nlike many of our peers in this wine-ink biz, we’ve struggled long and hard over the whole issue of what constitutes “best”. The wine culture is awash with superficial scoring regimes, reductionist tasting standards, and the so-called “quality” stratification that often amounts to little more than fashion bias. Is Chardonnay somehow inherently better than Riesling, or Chenin Blanc, or Seyval Blanc? Even if one buys into the old “noble varieties” status paradigm, is Napa Valley Chardonnay somehow “better” than Long Island Chardonnay, or less good than Meursault? Are apples better than oranges?