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What rating systems are there for wine?
Various rating systems have emerged or been developed to assess a wine professionally. Most are based on points (the higher, the better the wine), others on symbols, although the quantity also provides information about the quality of the wine.
Examples of symbols include the grapes of the "Gault&Millau" wine guide (1-5; full steps in black, half steps in red), the stars of the "Eichelmann" wine guide (1-5; full steps filled in, half steps not filled in), the Fs of the magazine "Der Feinschmecker" (1-5; full steps filled in, half steps not filled in) or the glasses of the Italian wine guide "Gambero Rosso" (1-3).
The most common scoring systems are those with a maximum of 5, 20 or 100 points.
In the 5-point system - here using the example of the German quality wine test - the following gradation applies:
- Level 5 (4.50-5.00 points) - excellent
- Level 4 (3.50-4.49 points) - very good
- Level 3 (2.50-3.49 points) - good
- Level 2 (1.50-2.49 points) - satisfactory
- Level 1 (0.50-1.49 points) - unsatisfactory
- Level 0 (0.00-0.49 points) - unassessable
In the 20-point system, the limit for a drinkable wine is 10 points, while in the 100-point system it is 50 or even 70 points, depending on the critic or medium. Robert Parker 's "Wine Advocate", for example, is known for its very generous use of the 100-point system, while the wine guide from wein.plus under tasting director Marcus Hofschuster applies the system much more strictly. In any case, the 100-point system is the most differentiated way to evaluate wines.
The following gradations and "translations" can be made:
100-point system wein.plus | Rating | Explanation | 100-point system generous | 20-point system |
---|---|---|---|---|
up to 69 | faulty | Wine with more or less pronounced wine defect | up to 75 | up to 9.9 |
70 to 74 | acceptable | neutral, simple wine, without faults but with little substance and lacking varietal typicity; below 3 Euro acceptable |
76 to 79 | 10 to 11.4 |
75 to 79 | decent | clean, harmonious, appealing wine with a certain varietal typicity; recommendable for up to 5 euros | 80 to 84 | 11.5 to 12.9 |
80 to 84 | good | pure, harmonious wine with good structure, character and style, real drinking pleasure; a good buy for up to 8 euros | 85 to 88 | 13 to 14.9 |
85 to 89 | very good | remarkable wine with personality, expression, fullness and finesse as well as a certain complexity and depth that deserves the attention of every discerning wine lover; always an opportunity for up to 15 euros | 89 to 92 | 15 to 16.4 |
90 to 94 | outstanding | first-class wine that is one of the best of its kind, absolute purity, harmony, balance, depth and character; always a bargain under 20 euros, but not really expensive up to around 30 euros either | 93 to 95 | 16.5 to 17.9 |
95 to 99 | great | World-class wine whose depth, complexity and expression create an unforgettable sensory experience and which is able to completely captivate every wine lover; worth 40 euros and more | 96 to 100 | 18 to 19.9 |
100 | unique | Wine that can only be made differently, but not better, a very special, incomparable pleasure experience | 100 | 20 |
The individual evaluation criteria can be broken down using the following scheme, which results in a maximum of 20 points:
Appearance
Colour (0-2 points)
0 | inappropriate, faulty |
1 | appropriate |
2 | appealing and expressive |
Clarity (0-2 points)
0 | broken, milky, cloudy |
1 | clear and pure, but dull and lacklustre |
2 | brilliant, shiny, crystal clear |
Odour
Purity, intensity and complexity of the aromas (0-4 points)
0 | non-existent, faulty, bad, spoilt |
1 | weak, diffuse, neutral, restrained |
2 | adequate, clean, pure tone |
3 | exemplary, fragrant, fine |
4 | characteristic, particularly fine and distinctive |
Flavour
Purity, fruit, sweetness, acidity, possibly tannin, body, structure (0-7 points)
0-1 | hardly present, empty, thin, strange, spoilt |
2-3 | muted, lean, inexpressive, straightforward |
4-5 | pure-toned, expressive |
6 | aromatic, rich, full-bodied |
7 | full of character, stylistically outstanding, perfect |
Overall impression
general quality, typicity, harmony, balance, finesse, finish, maturity (0-5 points)
0-1 | inadequate, inharmonious, atypical |
2-3 | short finish, harmonious |
4 | medium to long finish, balanced, typical, delicate |
5 | long-lasting, exemplary, very harmonious, extremely fine, great wine |
Half points can also be awarded in the evaluation. The sum of the points can then also be converted into the 100-point system, whereby - as described above - levels 11 to 20 correspond to levels 71 to 100. Each point above 10 in the 20-point system therefore corresponds to 3 points above 70 in the 100-point system. With 17 points, this results in a correspondence of 91 (70 + 7x3), with 18 points a correspondence of 94 (70 + 8x3); the steps in between make up exactly the higher differentiation of the 100-point system.
Finally, a few important notes:
- Although a rating in points or symbols makes a statement about the quality of the wine, it does not explain it or describe the wine. Therefore, the rating and the sensory description of the wine must always be considered in combination with each other - because you cannot taste points.
- The quality assessment of the wine says only a very limited amount about its enjoyment value in a particular situation. This is also (and considerably) dependent on the surroundings, the time of day, the ambient temperature, the food served, the personal mood and other factors.
- Even an objectively very high-quality wine does not necessarily have to be enjoyable - especially not when you consider people's individual preferences, sensitivities and dislikes. For example, a young, powerful, tannin-rich red wine of very high quality will receive a high score because its character and potential are taken into account in the assessment. However, only people who like strong, tannic red wines will enjoy it, and only when the wine is ready to drink.