How are chosen and scored The Best wines in the world

by Istvan Pentek

More and more, these scores are imprinted on the labels or in the description of the wines and provide additional information to the consumer. The distinctions are awarded by specialists who are making all efforts to be as objectives as they can possibly be in the wine evaluation – based on some gridded guidelines – yet, sometimes they are influenced by their personal preferences. Therefore, before taking a decision whether to buy a product or not, solely based on the number of points it has, it is recommended to find out what are the preferences of the specialist who made the scoring.

There isn`t a universal scoring system, thus it s very important to know the system that each specialist had used. Probably the best known scoring system is the one created by Robert Parker for the specialized magazine Wine Advocate; it is also used by Wine Spectator. Since 1978, this system classifies all wines into six categories on a scale of 50 and 100 points.

According to the scoring system setup by the American expert Parker (eRobertParker.com), 50-59 points mean that the wine is impossible to drink, 60-69 – wines that are below the average, 70-79 – poor wines with obvious flaws, 80-89 –correct wines, above the average. Wines that get 90-95 are remarkable, and the ones scoring 95-100 are extraordinary wines.

In the same time, Wine Enthusiast (wineenthusiast.com), another famous magazine, is using a scale between 80 and 100 points. The wines with 80 – 82 points are considered acceptable, and their quality increases as they get more and more points.

Jancis Robinson (www.jancisrobinson.com), counselor at the Royal British Cellars and a renowned wine critic, together with famous journals like Decanter (decanter.com) or Gault Millau (a French restaurant guide published in many languages) use a 20 point-system, where 12 points means a defect, unrecommended wine. The Italian magazine Gambero Rosso (gamberorosso.it) has chosen a more simple scoring system, similar to the three Michelin stars. They award glasses, and the maximum score is three glasses.

Giving out high scores is always synonym with increasing the demand for that wine and its commercial value, but – due to the differences in tastes – the scores do not always provide the satisfaction expected, considering the high price. Therefore, in order to make the best choices, according to the individual preferences, it is recommended to create a personal scoring system.

After the tasting of a wine, we can compare our own score with the one given by the expert, thus creating a comparison model that can be useful to our personal selection of wines in the future.

Romanian wines that received good scores

For some years now, the Romanian wines are timidly making their way in the specialized classifications, providing confirmation to the local produces that their efforts made to do re-beddings and modernizations were not in vain. Without being exhaustive, here is a listing of some of the Romanian wines for which the experts have the most appreciation:

In 2013, the quality of the wines included in the Minima Moralia selection, produced by Domeniul Coroanei Segarcea, were awarded scores between 88 and 89 Parker points, while the Principesa Margareta selection, received 89 and 90 points.

In 2011, Sauvignon Blank Dreamfish, produced by Recaș Cellars for the USA market, was awarded 86 points by a Wine Advocate collaborator. Jancis Robinson, after participating at the RoVinHud Wine Salon in Timișoara, has published on his personal website an article called „Romania – land of hope” and, in Financial Times, another article called „Romania’s grape

hopes”; he awarded between 15 and 17, 5 points - of the total of 20 - to the Romanian wines he tasted. Within the Decanter contests, the quality of the Romanian wines was already awarded several times with shining medals. The producer of Metamorfosis Wines received some of the latest medals for three of his products. And the list goes on…