Nope, this is not another story about how lousy the stock market and the economy are. But have you noticed a correction in the scores and ratings being doled out by wine critics these days? Somehow over the last several years we had seen the scores creep up to the point that tons of $10 wines receive 90 points or higher….so naturally, consumers seek out those wines, so, we seek out those wines for our shelves. Everyone’s happy. I think that it has become noticeable however, that the critics have begun to use 87’s and 89’s again for some really tasty wines (such as Campo Burgo Rioja 2007 or Vinas de Olivara Toro 2007, both of which received 87 points in the Wine Advocate). This indicating an attempt at a “market correction.”
I welcome this correction. You can’t possibly judge EVERY wine on the small 90 – 100 point scale that has become the norm. I hope that consumers will follow along and realize that the 85 point wine (85 points being described in publications as a better than average wine) tastes the same to you whether you attach a 90 point or 85 point score to its label. It’s the same wine in the bottle and the scores are subjective and relative to the rest of the wines that were rated by the critic.
Dan Sherer
French and Spanish Wine Buyer
The Bottle King Group
Filed under: French Wine, Spanish Wine, Wine Spectator
