Last week I discussed wine competitions. Today I will venture to wade into wine ratings by noted wine critics. While wines receive ratings at most competitions, generally we see and hear and remember Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Ratings are of the numerical variety, generally on a scale of 1-100, popularized by the famous wine critic, Robert Parker. He founded the Wine Advocate, which he edited for decades before retiring and naming Lisa Perrotta-Brown as the new editor-in-chief.
In brief, the 100 point scale has largely been adopted by many other critics and wine periodicals and is explained below:
- 96-100 – Extraordinary
- 90-95 – Outstanding
- 80-89 – Barely above average to very good
- 70-79 – Average
- 60-69 – Below Average
- 50-59 – Unacceptable
Ok, so you knew I had to bring New Jersey wines into this discussion. Fortunately, the wines in New Jersey have been getting some rave reviews from wine critics. Obviously the wines in my post last week were all highly rated, as they were all Gold Medal winners at wine competitions. Here are a few more:
From left to right: Old York Cellars 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (93 points at Eastern International Competition); Unionville Vineyards 2015 Pheasant Hill Pinot Noir (90 points from Wine Advocate); and Beneduce Vineyards 2017 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (90 points from the Beverage Tasting Institute).
Unionville Vineyards Pinot Noir was the first New Jersey red wine to hit the 90 point mark in the Wine Advocate. William Heritage Winery received the first 90 point rating there with their Brut a couple of years ago. They have been gracing the pages of the Wine Enthusiast in the past year or two, especially. In 2018 Turdo Vineyards made back-to-back issues of the Wine Enthusiast with their Sauvignon Blanc (rated 87 points) and DiLucca Rosso Black Label blend of Tempranillo and Syrah (mentioned as a Best Buy for 2018).
The pre-eminent wine publications include:
- Wine Advocate
- Wine Spectator
- Wine Enthusiast
There are others (Decanter, Vinous, etc.), but the above three are my go-to periodicals. Without getting too deep in the weeds, what characteristics contribute to a high or low score? Below I will discuss a few variables that wine critics consider in evaluating a wine. You might also find a few of these criteria helpful in evaluating a wine. After all, the best way to judge a wine is to taste it yourself and decide if you like it.
Scoring criteria-just a few of the variables to consider
- Clarity-clearness of a wine, even a red, where you can see a little sparkle and not just an opaque blob of color.
- Aroma-You should be able to detect hints of the fruit used, along with other contributing factors, such as qualities associated with the fermenter (especially oak-like vanilla, caramel, etc.). Obviously there should not be any off-aromas, such as those attributable to a bad cork.
- Body-“thickness” of the wine.
- Tannins-Coming from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes, they contribute a drying, astringent and bitter quality in the back of your mouth (primarily in red wine). They can range from nonexistent (especially in white wine) to velvety smooth to sandpaper rough.
- Balance-Acidity, fruit, tannins-the best have layers of flavors and aromas
- Appropriateness for the type (“typicality”) of wine it represents (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.)
- Acidity-Attributed to the grapes involved, primarily. This is a quality that we often say contributes to it being “food-friendly.”
- Alcohol level-contributing to the body and the “tears” you may notice when you tilt your glass and return to the horizontal position. You may also sense from the heat in the back of your mouth.
- Complexity-More than just a “fruit bomb” or an oaky butterball, but layers of aroma and taste, hitting all areas of your palate.
- Finish-How long the flavors linger.
Sometimes you just want a more simplistic review of a wine. One of my favorites in this category, used to be a husband and wife team that wrote a weekly column for the Wall Street Journal-Dorothy Gaithers and John Brecher. Their column, called “Tastings”, appeared from 1998-2009. It was a great read for those with a “snob-free” take on wine. Ratings were simple, ranging from “Yech”, “OK”, “Good”, “Very Good” “Delicious” to “Delicious!”
Bottom line-drink what you like, but try a lot of different types of wines and enough versions of each so you know what you like and begin to identify why you like (or dislike) each one. If you want to learn more about wine and wine tasting there are many great resources out there. My current favorite is Wine Folly (their book and website). Wine Folly also publishes a tasting journal to make your own notes, with some guides to help you with many of the characteristics mentioned above.
Cheers!
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Coming Attractions
- Birthday Dinner
- Wining and Dining in South Jersey
- NJ Uncorked & Unplugged -Wine and Acoustic Guitar
- Jessie Creek Winery Winter 2020
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