This means a very high score from Robert Parker may be a "once in a lifetime" type of wine. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate ratings technically use a point scale, which he calls Parker Points. The breakdown of how he assigns a wine a particular score is as follows:. When possible, all his tastings are done in peer groups, with single-blind conditions, which means the same types of wines are tasted against one another without any of the producers' names revealed.
The wine ratings are based on a system that starts off with 50 points as a base. From there, additional points are granted as follows:. For the most part, wine is judged on the same basic criteria - the difference in the score is usually a matter of the personal preferences of the person tasting the wine, and some minor point differences within their take on the point system.
Wine Spectator Magazine is considered to be the "wine bible" of wine lovers the world around. While that statement is arguable, as are most things when it comes to drinking wine, the magazine is highly respected in the wine community.
Wine Spectator rates wine based on a point system that is quite similar to Robert Parker's. You may also see a four-point spread noted, and that is a preliminary score based on a barrel tasting of an unfinished wine whereas a single score represents a blind tasting of a finished bottled wine. The Wine Enthusiast rating system is based on an 80 to point rating system. They break down their ratings into even smaller categories versus WA or WS. Decanter wine magazine now scores using the point scale, but that wasn't always the case.
Their old point system was the old go-to system that some critics used. There may be some older point ratings you still see, and Decanter has a great chart on their site that shows how to convert between the two, as well as how these scores relate to their medal awards.
Renowned journalists and wine critics like Jancis Robinson use a point wine system. Several examples of her ratings point awards:. Checking the scores and tasting notes will give you a look into why wines were rated at their current numbers. Even if you are not a high-end connoisseur, many people want to know what a point wine tastes like and how they might compare to another wine. Some point wines are still somewhat affordable if you can track them down, while others command staggering prices at auction.
Wine-Searcher keeps a list of Robert Parker point picks , along with those who fell just short of a perfect score. Some interesting score and price comparisons are:. When it comes to understanding why wines earn a certain rating, you want to look at the critic's notes to understand why they rated it that high or low. A couple notable point wines from a recent Robert Parker Wine Advocate issue include:. In contrast, you'll only see scores that exceed certain ratings, and often only extended tasting notes for the highest-rated wines, so you may not know how bad a wine critic really thinks a wine is.
However, to get an idea of problems that critics find when tasting wines, look at a few of these lower-end Wine Enthusiast scores and tasting notes :. When it comes to mid-range wines that are great buys, you'll find an endless selection.
Looking up scores for two of these wines that were both scored 89 points:. As you can tell from each magazine or critic's rating scale, there is not even cohesion within the point system, which means what Wine Spectator notes is a point wine may have an entirely different score from Wine Enthusiast or Robert Parker. Some other things to keep in mind with wine ratings:.
By following wine ratings as they come out, you may be able to snag these wines at a fairly reasonable price, especially if the winery has not received significantly higher ratings in the past. If you maintain a cellar, ratings, like the Colgin IX noted above, might be of interest if you want to purchase a wine now and hold on to it for a number of years.
If you're looking for higher-rated wines to buy, you should read what all the experts say about the wine, consult other buying guides, and even read consumer ratings to see if the wine is something that aligns with your preferences.
If you can't stand California oaked Chardonnay, don't spend money on a point California Chardonnay in oak just because of its rating. You aren't likely to change your preference on a wine style just because one is more highly rated than the others.
Wine ratings are great for sourcing highly rated wines, but it's also very important to remember that these are subjective. What may be a point wine to one reviewer, may be completely different to another reviewer. And, just because a wine is highly rated, doesn't mean it's perfect for your palate. At the end of the day, it's important you love the wine you're drinking, not because a critic said you should.
The distribution of wine ratings from Wine Spectator from show an average rating of about 88, with very few wines below 81 and only slightly more over So, is a wine with a 90 rating better than a wine with an 86 rating? Well, that depends. Different critics have different palates. And one might rate a wine more highly because it fit their taste profile. The other factor is the rating is relative to other wines of that type, a 95 point Syrah tastes different than a 95 point Riesling.
A high score like that means it is a great example of that kind of wine from that area. And you might prefer one over the other, without regard to the rating. Ever wonder why you don't see those 70 point rated wines? Well, lots of them are never tasted.
In fact, most wines are not rated and that's okay - it doesn't make them bad wines. But if they were scored and did poorly, their marketers won't be talking about it. How do the scorers come up with the rating? The current point scale was popularized by Wine Critic Robert Parker of Wine Advocate, and derived from an earlier point system from University of California- Davis.
While this appears simple, it requires a trained palate to differentiate on each of these scales. It's actually quite hard to get a high score on this evaluation as a lot of things have to be done right. The point scale took over and most rating organizations use it at this point. You will occasionally see a wine rated on a point scale. While it isn't exact, I just multiply by five to translate.
Over time, some winemakers have learned how to prep for the test and try to deliver wines that are designed to score well. In some cases, they have learned the taste profile of some famous tasters and shifted their wines to be pleasing to them.
This has been called "Parkerization" of wines to match the preferences of famed wine critic Robert Parker.
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