A Modest Proposal; Abandon the 100 Point Scale
8/3/2007 -
When the 100 point scale to rate wine quality was adopted by Robert Parker and subsequent writers and publications, it seemed to have a stimulating and beneficial effect on the American wine scene. Consumers who lacked knowledge and experience, or were suspicious of the wine trade, could march confidently into a shop and say "I'll take a case of Chateau Poo-Poo, it got 91 points from So and So." Wine became a more popular and acceptable drink in American homes and restaurants and the snobbish image of the wine broker was replaced by the more populist writings of Parker, Tanzer and the Wine Spectator. The comforting, if arbitrary, point score took the American consumer to unknown parts of the world; Gruner Veltliner became the new Pinot Grigio and unheard-of growers in obscure regions soon had American importers. That's all good, I suppose....
Today, however, American wine lovers are better educated and no longer need so much hand-holding in the wine shop. A wealth of information is available in seconds on the web including technical data as well as tasting notes and opinions from chat rooms and blogs around the world. The idea that any individual can, or should, assign an arbitrary numerical score to a wine has become ridiculous and unnecessary. (Not to mention that many wines are tasted after a racking or during the malolactic fermentation or just after bottling...) So tell us about the winemakers and how they work in the vineyard and the cellar, tell us whether you like the wine and why but let's stop insulting the winemakers, and the consumer, with a commercially-driven 100 point scale. We'll sell just as much wine and writers will sell just as many reports and magazines with more realistic assessments.
One might argue that mass-produced wines for everyday consumption or wines that are created to conform to an international style, or to a critics taste, could be assigned 87 or 91 or whatever, without undue injustice. But even with wines at this level, a point score cannot begin to place wines in their context, which is a crucial part of our enjoyment. Even a carefully written description of the wine's qualities, and what foods it might accompany, is quickly forgotten when followed by a number - even though that 85 point wine might be perfect with our dinner.
The most important argument against the point system is contained in the dedication and hard work of thousands of producers, mostly European but with a growing number in the US, whose efforts to bring delicious naturally made wines to the consumer cannot possibly be graded with a number. We could take as an example Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet of the Clos Roche Blanche in Touraine. Their commitment to organic farming is not a marketing device, as can be seen when walking in the vineyard. There are flowers to attract beneficial insects, plants whose roots fight soil diseases, other plants to enrich the soil or compete with the vines. Pruning is very short to limit yields in the most efficient, but most risky, manner. Harvesting is always by hand, fermentations are with wild yeasts and aging and bottling are done with the utmost of care, with little or no sulfur dioxide or filtration. They make, in good years and bad, delicious food-friendly wines that are a joy to drink, but you won't find a Mercedes in their driveway - this is AOC Touraine and the prices are quite reasonable. What point scores will they receive for their fantastic work - 86 or even 88 perhaps?? Catherine and Didier aren't taking a test on which they got 12 questions wrong, they're not making toasters or TV's that can be rated as to the quality of their manufacture. They're making wines that are meant to be enjoyed with food, and with friends, and that develop over time (Their 1989 Cot is drinking beautifully) and which should not be assigned a point score.
My previous employers, at Garnet Wines, had a "F***ing" scale, (starting with "Pretty F***ing Awful) which was much more fun and just as accurate as 100 points. (Go ahead and make up your own) How about Fair, Good, Very Good and Excellent?
