Should You Care About Wine Ratings?

 Ooh, it got a 90. And, that one got a 93. What does that eman and should you care? Does that rating matter? After all, you see those ratings plastered all over the internet and even on bottles and in stores. But, what in the world do those ratings actually mean?

Because it is more transparent, at least in the numbers (and I am not going to talk about cash flow here because that is all circumspect), let's consider The Wine Advocate (TWA) rating scale also known by its founder's name, Robert Parker.

TWA tells you that a wine rated 95-100 is extraordinary. But, if you subscribe, you would know what the rating scale is made up of. 10 points go to ageworthiness, or at least perceived ageworthiness. So, I ask you this: does ageworthiness matter to you? If you are the person who goes to the store and buys a bottle of wine that you are going to open that evening (or sooner), just how much are you willing to pay for ageworthiness? Likely, if the wine is deemed extraordinarily ageworthy, you are paying $20 or more for that ageworthiness and in the immortal words of Rhett Butler, you "[d]on't give a damn."

Then there are some of the other elements of ratings. How much does it matter to you if a Merlot tastes like "Merlot is supposed to taste," or if it tastes more like your favorite grape whatever that might be? Are you willing to pay extre for a Merlot that tastes the way Merlot is supposed to taste? How exactly is Merlot supposed to taste anyway? Is it supposed to taste the way I think it is or the way you think it is? If you are drinking it, I think it should taste the way you like it. But, when ratings are made, they likely don't ask you what you think of any particular wine.

Then there are the social-based ratings within Vivino being perhaps the best known. But, some Vivino raters are sophisticated and some are not. Some rate wines based on value and some only on their view of quality.

So, here is my advice. Largely ignore ratings. You can't tell the difference between an 89 point wine and neither can I. And, you know what, a wine critic might rate some particular wine 92 points today and another bottle of exactly the same wine 96 or 88 tomorrow. That's reality. So, pay attention to what you like. Styles tend to be similar by style, grape and region. So, if you like a couple of Pinot Noirs from the Eola-Amity Hills, it's likely you like that style, grape, and region. If you like Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, it's likely you like that style, grape, and region. And, in the alternative, find someone who understands your taste and knows more than you do about wine and pick their brains.




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