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Wine Enthusiast Top 100
Staff Writer – December 6, 2008
 The Must-Have Wines of 2008 According to the Wine Enthusiast Magazine Editors.
If the wines on this list are not Best Buys and are not Cellar Selections, then what exactly are they? In short, say the editors of the US wine magazine, they represent the most diverse and dynamic segment of the wine industry. They are wines that offer extraordinary quality at prices that still represent affordable luxury. They are mostly wines that can be consumed over the near term, although some will undoubtedly benefit
from cellaring.
In compiling their annual Top 100 lists, the editors go beyond simple evaluation of numeric scores and pricing. They also consider availability, buzz and balance. While availability is straightforward, buzz refers to a wine's newsworthiness, or excitement factor, and whether it represents notable trends in the (US) wine market. This year's Number One wine is a prime example, combining high quality (95 points) with reasonable price and availability ($42, 475 cases), but then adding to its intrigue are a superstar winemaker's own label, a vineyard designation and an underappreciated variety from California.
Balance means that within the limits of what the editors have tasted over the past year, they've tried to include wines that not only represent many different regions and grape varieties, but also vary in style.
You'll find wines from 11 countries and more than 20 varieties, sparkling and still wines, table, dessert and fortified wines. One of the things the Wine Enthusiast editors valued most in the wine world is diversity, and this is one way of applauding it.
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