This is the time of the year when everyone is coming out with their lists “The best of 2010” (Restaurants, wine lists, cigars, cars, airlines, resorts, wines etc.)

The Wine Spectator came out with their Top 100 wines of 2010 and it seemed liked consumers ran to their local wine shop to grab up as many gems as they can. It’s always fun to judge the sales of those wines after the release of the list. No matter what the price tag is they sell like hot cakes.

I personally like the Wine Spectator and have been reading each issue like other wine magazines for as far back as I can remember. To me it was always and still is a great source of information of what’s happening in the wine world. When I first started out in the business over 25 years ago we would all wait for the new issues to come out of all the wine magazines and journals to see how the wines we represented faired in the scores. It sometimes felt like we were producers of a new Broadway show or waiting for the review of our new restaurant. The scores made a big difference back then and we proudly carried in the magazines to show to the wine buyers of the restaurants and wine shops on how we did. There are other wine magazines out there that do their top 100 and are very creditable and I still enjoy to see how and whom they choose but I still can’t wait to see the Wine Spectators Top 100 each year.

My local wine shop by my house customer base is full of  journalists, people in the wine business and her  clientele of consumers  read The Wine Spectator, Gambero Rosso, Decantor Magazine , Wine and Spirits, and The Wine Enthusiasts. They are in other words foodies and wine lovers. A few weeks before the Top 100 was released she purchased a few cases of the Two Hands Shiraz which happens to be an outstanding Shiraz that she had out on display for $45.00 and didn’t sell a bottle.

It ended up earning the number two spot on the Top 100 and she sold out in two days. Ratings still matter and people are still reading magazines.