Help, my wine has been awarded l | All about ratings and wine reviews

100-point scale

The 100-point scale is used by many different countries and assessors and was devised by US Robert M. Parker to give wines a score based on different quality criteria. This scale is classified as follows:

Rating criteria

When giving points to a wine, assessors look at several components. You start by giving 50 points to the overall impression, then you look at these parts:

• Colour (maximum 5 points): The clarity, depth and attractiveness of the wine.
• Odour (maximum 15 points): The complexity, intensity and attractiveness of the aroma.
• Flavour (maximum 20 points): The balance between sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol and length of the finish.
• Finish (maximum 10 points). For length and how pleasant the finish is.

The distribution of points may vary by assessor and country, but the guidelines are the same.

Tasting methods

Wines are usually tasted blind to limit outside influences and to be as objective as possible. This means that the taster has no information about the wine, such as brand or price, that could influence the assessment.

Which major reviewers use this 100-point scale?

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate): One of the world's most influential wine reviewers, who popularised this scale.

Wine Spectator: A magazine that publishes extensive tasting notes and scores.

James Suckling: A well-known wine and cigar critic who also uses this scale to rate wines. James Suckling is internationally regarded as one of the world's most influential wine critics. He tastes more than 4,000 wines a year, about half of which are Italian wines like Mauro Sebaste's ‘Ghé’ Barolo Riserva DOCG 2018. A velvety, dry, powerful and persistent Barolo with a score of 94 out of 100.

WineEnthusiast: A magazine that reviews wines and offers comprehensive tasting notes and scores.

RickThompson: Focuses on reviews of current release and older vintage, wines from Italy, Champagne, the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and Oregon. Rick has had a passion for wine and a healthy interest in bottling for more than 25 years. His heart is with the versatility of Italian wines, he also has passion for the grape and wine regions of France, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Oregon and countless other wine regions. Mauro Sebaste's Barolo Cerretta DOCG 2020 is a true Barolo from the Cerretta, a historic Cru of Barolo. The vineyard is located in the village of Serralunga d'Alba. This wine received a 94 out of 100 points from Rick Tompson.

20-point system

Unlike the US 100-point system, France and many European countries rate using a 20-point system. Where 20 is the highest. The distribution is as follows:

18 - 20: Absolutely all-time best
16 - 17: Excellent, with a lot of character
14 - 15: Good to very good
12 - 13: Simply good wine
10 - 11: Nice, for the masses
07 - 09: Weak with deficiencies
Below 7: Very poor

Other reviewers

Apart from big names, there are also well-known magazines and sites/apps that feature many reviews such as:

Gambero Rosso

This guide uses a glass system, with up to three glasses (Tre Bicchieri) for the best wines. It is a simple and visual rating system.

Veronelli Guide

An Italian reviews guide that uses a 100-point scale, but with an emphasis on regional characteristics and traditional production methods.

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What is ONWINE?

• Through ONWINE, a direct transaction takes place between you and the winemaker.
• The wine lover makes a selection of several unique wines from the same winery (the selection is a
• multiple of 6).
• The winemakers themselves determine the selection and prices, so each winery has its own ‘shop’ within the platform.
• The winemakers also pack and then send the wines themselves, directly from Italy.

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The Great Hamersma

You might have heard of it, also in the Netherlands there are several reviewers known as De Grote Hamersma, originally an advertising man and copywriter and now he makes the great Hamersma magazine.

Scoring System: Wines are rated on a scale of 1 to 10 points.
Rating criteria: Rating is based on taste, aroma, colour, and value for money (typically Dutch).
Tasting notes: Detailed tasting notes are given.

De Grote Hamersma reviews wines based on an extensive tasting process. Harold Hamersma, the Dutch wine critic behind De Grote Hamersma, and his team taste thousands of wines every year. The review process is as follows:

1. Blind Tasting: To ensure objectivity, wines are often tasted blind. This means that the taster does not know which wine he or she is tasting to avoid being influenced by brand or price.
2. Rating: Wines are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing an exceptionally good wine.
3. Notes and Descriptions: In addition to the rating, a detailed description of the wine's taste, aroma, colour and other characteristics is given. Attention is also paid to the grape variety, origin, and producer.
4. Value for money: The wine's value for money is also considered. A more expensive wine is judged more strictly than a cheaper wine when it comes to what you get for your money.
5. Publication: The ratings and descriptions are published in De Grote Hamersma guide, which appears annually. Wines that score particularly well often get extra attention in this guide.

The wines are thus assessed in a systematic and thorough way, involving both objective (blind tasting, rating) and subjective elements (taste notes, value for money).

Vivino

We can't talk about wine reviews without talking about Vivino. Vivino is a popular wine app and online community that helps wine lovers discover, rate and buy wines.

Vivino is the largest online marketplace for wine and the most frequently downloaded wine app in the world. Vivino is made up of millions of wine lovers around the world. Vivino uses its users' data to make personalised wine recommendations.

Vivino uses a 5-star rating with one decimal place taking the average of multiple reviews.

The downside to Vivino is that the ratings are subjective and based on user experiences and depend on whether people like the wine or not. A wine is not necessarily bad if someone doesn't like it. It could be that someone is not a fan of the type of wine.

Furthermore, Vivino is susceptible to commercial influences, they sell more wines that are at the front of their page which therefore get more reviews. You lose objectivity when there is a sales element involved. With magazines or reviews, you want to sell the magazine itself rather than the wine and then objectivity graces it. It is important not to let the Vivino score guide you too much when making a choice, look carefully at the content reviews.

Wine with a medal

Wine with a medal/gold sticker sells about 40% better than other wines according to a market study done by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

Take the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, for example. Producers who meet the entry requirements can enter their wines, which costs between €138 and €150 per sample. For the 2018 edition, 9180 wines took part, generating at least €1.3 million for the organisation. At least four bottles must be sent in per sample.

Although winning gold among 9180 wines seems impressive, it works differently. Wines are divided into categories and judged by a 330-strong jury consisting of buyers and importers (12%), sommeliers (10%), representatives of oenologists and wine regions (18%), and journalists (60%). Each wine is judged independently and the average score determines the ranking.

The prizes

The CMB awards three prizes: Grand Gold, Gold and Silver. Last year, 100 wines won the Grand Gold Medal, 875 the Gold Medal and 1750 the Silver Medal, making a total of 2725 award-winning wines. Winners are allowed to put medals on their bottles, for which they can order stickers (€35 per 1,000 stickers), generating additional revenue for the organisation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a sticker does not guarantee that you will like the wine, all that can be said with certainty is that the winemaker sent it in and that it passed the assessment. Smaller wineries often don't have the ability to buy all those stickers and or register the wines at all. This then does not mean that these wines are bad or of inferior quality. When it comes down to what you like, it is important to be guided by your own nose and mouth!

Quality checks

Apart from critics and magazines, there are also quality controls determined by country such as in France the AOC and Italy the IGT, DOC and DOCG.

France
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC)

This is an aggregation classification system in France is a quality control on agricultural products that looks at provenance, grape varieties, alcohol content and production method to preserve authenticity.

The system was developed in the years from 1923 by lawyer and wine producer Baron Le Roy de Boiseaumarié for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region. He realised that rules were needed to prevent the reputation of quality domains from being tarnished by forgeries or inferior blends. He also recognised that more than just a geographical indication was needed, and therefore designed a specification that included aspects such as the grape varieties from which the wine may be made, soil types, yields, minimum maturity of the grapes, and cellaring practices (such as whether or not to use wood to ferment and/or age the wine).

Italy

IGT, DOC, DOCG

IGT

What it stands for: ‘Indicazione Geografica Tipica’

Created in 1992, IGTs were meant to provide a level above the basic Vino da Tavola (VdT) for quality wines that did not meet DOC or DOCG requirements. The so-called Super Tuscans are a good example of this.

Today, the IGT classification includes wines made in a more ‘international’ style, avoiding some of the traditional winemaking methods and grape varieties established by DOC and DOCG rules. Like Cantina Carboni's ‘’Balente‘ Isola Dei Nuraghi IGT 2021’. A full-bodied red wine according to local traditions!

DOC

What does it stand for: ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata’

There are currently more than 330 DOCs in Italy, and they represent the majority of high-quality Italian wine. As with DOCG, winemaking rules are strict and based on geographical areas. These wines also undergo analysis and testing by a government-approved panel.

It is a misconception that DOC is necessarily inferior to DOCG. Riccardo Binda, director of Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini DOC Bolgheri e DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, explains: 'There are many DOCs that have more restrictive quality parameters than DOCGs.... In our case, we don't ask for the DOCG because we already have very strict quality parameters. An example of a DOC wine is Canonica's ‘Langhe Arneis DOC’. A wine made from 100% Arneis with soft structure and slight bitterness.

DOCG

What does it stand for: ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita’

The first DOCGs were introduced in 1980, and today there are still relatively few; just 77 scattered across Italy. A DOCG has strict quality controls compared to its previous DOC status. All wines undergo analysis and testing by a government-approved panel.

Wines bottled under a DOCG must have a status label on the neck such as Francesco Follador's ‘Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene DOCG’ Extra Dry a traditional prosecco from the original region made from the genuine glera grape.