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How much attention should we give to wine ratings?
In my opinion, wine ratings are useful only to a certain degree and only for certain types of wine buyers. There are a few things you should know about before you shop by the ratings.
1. Thousands of wines are submitted by wineries all over the world to be reviewed everyday. Yet, thousands more never get reviewed. Who gets rated and why is a debatable subject. I won't go there. Just know that there are many fabulous wines that deserve high ratings that are not yet rated. Also, there are many wines that seem to be included in alot of ratings on a regular basis that are very main stream.
2. Yes, you can be disappointed with a highly rated wine.
3. Wines are rated by comparing them to other wines of the same type. So, a $10 pinot grigio can have an 89 point rating and a $60 bordeaux can have an 89 point rating from the same taster. This doesn't mean that the pinot grigio is as good as the bordeaux or even that the taster thinks they are of the same quality and character. Not at all. It's comparing apples to apples or better yet, grapes to grapes. If you don't really care for pinot grigio, you probably won't like a highly rated one either. On the other hand, if you love pinot grigio and have tasted several different pinot grigio, then chances are good you will like the highly rated one. The more you know about the wines you are shopping for, the more you will find the ratings useful. Novice wine drinkers will often be discouraged and confused if they rely on ratings to choose their wines. It takes time to develop your palate and to learn why you like certain wines over other wines.
4. This is not fool proof. Your palate is a very intricate and personal thing. Professional wine tasters can disagree on a rating for the same wine. So, lets put it this way... could you buy a car without test driving it? Maybe you could if you had information from your auto mechanic who personally drove the car. It may not fit you like a glove, but it would probably be reliable transportation that would suit your needs. In theory, the more you know about the mechanics of an automobile and the more you know about the different models of cars your interested in, and the more experience your mechanic has, the more you can rely on your mechanics advise. A wine rating is a professional opinion. Yet, it is still just an opinion.
5. By the time a wine is tasted, rated and it's rating published the exact vintage may be hard to find. Not all wines that you read about are even available in our state. If it is in our state, most likely the vintage either ran out or it is not yet released by the distributor. It can be a bit tricky. : /
In summary, the best advice is to learn how to use ratings as a tool and not a bible. Trial and error and some direction from people with experience are the best teachers.
To learn more about how wines are rated and who rates them, check out the websites listed above.
In my opinion, wine ratings are useful only to a certain degree and only for certain types of wine buyers. There are a few things you should know about before you shop by the ratings.
1. Thousands of wines are submitted by wineries all over the world to be reviewed everyday. Yet, thousands more never get reviewed. Who gets rated and why is a debatable subject. I won't go there. Just know that there are many fabulous wines that deserve high ratings that are not yet rated. Also, there are many wines that seem to be included in alot of ratings on a regular basis that are very main stream.
2. Yes, you can be disappointed with a highly rated wine.
3. Wines are rated by comparing them to other wines of the same type. So, a $10 pinot grigio can have an 89 point rating and a $60 bordeaux can have an 89 point rating from the same taster. This doesn't mean that the pinot grigio is as good as the bordeaux or even that the taster thinks they are of the same quality and character. Not at all. It's comparing apples to apples or better yet, grapes to grapes. If you don't really care for pinot grigio, you probably won't like a highly rated one either. On the other hand, if you love pinot grigio and have tasted several different pinot grigio, then chances are good you will like the highly rated one. The more you know about the wines you are shopping for, the more you will find the ratings useful. Novice wine drinkers will often be discouraged and confused if they rely on ratings to choose their wines. It takes time to develop your palate and to learn why you like certain wines over other wines.
4. This is not fool proof. Your palate is a very intricate and personal thing. Professional wine tasters can disagree on a rating for the same wine. So, lets put it this way... could you buy a car without test driving it? Maybe you could if you had information from your auto mechanic who personally drove the car. It may not fit you like a glove, but it would probably be reliable transportation that would suit your needs. In theory, the more you know about the mechanics of an automobile and the more you know about the different models of cars your interested in, and the more experience your mechanic has, the more you can rely on your mechanics advise. A wine rating is a professional opinion. Yet, it is still just an opinion.
5. By the time a wine is tasted, rated and it's rating published the exact vintage may be hard to find. Not all wines that you read about are even available in our state. If it is in our state, most likely the vintage either ran out or it is not yet released by the distributor. It can be a bit tricky. : /
In summary, the best advice is to learn how to use ratings as a tool and not a bible. Trial and error and some direction from people with experience are the best teachers.
To learn more about how wines are rated and who rates them, check out the websites listed above.
