The 100-point wine rating system is here to stay.

Love them or hate them, points-based wine ratings are not going away. And, after many years of conflicting schemes—5, 20 and 100 points—wine critical mass is almost completely united on the 100 point system.

If you hate scores and are committed to ignoring them, so be it. This article isn’t for you. Read on if you already use wine ratings in your buying decisions or dislike wine ratings but are open to employing them to your benefit.

I recently wrote two articles on the topic for the blog at JJ Buckley.

• In Part 1 of the two-part series, “Wine Ratings: What’s the Point and Should You Pay Attention?”, I explain why rating systems were created, how various types of publications approach tastings differently and why reviewers don’t always agree with each other.
• In Part 2, Wine Ratings: What Do They Mean and How Do I Use Them?, I take a look at the 100-point scoring system specifically and how to evaluate wine ratings in the context of your own palate and wine preferences.

Additional thoughts on wine ratings not included in the articles above.

• I recently switched to using the 100-points system for my wine scores. I had been using 100-points in my personal notes, but a less specific “recommended,” “highly recommended,” etc. system in my published reviews. For better or worse, numeric scores are so dominant now resellers won’t use anything else. That’s not going to change.
• You don’t have to look at a particular point score, say 94, as being that specific. In your head, translate 94 to “94ish” and you may both feel more comfortable and find the scores working better for you. Doing this creates a zone of quality. 95 and 93 are also “94ish.”

Copyright Fred Swan 2016. All rights reserved.