Best Wines of 2004

Best Spirits of 2004

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In a departure from previous years, this year we have added a number of factors that determine whether a wine ranks in our Top 50. Our past lists relied almost entirely on numeric rating—fair enough on the surface, but it meant that many good wines fell through the cracks between this list and our Top Best Buys. For example, a wine rated 91 and priced at $21 (wow!) previously would not have rated highly enough to be included in our Top 50, and would not be inexpensive enough to appear on the Top Best Buys list.


This year, price, availability, newsworthiness and excitement joined numeric rating among the criteria that shaped the Top 50. We also maintained our tradition of diversity: We limited the number of appearances for each brand to a single wine, and chose bottles that represent a wide range of styles. Our Top 50 includes sparkling wines, fortified wines and dessert wines in addition to red and white table wines.

The biggest change—and the toughest challenge—was actually ranking the Top 50. Which should rank higher—the 95-point, $100 wine, or the 100-point, $400 wine? We revisited all of the criteria, carefully considering how each wine stacked up in relation to the others.
Readers who view this year-end list as a shopping guide may be disappointed to discover many of the wines reviewed early in the year have already sold out or are now more expensive than originally reported. The market doesn’t wait to make corrections, and the most desirable wines disappear quickly.

Better to use our Top 50 as a prospect list—an indicator of areas to explore or producers to try. If it inspires readers to enjoy mo’ betta wine, then it has served its purpose.

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Revised: 02/01/04.
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