Wine Ratings Explained: Do They Matter?

About three years ago, I wrote a blog post for a winery I worked for at the time demystifying the wine rating system and what it means.  I am going to try to replicate that post here and answer the question about wine ratings and whether they really matter. The goal here is to help you interpret wine ratings and use them to buy wines you’ll love.

How the Wine Rating System Works

You’ve probably seen them touted on store shelves, or maybe on a winery’s social media page: “This wine was rated 95 Points by (Whatever Wine Critic)!”  But what does it actually mean? Long story short is that there is a 100-point wine rating scale that basically benchmarks a wine’s quality.  Think of it like the grading system from when you were in school:  Anything from 90-100 is an A, anything from 80-89 is a B, etc.  Wines rated 90 or higher are generally considered to be of exceptional quality.  This is why wineries strive to achieve this accolade.  But this is where it starts to get a little complicated…

Who and What Determines a Wine’s Rating?

There is no official governing body that issues wine ratings or sets criteria by which wine should be judged.  This makes a wine’s rating very subjective.  Technically, anyone can issue a wine rating, including consumers.  So, which ratings carry more weight and are more useful in determining a wine’s quality? Let’s examine the in detail the three primary sources of wine ratings: 1. Professional Wine Critics; 2. Wine Competitions; and 3. Wine Bloggers.

Professional Wine Critics

Professional wine critics that review and write about wines for major wine publications (Ex. Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, etc.) are generally considered the gold standard for wine ratings. One such critic named Robert Parker is known for popularizing the current 100-point rating scale starting in the 1980’s. 

The reason these critics are generally trusted more than any other source is that they are educated and trained in wine tasting, and due to the sheer volume of wines they taste they have a good baseline with which to compare wines.  But the biggest key to the integrity of a wine rating is that it be done “blind”, meaning the reviewer does not know the producer, brand or price of the wine while they are tasting.  The blind nature of these reviews keeps the wine rating neutral and independent with no influence from outside factors. Most of the major wine critics and publications use a blind system for reviews.

However, even with this structured process, wine ratings can be subject to a critic’s personal preferences or to what the critic considers to be the most important criteria for judging a wine (remember- there is no standard criteria). So, while professional critics provide the most legitimate wine ratings, there are a lot of other factors to consider when using their ratings as a guide for buying wine.

Wine Competitions

Another source of wine ratings is wine competitions where wines are submitted for tasting and rated by a panel of judges to award either a numeric rating or a “medal” (gold, silver, bronze, etc.). 

Unlike professional wine critics, which are mostly held to rigorous standards and processes, the quality of competitions can vary greatly.  Competitions can be anything from international to your local county fair.  Processes for judging can also differ as there is no universal standard for who is qualified to be a judge, whether wines are tasted blind, and what the criteria for judging are. Some of the best-known competitions such as the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Completion and the Decanter World Wine Awards are more reliable than the results awarded at a competition at your local farm show.

Wine Bloggers

One more source of ratings is wine bloggers.  Wine bloggers can come from a variety of backgrounds.  Some are winemakers or have worked at a winery, others are sommeliers or have some type of professional wine education and training, while others are simply wine enthusiasts that love to share their thoughts about wine. 

Most wine bloggers don’t assign numeric ratings or medals to wines.  Wine blogs or videos usually focus on an in depth review of a specific wine as opposed to the bigger publications that provide quick snippets about many wines.  Reading wine blogs is arguably a better way to learn about wines than just going by ratings.  And it definitely is the most fun way to learn as many wine bloggers break with the stodgy traditions of wine criticism and show off their personalities.

If you do see a point rating from a wine blogger, it is good to consider what their background or qualifications are as well as what process they are using to assign a rating.

How to Use Wine Ratings as a Consumer

High ratings from a reputable wine critic can be valuable and informative but be careful about judging wines solely on that criteria.  Just because a wine didn’t score a 90 or higher doesn’t mean you won’t like it, and just because a wine got a 90+ rating doesn’t mean you will like it. So, eliminating wines that don’t have a rating is going to leave you missing out on trying many great wines that you’ll like.

The best way to use wine ratings in your purchasing decisions is as a complementary piece of information or a tie breaker.  First and foremost, you should drink wines that you love regardless of rating.  If you don’t enjoy the wine you’re drinking then what’s the point?  Make sure to read the tasting notes of a wine to see if it sounds appealing to your taste preferences, and then if you’re having trouble deciding between two wines use the rating as a tiebreaker.  

As always, drink what you love, whether it’s rated or not. Cheers!