Wine ratings and scores explained
Published: 05 January 2024
Written by: Chris Larkin
Browsing countless bottles of wine and multiple producers can be daunting when you’re trying to find the right bottle of wine. Thankfully, a quick online search can reveal wine ratings to help you find the perfect bottle.
Wine ratings and scores can be valuable to any wine lover when looking for their new favourite bottle. There are several scoring systems you might want to get acquainted with. We’ll walk you through the main ones so you can get to grips with wine ratings like a pro.
Wine rating systems explained
You’ll quickly come across various rating systems when browsing online wine options.
The 100-point scale is the most commonly used among wine critics. However, you’ll also encounter other systems that use 5-point or 20-point scales for scoring – for instance, the 20-point scale is used by the respected UK critic Jancis Robinson. The exact breakdown of these ratings can differ across various competitions and publications, but they’re generally straightforward to understand at a glance. As you might expect, high-scoring wines represent the very best – those sought-after bottles perfect for keeping, gifting or enjoying on special occasions.
And the bottles with low scores? It’s best to avoid those or perhaps use them for making sangria, tossing into a spag bol or braising beef.
The 100-point scale
The most popular wine rating system used by most major wine magazines such as Wine Spectator, Decanter and Wine Enthusiast. The system was initially developed by the influential wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr., and has since become the industry standard. Yet, despite what the name suggests, the 100-Point scale really only has 30 points worth considering.
A wine automatically earns 50 points just for being a wine. On top of that, a wine can be awarded five or fewer points for colour and appearance and up to 15 points for aroma. The most important category is flavour and finish – up to 20 points can be awarded. Lastly, the overall quality of the wine can add a further 10 points.
The 20-point system uses the same criteria as the 100-point scale. If you’re more familiar with the 100-point system but are faced with a 20-point rating, simply multiply the score by five for a rough equivalent on the 100-Point scale.
Here’s a breakdown of how wines are labelled on the 100-point scale:
- 96-100: These are exceptional wines, classed as outstanding or classic examples.
- 90-95: These wines range from superior to exceptional.
- 85-89: These wines are labelled as good to very good.
- 80-84: Wines in this range are considered above average to good.
- 70-79: Wines with these scores are flawed and taste average.
- Under 70: When a wine scores below 70, it means there’s something fundamentally flawed, and it isn’t recommended.
What’s the point of wine ratings?
Irrespective of the specific system being used, the point of wine scoring is to provide a consistent way of communicating quality to customers. This should help them shop for wine with greater confidence and learn in the process.
But as with any rating system, it’s built on the subjective opinion of critics. Although wine critics are knowledgeable, they still have personal tastes and biases. What you loathe, a critic might love, and vice versa. For a more reliable critique, consider finding the average scores for a bottle across a number of reviewers or find a wine critic whose tastes match yours.
How else can you rank wine?
Wines can also be ranked by awards from competitions.
Big competitions such as the International Wine and Spirits Competition, Decanter World Wine Awards and the Sommeliers Choice Awards are worth paying attention to. Judges at these competitions are industry trailblazers, including Masters of Wine, professional critics, sommeliers, wine directors and buyers.
Although each competition has a distinctive medal system, look for bottles awarded Platinum, Double-Gold, and Gold medals – these are the best of the best! But don’t discount the Silver and Bronze badge wines – they can still offer quality flavours and styles worth trying.
How else can I choose wine?
While wine ratings can help shoppers, they're not the only way to select quality wines.
You can always look for personal recommendations from other wine lovers who enjoy similar styles or collect reviews from trusted experts, whether a well-known newspaper critic, someone you enjoy on social media or the sommelier at your favourite restaurant.
At Laithwaites, we have Personal Wine Advisors - a team of in-house wine experts on hand to chat and help you find your perfect wine.
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For over 50 years, we've gone off the beaten track to bring you great bottles from independent wineries around the world. We taste over 40,000 bottles a year to find the 800 or so that make the final cut. Juicy reds, refreshing whites, tasty rosés, thrilling fizz - you'll find all sorts of hidden gems in our handpicked wine collection.
About the author
Chris Larkin
A seasoned copywriter with over two decades experience, Chris has been part of the team since 2021. At Laithwaites HQ, you’ll find him either working on our latest catalogue or creating informative content for our website. Qualified to WSET Level 3 Wine, Chris is as geeky about wine as he is about copywriting. But when it comes to choosing a special bottle, he is a traditionalist, and loves a good Bordeaux or Mâcon Chardonnay.
