Wine Score Basics

Wine scores simply provide a means for wine enthusiasts and consumers to determine the quality of a bottle of wine. The wine score can be assigned to a wine by one or more wine critics. The score will provide the critics evaluation of the wine. The higher the score, the higher the quality of wine may be.

Wine Scoring History

There has been a long history associated with determining the quality of wines. Many wine critics have provided ways throughout history on trying to judge good quality wine from the others. But the system of using a numerical ratings system is a relatively new method.

The system of rating wines using a numerical method of scoring was popularized in the US by noted American wine critic Robert Parker. He patterned his ratings system after the American Standardized Grading System in the 1970’s. Since then, other types of wine rating systems were established by several wine publications. They differ only in the methods of how they usually grade and score the wines.

Wine Scoring Criticism

The current wine scoring system and its methods also has its own set of critics. Some wine enthusiasts believe that, instead of promoting and developing further the production of quality wines, it may have done quite the opposite. Because wines are now dependent on a scoring system to judge its quality, this has led to a globalization of the industry where wines are produced to follow a more homogeneous style that will warrant a higher wine score and, therefore, a perceived higher quality of wine.

Wine producers have lamented that this has resulted in the degradation of the personality and uniqueness of wines. Only a few influential group of wine critics are given the task of judging wine quality which might not necessarily hold true to a greater number of wine enthusiasts. The use of wine scores may affect other wine consumer’s mindset about wine quality based on certain fixed characteristics instead of basing it mainly on personal preference and enjoyment.

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