The ratings used by various wine publications are rarely explained in any detail. To take away a bit of the mystery, I present the factors and their weightings as typically used in wineratings. The most common system is the 100 point scale used by, among others, Parker's Wine Advocate, Smart Wine, and Wine and Spirits. Wine Spectator also uses a 100 point scale but theirs is purely subjective without any point by point evaluation.
The 100 Point Scale
| Criteria | Max.Poss.Pts. | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 50 | 50 |
| Appearance, Clarity | 5 | -- |
| Color | 5 | -- |
| Aroma, (Nose) | 10 | -- |
| Appropriate Acidity | 2 | -- |
| Appropriate Sweetness | 2 | -- |
| Body | 2 | -- |
| Flavor | 10 | -- |
| Appropriate Tannin | 2 | -- |
| Finish | 2 | -- |
| General Quality | 10 | -- |
Below is another system I came across in a wonderful book called "Angel's Visits" by David Darlington. This system is supposedly used by many judges at wine competitions.
The 20 Point Scale
| Criteria | Max.Poss.Pts. | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance, Clarity | 2 | -- |
| Color | 2 | -- |
| Aroma, Bouquet | 4 | -- |
| Appropriate Acidity | 2 | -- |
| Appropriate Sweetness | 1 | -- |
| Body | 1 | -- |
| Flavor | 2 | -- |
| Appropriate Tannin | 2* | -- |
| Asescence | 2* | -- |
| General Quality | 2 | -- |
Asescence is also called Volatile Acidity and refers to a vinegar like flavor. The more objectionable the volatile acidity the fewer points are awarded. The same is true for the Appropriate Tannin category, if it is objectionable, the wine loses points.
Obviously no wine rating system is perfect but it can be fun and educational to experiment with these at home. Jenny and I have our own system which just to make things complicated, uses a 30 point scale. This system allows us to weight different aspects in a manner we find more useful.
Brad and Jenny's 30 Point Scale
| Criteria | Max.Poss.Pts. | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance, Clarity | 2 | -- |
| Color | 2 | -- |
| Aroma, Bouquet | 5 | -- |
| Appropriate Acidity | 2 | -- |
| Appropriate Sweetness | 2 | -- |
| Body | 2 | -- |
| Flavor | 5 | -- |
| Appropriate Tannin | 2* | -- |
| Asescence | 2* | -- |
| Finish | 2 | -- |
| General Quality | 4 | -- |
The three systems are not readily convertible because they
weight some things differently and because they measure different
things. Thus 90, 18, and 27 may each represent 90% of the
maximum, but they are not necessarily the same thing.
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