When shopping for a wine, the choices can be overwhelming. We all want good wine at a good price and this is not easy to determine just by the label alone. That’s where the point system comes in. If we see a 90+ point sticker on a wine, we start to feel better. “Well, this is a highly rated wine so I know my dollars are being well spent.” And, even if I don’t particularly like it, I will try to like it because “someone important says that this is a good wine.” But, who are the people giving out the points, and why is this system in place?
The most famous point-dealing wine critic is Robert Parker. Parker is the forerunner of the wine rating movement. Before him, wine critics were generally attached somehow to the wine’s production, and the reviews were used more like advertising.
Robert wanted to review wines with no conflict of interest, scoring the wines honestly and without fear of having to give negative feedback. He also developed the 100-point system we see most often today. With his publication T”he Wine Advocate,” and his review of the 1982 vintage of Bordeaux, he quickly became a huge influence on the world of wine. When he said a wine was good, it sold. When he said a wine was not good, it didn’t. Winemakers began to alter their winemaking styles to garner higher points from him, something some people in the wine world call “Robertization.” This happened particularly in Napa Valley, California, giving birth to the big, juicy Cabernet Sauvignons for which the region is now known.
Today, along with Parker, many other publications and people review wine, including Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Jancis Robinson, and more, all of which have their own particular taste and preferences. You might see a bottle proudly boasting a 91-point score from Spectator, but upon further research, find that that same wine received a score of 88 from Enthusiast. So, which should you trust?
The truth of the matter is that everyone has his or her own taste and opinion. While these ratings are honest per each particular reviewer, the only scores printed out and stuck on the bottle are going to be the highest ones since they help to sell the wine. If you are shopping for wines and paying close attention to the points, keep these things in mind:
- There is more unrated wine in the world than rated wine, and just because a wine isn’t rated doesn’t mean it’s not delicious.
- Most highly rated wines choose not to promote their scores on the bottles, so if you’re looking for that 100-point wine you’ll have to do a bit of research.
- Low scores are also not advertised or published.
If you want to make the point system work for you, my advice would be to treat it like a guide, rather than a science. You can collect all of the highly rated wine in the world, but if you don’t love any of it, the points really don’t matter anyway. Like I always say, the best wine for you is the wine you like best, so become your own wine critic and enjoy! QCBN
By Valerye Jeffries
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