pros:

A guiding compass in a sea of wines. Wine scores provide a simple and straightforward way to evaluate a wine's overall quality.

Elevate winery reputation.

A favorable score from a respected critic or publication can provide credibility, recognition, and validation to wineries that make exceptional wines.

Confidence for collectors and investors. Wine scores can provide a useful tool for assessing the potential value of a wine over time based on how critics have scored it in the past.

Consumer confidence.

Social proof can give the buyer a sense of reassurance that they are making a good purchase. Additionally, a highly rated wine may be seen as a status symbol, further contributing to its appeal and influence on buyer confidence.

"What gets measured, gets improved" holds true. While opinions differ on the value of wine ratings, it cannot be denied that the advent of rating systems has a net-positive effect by inspiring healthy competition and a drive for innovation.

Ultimately, we all benefit from winemakers motivated to craft exceptional wines and wine enthusiasts are rewarded with the joy of experiencing complex and exciting wines that consistently perform.

cons:

While the high scores awarded by a renowned wine critic can certainly hold sway over a purchase decision, the intricacies and complexities of what makes a wine truly exceptional can often be lost in translation for the inexperienced consumer.

Understandably, the palate of a seasoned professional like James Suckling will be vastly different from that of the average wine buyer. However, James regularly tastes through thousands of wines each year, and the average wine buyer may still be swayed solely by the label design or price.

From the outside, wine scores may appear to be the pinnacle of objectivity and honesty, with critics providing elaborate tasting notes and assigning impressive ratings. However, beneath the surface lies a dirty little secret: pay-to-play.

The reality is that wineries often (not in every case) need to pay substantial amounts of money for their wines even to be considered for rating, or they must purchase costly advertising packages. This can, unfortunately, compromise the integrity of wine scores and ultimately influence the wines available to consumers.

Consumer-aggregated scores from platforms like Vivino and Wine Searcher can help discover new wines and get unbiased peer reviews. However, they often fall below the standard when it comes to providing the depth of knowledge and expertise that a trained sommelier or professional wine critic can offer. These scores and reviews may lack the formal integrity and comprehensive analysis that are hallmarks of wine industry experts' years of training and experience, which can be frustrating for consumers looking for accurate information.

Limitations of Scores

Wine scores only tell part of the story. Wine is profoundly emotional, meant to be understood viscerally, and not simply quantified. Its experience is thoughtfully designed to be all-or-nothing. We must ask what makes this wine special outside of its score.

At first sip, wine is enigmatic and shrouded in mystery, that is, until we take the time to understand the rich, evocative story it is begging to tell. We must recognize the history, culture, and tradition of that wine's journey that adds to its unique identity beyond its score.

Wine scores can unintentionally set unrealistic expectations. I love the proverb: "Blessed is he who expects nothing."

While a high score may initially spark excitement and anticipation, it can also set unrealistic expectations. When we approach a wine with preconceived ideals and high expectations based on a score, we risk undermining the true magic of the experience.

Drinking in anticipation removes the romanticism of experiencing a wine for the first time with the uninhibited enthusiasm and curiosity that allows us to think about the wine critically, analytically, and objectively.

The "psychology of the score" can subconsciously influence our overall perception, misleading us to a false conclusion about the true characteristics of what's in the bottle.