Wine for the Masses

How to Score...

Wine should be enjoyed. But the difficulty can be in deciding which wine will match your palette the best. I've said before that price doesn't always equal quality. However, often it is difficult to dig deep enough in a wine to find the best bottle. Do you want the 2004 or the 2003? Was 2001 a bad year for southern Michigan wineries?

Welcome to the Robert Parker method. It is loved and hated for very valid reasons. Scoring a wine (on a scale of up to 100, higher being better) can be an easy way for the uneducated to glance and buy. However, scoring can be arbitrary and less informative than some may wish. A Merlot with a 92 is still a dry wine and the lover of sweets is still going to prefer the Muscat with an 85.

A bit of knowledge backing the consumer can turn the scored wine into a quick reference that can help foster a confidence in purchases. If the wine shop you frequent doesn't provide that information, consult the workers or a website that allows for a search with a return of a tidbit of info on what you're looking for in terms of a winery or vintage.

Posted by Ben at 10/11/2005 10:52:00 PM