So we’ve figured out which wines will constitute the prize for our Wine of the Year (WOTY) guessing game.

So far, we also have a clear winner. Yes, we have an abysmally low number of entries so far (low single digits. Think, the loneliest number…). So if you want the following low scoring beauties then please enter. Total  monetary value: $141; average score according to the Spectator: 84 points.

Without further ado, the wines:

2004 Castellare Chianti Classico, Tuscany, $22: 78 points

2005 Tenuta di Valgiano Palistorti Red, Tuscany, $37: 82 point

2005 75 Wine Company Amber Knolls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake County, California, $20: 84 points

2003 Olabisi Betsy’s Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma, California, $22: 85 points

2006 Hocus Pocus Syrah, Central Coast, California, $18: 86 points

and, in honor of the 89 Project:

2006 Telmo Rodriguez Basa White, Rueda, Spain, $12: 89 points

Okay, since the Spectator has slapped their ticking clock on their home page, the madness can officially begin. Oh joy! It’s time for annual guessing game!

Last year, we kicked off what we said we would make a tradition: a contest for our readers to select what they think the Spectator will choose as their top picks. Our winner, Hugh, received a six-pack of wines that scored 80 or below by the Spectator, including the 2003 Rioja Vega Crianza, the 2005 Finca Luzon Monastrell, and the 2004 Faiveley Mercurey Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet among other delightful but much maligned wines.

As with last year, the winner will receive a pack of wines that are challenged in the point-scoring department. We haven’t picked them out yet, but they will likely be wines in the 89 point or below category (with a shout-out to the 89 Project), with no hopes of making the Spectator list. As soon as they are selected, we’ll update this so you’ll know exactly the prize for which you’re competing. We’re fairly certain one of them will be the Tenuta di Valgiano Palistorti Red.

This year, we’re making a slight adjustment…we had you post your guesses in the comments last year. This year, we’d like the guesses emailed to us. We think this will foster more competition! Otherwise, the basic guidelines are as follows:

–Be specific. Don’t just say “something from Mondavi” in your official guess. Tell us which vintage, which bottling, etc.
–Make sure to include ten wines in the order you think they’ll place. Guesses with fewer than ten wines will not be counted.
–Vote only once.
–The deadline is November 9th: the day before the Spectator begins their top Ten countdown on their website. Anything entered through the 9th, the day prior to their announcement is fair game.

Cast your vote now! It’s the most important second most important vote you’ll cast in 2008. Submit all guesses to us via email: info@domaine547.com.

Seems a little early for our soon-to-be annual contest to guess the Spectator Top 10 Wines of the Year, doesn’t it? Well, not to the many people we see already landing at domaine547 via searches on this very subject line.

We can’t believe it’s August and people are already obsessing over the year-end list. Rest assured, we will happily feed the frenzy, of course; but those of you who landed here because of such a search, please have some patience. Last year we jumped the gun, and our first post on this subject was around mid-October, a good month before the top 10 was announced. So check back with us in six or eight weeks for more on that subject, and between now and then for other wine-related content.

(Don’t worry, loyal readers…the contest is very much tongue-in-cheek and we have not gone over to the dark side. domaine547 remains a [mostly] points-free zone.)

We’ve joined a group of bloggers (wannabe critics, some have said!) as part of “The 89 Project,” an effort to explore the complicated matter of the 100 point system of evaluating wine. Go take a peek at the 89 Project blog, which has apparently already started a bit of controversy (and we’ve yet to make a post!). It’s interesting stuff.