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Those wine store figures? That’s a wine’s “rating,” and it tells you how it compares to the industry’s standard wine point system.
What is the wine point system? How do points impact price, manufacturing, and more? Finally, most importantly, should you worry about wine ratings at all?
After reading many wine reviews, we came up with this post to better guide our audience. Find out how to rate wine using this method – preferably while drinking your favorite varietal.
The Wine Point Scale
How does the wine point thing work? Wine is rated using a 100-point scale. According to wine experts, higher ratings indicate outstanding quality, while lower numbers suggest ordinary or less-than-stellar quality.
Wine ratings are something like a guide than just a law. To evaluate similar varietals from various producers or to have joy testing your taste against the “experts,” consumers may utilize the statistics. In any event, wine ratings are a helpful tool to take and then use as you please.
Where Did the 100-Point Wine Rating System Come From?
In the 1980s, renowned wine writer & critic Robert Parker developed a scale to evaluate his wine-tasting assignments regularly.
Parker was logical. Parker needed a uniform method to base his judgments on due to the variety of qualities exhibited in a single glass of wine. According to legend, he was inspired by a school-based grading system, which lead him to some of the best school for sommeliers. Grades of 90 or above are excellent, 80 to 89 are passing or above ordinary, while wines below 70 are a miss.
Consumers and reviewers alike benefit from a shared understanding of what constitutes an “excellent” bottle of wine.
Parker’s scorecard was criticized at first for streamlining the wine-tasting experience. In the end, Parker’s approach became the most widely used wine-scoring or -a ranking system in the world. Consumers and reviewers alike benefit from a shared understanding of what constitutes a “good” bottle of wine.
It’s no longer uncommon for wineries to be inundated with orders after receiving excellent scores from prestigious wine publications such as Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast.
The Wine-Scoring System’s Objective
The purpose of a wine rating system is to standardize wine taste and consumption. Standardization does not imply removing subtlety, complexity, unique tastes, and experiences with a good wine tasting. Instead, the scorecard allows both reviewers and customers to set reasonable expectations for their wine purchases.
Think of the 100-point scale as a wine-language Rosetta Stone. No matter what language, varietal, location, or taste, the point system in wine is universal.
How Are Wines Scored?
Experts have universally praised their varietals, producers, and outstanding wine in general. How is wine scored? Below are the 100-point wine ratings.
96-100: Wines rated 96 and above are of the highest quality. Experts from prestigious wine magazines have uniformly endorsed these bottles as testaments to their varietals, producers, and overall excellence. Receiving a score between 96 and 100 is a major achievement in the wine industry.
A bottle with superb depth, character, taste, and aroma receive a 90-95 rating from reviewers and customers alike.
85-89: Wines in the mid-to-upper-80s express the region or varietal’s essence. They are typically reasonably priced and of high quality, making them an excellent option for special dinners and events.
80-84: These bottles are ideal for daily pleasure rather than special occasions. Again, this grade denotes a decent bottle of wine suited for casual drinking but lacking in refinement.
70-79: Wines in the 70s are drinkable. However, they lack the depth, consistency, fragrance, taste, finish, and aging methods of higher-rated wines.
Below 70: Experts usually suggest avoiding bottles rated below 70 due to faults.
