* Ratings are based on tastings by the magazine’s editors and other qualified tasting panelists, either individually or in a group setting. Tastings are conducted blind or in accordance with accepted industry practices. Price is not a factor in assigning scores to wines. Only wines scoring 80 points or higher are rated, but wines considered flawed or uncustomary are sometimes re-tasted to confirm the intitial impressions.
* Each wine region is the sole jurisdiction of one Editor who has, after much time and research, developed an expertise in that region’s offerings. During a tasting, other editors are on hand and can offer opinions, but the final say is had by that main Editor. All tastings are conducted “blind.” and tasters are told only the general type of wine (varietal or region) and the vintage. If a wine tastes corky or flawed in a major way, or if it scores below 70, a new bottle of the same wine is tasted again. By the same token, wines that score very highly are re-tasted to confirm such favorable first impressions.
European wines are tasted in the districts that yield them, where fresher, perfectly stored examples will be readily available. Ratings are based on how good a wine will be when it reaches its peak, regardless of how soon that will be. If barrel samples are being rated rather than finished wines, that is revealed, since a world of difference can exist between these two stages of a wine’s life.
Wine Magazines typically use a 100 -Point Scale:
95-100 — Classic, a great wine.
90-94 — Outstanding, superior character and style.
80-89 — Good to very good, wine with special qualities.
70-79 — Average, drinkable wine that may have minor flaws.
60-69 — Below average, drinkable but not recommended.
50-59 — Poor, undrinkable, not recommended.
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