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 Well, I finally decided to adopt a numerical scale to rate the wines I review. As you will notice by reading below, my rules are probably a little different from most other wine reviewers. The bottom line is that if I don't like a wine I usually won't write about it...
PAIRINGWINE.COM SCORES: Here is how it works
- 99-100 Points
A score of 99 or more is given to a wine that literally gives me goose bumps. Wines of most categories and price range could in theory score a 99 or 100. First requirement is no flaws whatsoever. Then balance and harmony, truthfulness of terroir, price/quality ratio. You will not find on this website a wine that scores high just because of its power, alcohol content and extraction. If anything, those could be penalizing attributes…
- 96-98 Points
Perfect. Few wines are so great. They have to impress me with their elegance and complexity, their power and balance.
- 92-95 Points
Wines that are generally true to the territory and tradition, made with excellent fruit by skilled winemakers. Wines in this category have great balance even if they can lack some intensity and complexity. Wines that I feel comfortable recommending, wines which are textbook in their category.
- 90-91 Points
High quality wines that you can drink everyday without having to take out a loan on your house. They are honest, easy to drink and have a distinct personality.
- 85-89 Points
At this level I want to try to find wines under $15 retail which are out of the ordinary. Maybe varietals you don’t know or producers you have never heard of. These wines are hidden gems that almost nobody talks about. Well made, broadly distributed wines can very well fall into this category.
- 80-84 Points
If I have to give a wine a score between 80 and 84 it probably means that I shouldn’t be writing about it either. Life is too short to drink bad wine…
- 84 Points and below
No thank you, I’ll have a glass of water.
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