Scoring

Scoring wines is such a contentious notion, and I can respect that the argument strikes at the heart of the point of wine reviewing.

The negatives are well known – how can an ever-evolving, multi-faceted wine be summed up with a single number? But still, I prefer to score as it serves as a personal reference point – something quantifiable about a particular wine at a specific time.

When approaching my reviews, I advise reading the notes first and treating the score as an addendum. Seriously. Also, I like the Australian Wine Show Scoring System mainly that’s what I was trained to use. Unlike when judging in shows, however, I have the luxury of tasting with the label in front of me, often over a several-day period – giving the benefit of context, particularly for young wines, which might need more time (or to watch ‘great’ wines fall over).

This scale appeared in its original form in ‘The World of Fine Wine’ Magazine (Issue 18, 2007), which was then modified by Steve Webber (De Bortoli). I’ve then adapted it to my scoring bands (I’m the most generous of the lot).

Australian Wine Review Scoring System

So the first score is out of 20, then converted to a score out of 100, with an equivalent wine show medal. I judge according to benchmarks for style, and value doesn’t affect the scores (but it does affect whether I’d buy it).

Below 14/20, below 80/100. Faulty wines or just terrible. Don’t bother.
14-14.9/20, 80/100-83/100. Be very wary of wines with this score. Poor quality, faults and just badness.
15-15.4/20, 84/100. A critical marker. 15 and above usually means sound wines, if nothing remarkable about them. Lots of ok commercial wines in this category.
15.5-16/20, 85-86/100. Bronze medal winner. This is when we at least start hitting more drinkable wines. Sound, drinkable, if not outstanding wines. Plenty of inexpensive releases end up in this category. Be wary of expensive releases that get this sort of score. However – it often means a disappointment.
16-16.9/20, 87-89/100: Bronze medal winner. Typically good wines, sometimes with outstanding features. Lots of simple affable drinks here too. You’ll find genuine quality wines, if simple or with some blemishes at the upper end.
17.0-17.9/20, 90-92/100. Silver medal winner. Very good wine, plenty of interest here. 17 is the pass mark for me. At the upper end, you hit a seam of drinks I’d happily recommend.
18-18.4/20, 93/100. Top Silver medal winner. Anything 18 and above is a terrific wine. Something with quality, detail, length and texture. The whole shebang.
18.5/20, 94/100. Gold medal winner. These are special wines. A gold medal is an important distinction. I want to drink, talk about and recommend anything this score and above.
18.6-18.9/20, 95/100. Top gold medal winner. A rare beast. Wines like this are what I buy. Typical outstanding wines of rare beauty or incredible intensity with balance, articulacy and length.
19-19.9/20, 96-99/100, Top gold medal winner. These wines come about so infrequently. The best of the best, the unicorns, the best in breed. I’ll be lucky to see a handful of wines like this a year (maybe).
20/20, 100/100. A myth. Perfection doesn’t exist in wine, so I will never give this score out and distrust the judgement of anyone who does (it’s grandstanding).

Australian Wine Review Scoring System

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