To give you the best source of information and details of the wines we carry, we offer you an explanation of the rating systems that we provide for your review.
The practice of appointing 'Wine Ratings' has an extraordinary effect on the wine market. They enable potential investors and collectors to take a position and affect the market without necessarily knowing anything much the wine. They empower new wine drinkers to make decisions independently of wine traders. And because, unlike tasting notes, they can be understood universally, they can guide potential wine buyers all over the world. Ratings system, had played a dramatic part in Europe & Asia's inflationary entry into the fine wine investment market.
Ratings, enables new, good, wine producers to make a name for themselves and their wines very much faster than ever before. The downside, for wine drinkers, is that prices inevitably rise steeply.
The Influential Wine Critics
Below are detailed explanations of some of the individual rating system:
Robert Parker (Our RP Rating Abbreviation)
Robert M. Parker Jr. is undeniably the most influential wine writer in the world. His bi-monthly newsletter, The Wine Advocate, was first publishing in 1978 and now has a profound effect both on prices and market demand for fine wines around the world. His Wine Advocate journal and related website use his version of the 100-point scale.
Parker's tastings are done in peer-group, single-blind conditions, (meaning that the same types of wines are tasted against each other and the producers' names are not known). The ratings reflect an independent, critical look at the wines. Neither price nor the reputation of the producer / grower affect the rating in any manner. He spend three months of every year tasting in vineyards. During the other nine months of the year, six and sometimes seven-day workweeks are devoted solely to tasting and writing.
He does not participate in wine judgings or trade tastings for many reasons, but principal among these are the following: (1) He prefer to taste from an entire bottle of wine, (2) He find it essential to have properly sized and cleaned professional tasting glasses, (3) the temperature of the wine must be correct, and (4) He prefer to determine the time allocated to the number of wines to be critiqued.
Parker notes that he gives every wine an initial 50 points. General colour and appearance can merit up to 5 points. Aroma and bouquet merit up to 15 points. Flavour and finish merit up to 20 points. Finally, the "overall quality level or potential for further evolution and improvement-aging" merits up to 10 points.
Robert Parker's influence on fine wine prices cannot be overstated. As one observer once noted, "When Robert Parker spits, the world listens". Historically the wines that Robert Parker gives high scores to, particularly scores over 90 points, tend to be the wines that show the biggest increase in value. Many Bordeaux producers now wait for Parker's ratings before setting the release price of their wines.
96-100 |
An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this calibre are worth a special effort to find, purchase, and consume. |
90-95 |
An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines. |
85-89 |
A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavour as well as character with no noticeable flaws. |
70-79 |
An average wine with little distinction except that it is a soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine. |
60-69 |
A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavour, or possibly dirty aromas or flavours. |
50-59 |
A wine deemed to be unacceptable. |
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Scores in parentheses indicate that the wine was tasted from barrel.
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is the largest wine magazine in the world. In 2005, paid circulation was over 382,000 and the magazine reached an estimated 2.25 million readers worldwide. That year, its panel of experts blind tasted and reviewed over 12,400 wines. Each of the 16 issues per year contains a large section devoted to wine reviews. Its ratings are believed have an important impact on the wine market.
Wine Spectator is a long-time advocate of the popular 100-point rating scale. The panel of wine critics, score the wines by blind tasting. Bottles are bagged and coded. Tasters are told only the general type of varietals, region or vintage. Price is not taken into account. Its ratings are based on "potential quality, on how good the wines will be when they are at their peaks".
95-100 |
Classic, a great wine. |
90-94 |
Outstanding, a wine of superior character and style. |
80-89 |
Good to very good, a wine with special qualities. |
70-79 |
Average, a 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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Stephen Tanzer
The critically acclaimed, independent, bimonthly International Wine Cellar, established in 1985, is read by wine lovers in all 50 states and 28 countries. Since 1997, the 100% subscriber-supported IWC has also been available in French and Japanese editions.
With today's high wine prices, buying the wrong bottle can be annoying. Stephen Tanzer is able to help you find the finest wines on the market -and avoid the mediocre but often equally expensive bottles. Wines are scored relative to their peer group based on their expected quality during their period of peak drink ability.
A "+" sign after a score denotes a wine that is likely to merit a higher rating in the future.
All wines rated 90 or better are highly recommended additions to your cellar (or, where indicated, for drinking over the near term); wines rated at least 85 are recommended bottles that should provide pleasurable drinking.
Precise scores are provided only for wines in bottle; ranges are offered for unfinished wines.
The midpoint of a range is used for purposes of sorting. For example, a wine with a rating of 87-90 is sorted as though it had a precise score of 88.5.
95-100 |
Extraordinary |
90-94 |
Outstanding |
85-89 |
Very good to excellent |
80-84 |
Good |
75-79 |
Average |
70-74 |
Below average |
<70 |
Avoid |
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Decanter Magazine
Decanter magazine is sold in 92 countries, Decanter is required reading for everyone with an interest in wine - from connoisseurs to amateur enthusiasts. The panel of experts, recommend 4,000 wines a year. This publication employs a 1- to 5-star rating system. Decanter tasting are all conducted blind, and participating panellists change with each tasting.
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Robinson has been writing and broadcasting about wine for 30 years. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website, she is also responsible for many of the standard reference books on wine including The Oxford Companion to Wine and, with Hugh Johnson, The World Atlas of Wine.
She qualified as a Master of Wine, the first from outside the wine trade, in 1984, and regularly judges and lectures about wine around the world. She has presented several award-winning television programmes including Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course and Vintners’ Tales and is a professional narrator.
Winner of many international awards, she was given an honorary doctorate by The Open University in 1997 and was awarded an OBE in 2004.
Jancis Robinson uses scores out of 20, with the great majority of wines (though by no means all) scored somewhere between 15 and 18.5. She comments, however: "...I'm not a great fan of the conjunction of numbers and wine. Once numbers are involved, it is all too easy to reduce wine to a financial commodity rather than keep its precious status as a uniquely stimulating source of sensual pleasure and conviviality."
Jancis Robinson 20 Points Scale
James Halliday
James Halliday is one of Australia 's most respected wine writers and one of its most senior wine judges. He has written and co-authored over 40 books on wine since 1979 and has contributed to numerous others, including Jancis Robinson's Oxford Companion to Wine and the Larousse Encyclopaedia of Wine.
His books have received numerous awards, among them the Wine Spectator Book of the Year (Wine Atlas of California), the Gold Award at the World Food Media Awards (Wine Atlas of Australia and New Zealand ) and Best Multimedia Lifestyle Product at the Australian Industry Multimedia Awards (James Halliday's Interactive Wine Companion of Australia and New Zealand CD-ROM).
Several of his titles have been translated into foreign languages, including French, German, Japanese and Danish. James Halliday also maintains twice-weekly wine columns in The Australian newspaper.
98-100 |
Perfection which exists only as an idea |
94-97 |
As close to perfection as the real world will allow |
90-93 |
Excellent wine full of character; of gold medal standard |
85-89 |
Very good wine; clear varietal definition/style; silver verging on gold medal standard |
80-84 |
Good fault-free, flavoursome; high bronze to silver medal standard |
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Jeremy Oliver
Jeremy Oliver is one of Australia 's foremost wine writers and presenters. He is a widely read and fully independent commentator whose words are published in several countries. In January 2005 he was named the inaugural Wine Writer of the Year by the widely circulated Australian Wine Selector magazine.
His books include the best-selling The Australian Wine Annual (now in its ninth edition), More Thirst for Knowledge and Evans on Earth (a biography of Len Evans). Jeremy is a regular contributor to Gourmet Traveller's Wine Magazine, The Australian Way (Qantas inflight), The Straits Times, Wine & Dine (both Singapore), OLN (UK), Drinks (USA) and a number of other publications. He is also a regular presence on ABC Melbourne Radio.
Below is the wine rankings system adopted by Jeremy Oliver which relate to scores out of 100, and they are comparable to different medal standards used in most Australian wine show system.
96+ |
Top gold medal |
94-95 |
Regular gold medal |
92-93 |
Top silver medal |
90-91 |
Regular silver medal |
87-89 |
Top bronze medal |
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