Wine 101: Wine Ratings Explained

Many years ago, when I was in college, I took a philosophy course called “Can One Penny Make you Rich?”. The argument the professor was making was that each person has a specific number in their mind that defines richness for them. Therefore, if we have even one penny less than that magic number in our heads, we’re no longer rich. That one little penny makes all the difference.

The same logic can be used with rating wines. One point is all it takes to elevate a simple, good, and fair wine to a pedestal of praiseworthy greatness. Where is that magic point in the wine world? It’s that one number that brings us from 89 to 90 points.

Before we delve into the merits of this one-point differential, it’s important to learn a brief history in the origin of the point grading system.

The world-famous Robert Parker, of the Wine Advocate magazine, first started the modern point system of today when he began grading wines on the 100-point scale. According to Parker, the scale allows us to grade wines like school grades, with 90-100 being an A, 80-90 a B, and so on. He also specified what makes a wine a 96-100 versus a 90-95, but that is for another time. Suffice it to say, any wine that’s rated between 90 to 100 points is an excellent, grade A wine.

Robert Parker is not the only modern wine writer with a point scoring system. Perhaps my all-time favorite wine critic, Jancis Robinson, has adapted her own system of scoring wines, using just 20 points. In her typical British wit and coy nature, she defines a 19-point wine as a humdinger which is not super explanatory, and a 20 as a near perfect one. She also adheres to her philosophy that regardless of the rating, you will know a good wine when you taste it.

The 100-point system first used by Parker is by far the most prominent scoring system used in the wine world today. This has led to the perceived rise of “Parkerized” wines, or wines crafted with the intention of making it onto his list. But the question that has bothered many in the industry for years, is what is the best system?

For information on the rating systems mentioned, clink the links below:

Jancis Robinson's Rating scale

Robert Parker's Rating Scale

For a critic, even a professional, to judge a wine solely based on its taste, smell, length, balance, structure, and intensity is nearly impossible. There are an infinite number of factors that play into the critic’s experience while tasting and grading wines. The temperature, food eaten prior to the tasting, the mood of the grader, the perfume or cologne of the person sitting next to them; all of these can affect the way in which the wine is perceived.

So how can these points be truly objective? How can we know whether an 89-point wine is really a 90 point one, but the grader had an argument at home that morning and was in a bad mood when tasting the wine?

Essentially, we cannot know. Wine tasting professionals are trained in attempting to block out any outside factors when evaluating wines. 

Expert drinkers will also adhere to graders that they know their palate leans towards. Many wine graders have amassed a dedicated following due to their conservative nature, expertise in a certain region or wine, or simply people who enjoy reading and watching their work. You can find one that works for you, too! Admittedly, it is a bit harder in the Kosher wine world as Kosher wines have not been scrutinized to the same extent as non-Kosher ones.

Thankfully, not only do we have our own Kosher wine experts that you are free to appropriately stalk, but Kosher wines are starting to gain a larger worldwide recognition, resulting in more highly rated kosher wines cropping up.

Scores can work for those that are looking for some guidance in their wine purchasing journey, but do not let them define your purchasing. An 89-point wine for you can be better than a Parker 93, if you remember that your palate is not necessarily the same as Robert Parkers. Also, a 90 rated Cabernet Sauvignon from California will have a very different taste when compared to a 90 rated Cabernet Sauvignon from France or Australia.

There are some Kosher wines that have gotten some big scores recently - you can check out our entire 90-point collection right here on KosherWine.com.

The Tulip Black Tulip 2014 - This flagship wine from Tulip winery has received 90 points in the past from the Wine Enthusiast. It is a powerful big wine with loads of fruit that can age between 5-8 years.

The Psagot Peak 2014 received a 92 grade from Wine Enthusiast. This wine is bursting with big fruity flavors and a complex and structured palate. It would be pair perfectly with a nice steak.

The Matar Chardonnay 2014 vintage received a 91 from Wine Spectator. It’s a beautifully composed chardonnay, bright and crisp, acidic and fruity, with all things that you are looking for in an Israeli chardonnay.