Originally published on November 15, 2008 .
It’s that time of the year…the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2008 will be published on Monday (just in time for holiday buying!) I’m not a big fan of this list, for reasons I’ll put in another post (Top 100 Reasons Why I’m Not a Big Fan of This List coming up soon!!!) But everyone does “Top X of Y” lists at the end of the year (the better to help you with your holiday gift buying), so I wouldn’t expect the Spectator or the wine industry in general to really be any different.
This year, they did this daily reveal of the Top 10…Monday: 10 & 9…Tuesday: 8 & 7….with the #1 wine revealed on Friday (I’m not telling, did you really think I would tell???) The full list is released Monday at 10am.
The Spectator is filling the weekend gap with a Wine Challenge quiz. I like quizzes, so I happily clicked onto the quiz. Even if I’m not crazy about the publication, I always like to test my wine knowledge – I am at heart a wine geek.
Q1: In 2008, about how many wines did Wine Spectator review in blind tastings? A: ICK.
Q2: What are the criteria for selection in the Top 100? A: ICK!
Q3: How many countries (the largest number to date) are represented on the Top 100 of 2008 list? A: double ICK!!
I stopped after that, it was just too icky. I realize the Spectator is one of the most self-referential publications out there, but this really takes it to new heights. Does anyone aside from Marvin Shankin (the owner of the WS) actually know the answers? Does even Marvin know the answers?
Ick.