redcurrant flavors. Spicey with a smooth finish; the wine only gets better with each decanting. Best before 2024 ($115).

Catena Zapata is a winery near Mendoza in Argentina.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2008 Catena Zapata ‘Catena Zapata Estiba Reservada’

Predominantly made of Cabernet Sauvingon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this Argentine red is one of the most highly sought after wines in the country thanks to the great winemaking family behind it. The ‘Catena Zapata Estiba Reservada’ boasts explosive aromas of tobacco and cedar and a pleasurable acidity and structure with rounded tannins. Best before 2022 ($300).

Chateau La Gomerie has long been in the shadow of its showier neighbors in Saint-Émilion.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2007 Chateau La Gomerie Saint-Émilion Gran Cru

Chateau La Gomerie has long been in the shadow of its showier neighbors in the area but the winery, established in 1994, has long had a cult following. The 2007 vintage is particularly good, with black currants on the palate and a full-bodied flavor. It’s 100 percent Merlot, like many other wines in the region, offering a plump and bold style. Best before 2020 ($99).

Rust en Vrede is a 300-year-old winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2011 Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification Red 

New World wines pack as much history and flavor as old world varietals and Rust en Vrede is so admired in South Africa even the late Nelson Mandela served it at a Nobel Peace Prize dinner. The 2011 Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification Red might pack the biggest wallop of all their wines. The 2011 harvest produced small berries with concentrated flavors and ripeness and this red exemplifies that, to the tenth degree, with cedar on the nose and raspberry on the palate. Best before 2020 ($140).

New Zealand's Peregrine Pinnacle wine is one of the most coveted down under.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2007 Peregrine Pinnacle Pinot Noir

New Zealand wines are known for their value, even stateside. Still, several wines are highly coveted for their cult status. Peregrine Pinnacle Pinot Noir is one of the most expensive wines to come out of the antipodean nation and is sought after with good reason. The 2007 vintage is known for it’s cherry and coffee notes as well as its firm tannins and impeccable structure. Best before 2024 ($210).

Jacob Kienlen
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Jacob Kienlen was a culture writer for The Manual. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his…
Belizean rum is where it’s at and these cocktails prove it
A couple of classics, with rum front and center
Copalli Rum trio.

We're living in the rum renaissance. The spirit is no longer just a quiet backseat mixer, it's a star in its own right, playing a major role in classic cocktail recipes across the board. Perhaps best, it's wildly place-specific, showcasing the flavors of the very place its raised, whether that's Belize, Hawaii, the West Indies, or somewhere else.

Turns out, you can swap that bourbon or gin for rum in a lot of cases within the wide world of cocktails. You just need the right rum, like Copalli. The Belizean maker features white and aged rums, as well as a decidedly delicious and unique cacao rum. Whiel you can sip these offerings on their own, we suggest them in the following mixed sippers.
Old Fashioned

Read more
The best view of Washington’s Blue Mountains is at a barely year-old estate
Echolands is worth the scenic stop on your next visit to the Walla Walla Valley
A glass of wine in front of the Blue Mountains of Washington

My thoughts on the best view in Washington wine? It opened its doors in April 2024 in the Walla Walla Valley’s Mill Creek subregion. That’s when Echolands Winery unveiled a new panoramic tasting room, with the iconic Blue Mountains rising behind a medley of grapes and golden wheat.

Founders Doug Frost (holding the distinction of Master Sommelier and Master of Wine) and conservation-focused investor Brad Bergman started Echolands in 2018 and opened their downtown tasting room in 2022, nestled just a block from Walla Walla’s Main Street.

Read more
Love s’mores and coffee? This Joel McHale-approved treat combines both
The s'mores and coffee combination you didn't know you needed
Joel McHale

Just in time for s'mores season, Seattle's Best Coffee is taking coffee beyond the brew with Coffee Roast Mallows, a limited-edition variety pack created in partnership with XO Marshmallow. Inspired by the smooth taste of Seattle's Best Coffee, this cozy treat is approved by Seattle-native Joel McHale, an actor, comedian, and coffee aficionado.
Launched today, the coffee-inspired marshmallow variety pack features four toasty flavors along with a bag of Seattle's Best Coffee Campfire S'mores Flavored ground coffee. Dan Gaul, co-founder of The Manual, interviewed McHale to get the scoop on this latest release. Here's what he shared.
Why McHale loves Coffee Roast Mallows

Known for his sharp wit and passion for coffee, McHale brings the perfect blend of humor and hometown pride to “toast” as the hilarious face of Seattle's Best Coffee's new “May Smoother Coffee Bring Smoother Days” campaign. "These limited edition [coffee marshallows] are flavored and inspired by their coffee roasts—like the light roast, the dark roast, the medium, and then s’mores," says McHale. "Now, you can have this sweet treat with your coffee, or just put them in the cup like I do and eat them that way."
Growing up in the Northwest in Seattle, s'mores hold a special place in McHale's heart, reminding him of camping memories from his childhood. "You know, [our family didn’t have much money. I’m the youngest of five, so it’s not like we had a ton of money to go somewhere else. So, camping was our vacation in the summer," he shares. For him, this nostalgic coffee and s'mores duo evokes campfire feelings, taking him back to the good ol' days.
Though McHale is also a huge fan of iced coffee, he loves adding marshmallows to hot coffee for a cozy campfire feeling. Unaffected by coffee's caffeine, McHale says it doesn’t make his heart race.
What's inside each box

Read more