Decanter to unveil its Top 50 US Wines of 2026 from 16 to 20 November
Decanter will reveal ten wines a day over five days, culminating in the Top 10 on 20 November. Every selection earned at least 95 points from the publication’s reviewers during the previous 12 months, but the individual wines and scores have not yet been announced.
Five-day countdown
Decanter will begin publishing its Top 50 US Wines of 2026 on 16 November, revealing ten entries each day for five days. The countdown will conclude on 20 November with the announcement of the Top 10. The publication has not yet disclosed the selected producers, wines, vintages or individual scores.1
Full reviews of all 50 selections will be available on Decanter’s website. Each entry is due to include its score, tasting note and an explanation of why the wine was considered a notable expression of the contemporary US wine scene.1
How the wines were selected
To qualify, every wine had to receive at least 95 points in tastings conducted by Decanter reviewers over the preceding 12 months. Under the publication’s scale, wines awarded 95, 96 or 97 points are classified as outstanding and marked by substantial complexity and character, while scores of 98 or above denote exceptional, profound wines.1
Decanter said its team chose particularly compelling wines from those eligible, seeking to represent the breadth of US releases from the past year. Its stated considerations included strong vintages, emerging regions, benchmark producers, sites of grand cru-level quality, accomplished winemaking and viticulture, and the people behind the wines.1
Additional recommendations
After the Top 10 is published, Decanter Premium members will receive a curated guide to 200 further highly rated wines. The supplementary coverage will include 2023 Napa Cabernet, leading Oregon Pinot Noirs, West Coast Chardonnays and sparkling wines, as well as wines presented as good-value choices for the holiday period.1
Decanter described the Top 50 as a guide to US wineries, regions and wines that readers may want to seek out now or monitor in later vintages. It noted that some selections are tightly allocated and may be obtainable only through mailing lists, winery clubs or selected wine-focused restaurants, while others have national or international distribution or are available to tasting-room visitors.1
Giveaway tied to the release
To mark the publication of the list, Decanter is offering a pair of tickets to a 2027 Decanter Fine Wine Encounter, together with one-year subscriptions to Decanter magazine and Decanter Premium. Readers in the United States and United Kingdom may enter by submitting their name and email address; two runners-up will each receive a one-year Decanter Premium subscription.1
The publication also announced a 20% reduction on a full-year Decanter Premium subscription for people who join during November using the code TOPUS2026.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
