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What do wine reviews really mean? And how dependable are they?
Wineries rise and fall on the strength of their published ratings. A very high rating from a respected rating authority can result in a rapid sellout of a particular wine. And now that wines are widely available from winery websites and online retailers offer almost everything (at a price) and can now ship to most U.S. states, targeting your great bottle and obtaining it has become vastly easier. Since we regularly review and rate wines here in New World Wine, we thought it instructive to share our methods and those of others. Some of the most respected reviews are the products of single individuals and very small groups. All reviews are subjective and depend upon the particular sensitivities and preferences of the tasters. We think there is some value in a larger group opinion, so our tasting panel is comprised of twelve experienced tasters. In the case of a single reviewer, there is no one there to dispute his findings. He can award a wine 95 points and the winery is quickly sold out of that wine. Of course, if you find a reviewer whose palate and preferences closely match your own, then you can let him do your homework for you and purchase on the strength of his opinion. But once a wine has garnered a very high numerical review, expect to pay a premium price. The difference between a wine rated 94 and one rated 95 can cost you tens of dollars or more. Will you be able to appreciate the difference between a wine rated 94 and one that comes in at 95? RATING SYSTEMS The most common rating systems are:
New World Wine chooses not to use any of these rating systems because they steer the reader erroneously to discount very good wines because they lack a star or fall below 90 points. A wine can be a spectacular product, yet have a certain flaw, such as weak nose, rapid finish, slightly excessive tannin, imperfect balance between acids, body, and tannins, etc. Any of those factors will reduce a wine's point score or star rating. Yet many wines contain minimal flaws, yet are complex and excellent in every other way. New World Wine chooses rather to Recommend wines that we would personally buy at the listed price, despite any small shortcomings. Wines we think are especially worth seeking out are Highly Recommended. And those wines that we expect might garner maximum stars or the highest point ratings are given our rare Very Highly Recommended rating. Wines that the majority of our panel would not personally purchase remain unpublished in our reviews. Any wine we Recommend can be bought with confidence that a "jury" of 12 found it at least worthy of a trial.
The copyright of the article The Awesome Power of Wine Ratings in New World Wine is owned by Alan Boehmer. Permission to republish The Awesome Power of Wine Ratings in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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