I have long wrestled with whether or not to score my wines. I haven’t scored my wines up til now because frankly I haven’t felt the need to do so. I have had a hard time deciding what system to use because wine essentially falls into two categories for me wine I would buy and wine I would not buy. This is an over simplification because obviously there are wines I like better than others. Obviously there is still a lot of subjectivity when it comes to tasting, and scoring wines. I have poured wines in my home that I have been very excited to serve to guests only to have it met with a lukewarm response from my guests.
Starting this month I will start scoring my wines. This should help explain how to use the scores to help you track down your purchases. I also hope to explain how scoring works. I have had a few friends ask me why wines are generally scored so high or why you don’t see bad reviews of wines in print.
The most popular system for scoring wine is the 100 pt system. It works basically the same as with grades in school. That being said you will rarely see any reviews published that are below the 85 pt mark. Here is a brief breakdown of wine scoring using the 100 pt system (over simplified … but you will get the point).
85-89 pts – These are good wines at a good price point.
90-94 pts – These are exceptional wines that are well worth trying out.
95-100 pts – These are the best of the best wines and will be few and far between from most writers.
So why do we rarely see wines scored below 85 pts? Simply put, it would be a waste of space in a newspaper, television hit, or radio segment. There are literally thousands of wines to choose from at your LCBO or Wine Shop so it doesn’t accomplish anything to give a bad review. Why would you even bother reading a tasting note on a wine that is scored at 72? Once you saw the score you would know it wasn’t worth drinking. While the 100 pt system is the most widely used in Ontario there are many other systems whether they are 20 pt systems or 3 pt systems they all work in a similar fashion. I have decided not to use the 100 pt system because it’s very narrow and very specific.
I have decided that I will start using a 5 star system for scoring wines. I will start my scoring at *** going up to *****. I will not post any reviews for wines lower than 3 stars unless there is a news item pegged to it.
*** – Good Wines, interesting to taste, no flaws in the wine, could be a great value wine.
**** – Great Wines, worth checking out, worth stocking up on.
***** – Exceptional Wines, worth selling your children or pets to acquire.
Scores will increase by 1/2 points and also by + points. A wine that is ****1/2 is rated higher than a wine that is ****+.
These scores are simply meant to enhance my existing reviews. Nothing will change with regards to tasting notes and food recommendations as they stand now. I will not be re-scoring any existing reviews and this will apply for wines going forward.
