WINE.COM RELEASES SECOND ANNUAL WINE.COM 100 LIST

Wine.com, the nation's #1 online wine retailer, today announced its second annual Wine.com 100 list based entirely on customer preferences. The only list of its kind is generated by ranking the top 1 percent of bottle sales of the over 10,000 wines sold nationally on Wine.com during the first 11 months of 2008. For a complete list, go to http://www.wine.com/100.

"Our annual ranking is unique in that it reflects the opinions of our customers," said Rich Bergsund, Wine.com CEO. "The trend we’ve seen is that wine enthusiasts are looking for the greatest value – highly rated wines at lower price points – and are increasingly choosing wines from South America and Australia."

The Wine.com 100 list shows customers are choosing both quality and price, with 94 of the wines rated 90 points or higher from leading wine critics, including Wine Spectator, and over 70 wines priced under $20. The Wine.com 100 list also demonstrates consumer demand for notable brands such as Silver Oak, Caymus, Dom Pérignon, Cakebread, Duckhorn, and Jordan.

The most popular wine of 2008 hails from Chile's Veramonte Winery. Veramonte’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva sells for $9.99 and received a 92-point rating from The Wine News. Veramonte's Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and two vintages of the winery’s premium red blend, Primus, also made the list.

"Veramonte wines have been a favorite of ours for a decade," said Michael Osborn, founder and VP of Merchandising for Wine.com. "Having five of our Top 100 from this estate shows that customers recognize their artisanal quality wine and the great value they offer."

In contrast with most U.S. wine retailers, where on average 25% of wine sold is imported, the Wine.com 100 contains 63 imported wines. While California dominates domestically with 31 wines on the Wine.com 100 list, eight other countries are represented led by Australia (27), Chile (11), Argentina (8), Spain (6), France (5), Italy (4), and New Zealand (2). Wines from Australia and South America demonstrated the biggest trend, moving to 27% and 19% this year from 18% and 13% last year, respectively.

Red wine represents 74% of the top 100, led by Cabernet Sauvignon (18), Syrah (16), and Malbec (6). Of the 20 white wines on the list, Chardonnay (10) and Sauvignon Blanc (6) topped the list.

Wine.com recently introduced evening, Saturday, date-specific and by appointment delivery and is the only wine retailer in the U.S. to offer these convenient shipping options. The company also introduced the Wine.com Steward-Ship™ Program offering frequent buyers one year of free delivery on every order, regardless of size, for just $49.