Using scores medal and stars to flog wine

No one would dispute that it is a retailer job to sell wine but some of the practices used by some retailers (and wholesalers) really make the practices and process almost meaningless and just adds to the confusion faced by buyers.

Let me give you one recent example. Winefront Monthly is a new publication (its been going for all of two editions) that’s put out by a very competent wine journo. In time I have every faith this publication will gain the respect and credibility it deserves and become a recognized and often quoted publication. However at this time it is a little known publication with a very limited subscription base, that’s a fact, not a criticism.

In the last edition (Campbell in a fit of unrestrained insanity – big grin) awarded a particular wine 97 points. Now the fact that the vast majority of the wine loving public has never heard of Winefront Monthly didn’t stop a Sydney retailer from prominently featuring the wine and its 97 point Winefront Monthly rating as its wine of the week in an advert in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Winestate is a well known publication that is respected by many wine lovers. We frequently see many adverts quoting the fact that a particular wine has received (say) a **** rating from Winestate. But, the wine in question may be a $15 bottle of drink now quaffer and whilst it did get **** it was judged as that in the $15 category. Next to this $15 wine with its **** rating may be a $25 wine but as it only got *** the stars, so it’s star rating is not worth a mention in the advert. The question is does the purchaser realize that it’s harder to get *** in the $25 category than **** in the $15 category and that the $25 wine can be far better wine than the $15 quaffer?

These scores and star ratings can be very misleading unless the person buying the wine understands exactly what the rating means, the problem is that in most cases they do not. What’s even worse are some of the (ridiculous) scores invented by certain retailers that must be based on the profit potential and inventory rather than the quality of the wine.

Scores be it stars or points in and of themselves are meaningless and provide the purchaser with no meaningful information, all they are designed to do when used in advertising is to enable the makers or retailers to flog product. By far and away the best method of giving the public a chance of understanding what the wine is like is to provide a tasting note and that’s one thing that Winestar does well (most of the time.)

But as Tim Shaw says, wait, there’s more. How about the retailers who use the wineries own tasting notes or even worse, the guff quoted on the back of the bottle. Now that’s not even independent advice, its vested interest and it’s sloppy.

The moral of the story? Pay no attention to the scores unless you are totally familiar with the author, and even then understand that even if highly rated, you may hate the wine. Look for an independent tasting note; that will give you a much better chance of likening what you buy and remember, the only persons palate and taste that counts is your own.

Cheers