Can the 100 point system be overthrown? In a recent post, “You Don’t Score Wine? You’re Full of Crap,” we debated the fact that most people, whether through points, grades, stars, glasses, or even the basic like don’t like system, score wines. It is clear that the 100 point system is severely flawed and should be executed, BUT it is also clear that it is firmly in place and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. There are a few factors that contribute to the 100 point dominance:

• Those who use it continue to hold the most influence. People like Robert Parker, Steven Tanzer and The Wine Enthusiast crew wield a great deal of wine power and until their publications become obsolete or they change, we’ll continue to see the scores.
• Wineries and PR firms perpetuate the problem. Don’t believe me, go into any tasting room and you’ll probably hear someone behind the bar say, “This wine received 92pts in the lasts Wine Enthusiast magazine.” When wineries move away from this as a marketing tool the 100 point score will go the way of the dodo.
• 100 point score is identifiable. Customers, especially those who are confused by wine (which is the majority of people), can identify with the rating system. Actually, any rating system whether it is A-F or 1-5 or 1-10 can be related to fairly quickly.

Is a Wine Scoring Revolution Coming?

Recently a group of bloggers have launched an effort to buck the traditions. A new wine badge system attempts to knock down the dominance of the 100 point scale. Is their attempt a mere pebble against the wall or is it the stone that could take Goliath down? Are these renegade mavericks onto something new or will we find the system floating in the river, another victim of the 100 point mafia?

Paul Mabray of VinTank says the badge system lets you “create a category for a wine that you believe in and assign a badge to it, explain the criteria openly and transparently, and only give those wines that you appreciate fit that category a badge.  Simple, elegant, but more importantly a TRUE representation of the quality you admire in the categories you create.  A wine fits or it doesn’t.” Badge ratings have currently been employed by Ward Kadel (DrXeNo), Mark de Vere (MdV MW), and more recently Steve Paulo (Notes from the Cellar). Steve currently has 9 badges while the other two writers have implemented 5.

The Pros

First off let me just say, kudos to the idea and the effort to change the way consumers think about wine. While wine is complex and can have several layers of aroma, flavor and texture, it is not a science deserving of being critiqued on 100 point scale. The visual indicators created by this trail blazing group of bloggers serve as a stamp of approval for their readers. Each of these writers has developed what Mark de Vere calls “taste tribes.” These are people who know like and trust the author and have aligned themselves with their likes/dislikes. Implementing badges for your taste tribe seems to be a strong alternative to numerical scores. The badge conveys a wine category along with a recommendation from the reviewer.

The Challenge

Several challenges present themselves when launching an attack on the status quo. For me, the badge system has potential but needs to keep the following in mind to be the new sheriff in town.

• Identity – As I mentioned earlier people can easily and quickly related to a score. 4/5 is better than 3+/5. Two thumbs up are better than one thumb up. In order to have relevance to readers beyond your taste tribe the badge image needs to register. Ward Kadel’s “Awesome” badge is a good example of this. Awesome is identifiable and recognizable. Ward likes that wine and it is worthy of trying. Identity challenges arise with badges like “New World” or “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Brunello.” The image without the context of the description isn’t as easily identifiable by the customer. Badge users should keep identity in mind when creating their category and image.
• Consistency – A tandem to identity is consistency. With 3 reviewers using badges there are 19 images representing about a dozen different categories. The 100 point system solidified its place by being a consistent product. While 93 points from Parker may be different than 93 points from Robert Dwyer (Wellesley Wine Press) there is still a consistency that the consumer can relate to. Badges could take greater hold if more standard categories and images took hold…but that would go against the grain of individuality that bloggers love so much.
• Marketing – PR firms love marketing hooks. Scores / awards can become a lazy way to sell wine, but they can help establish a baseline to a confused consumer. 93 pts holds some weight when correctly displayed on a shelf talker. For badges to be successful at unseating the 100 point scale they need to be easily transferred to the marketing world. Right now, it’s easy for a marketer to put, “91 Points Steven Tanzer, December 2009.” How would this look? “Ward Kadel gives this the New World badge.”Steve Paulo’s badge, “Legit Juice,” has some good marketing potential. IF (and that’s a big if) PR people took the time to use a well crafted identifiable badge image on a shelf tracker or promo piece, that would carry some marketing muscle.
• Influence – The fourth challenge in front of badges ruling the world is influence. This won’t happen overnight and will gain momentum as the first three items are worked out. Brands like Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits carry a lot of influence. While it may be true that the wine blogging world has more readership than these three traditional media pieces, the trouble is that it is divided over 1000 different portals. I applaud the early adopters mentioned in this article. In order for a tipping point to occur several influencers, including 1WineDude, Dr. Vino, Vinography, and more would have to jump on board.

The revolution is beginning. The warriors are starting to don their armor. Personally, I think it’s a good direction to head and a worthwhile road to travel down. I would consider implementing badges on DrinkNectar but would want to do some market research first. I’ve recently implemented a visual indicator for my scoring system. It gives more clarity to 3/5 or 4+/5. I think it provides more visual awareness to a wine rating, but I haven’t done any voice of customer surveys. Another barrier for me is design. I’m not a graphic whiz. If I created a badge, it would probably end up being cheese fest.

What do customers want to see? I’ve seen pro and con comments from the blogging world but in the end, these badges are for consumers to help make better informed buying decisions. I encourage you to take some time to research what’s happening on the sites mentioned here. Leave them your feedback or leave some feedback here.

Do wine badges have the potential to overthrow the 100 point scoring system?

Referenced Articles

• VinTank – Scores, We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Scores
• Ward Kadel, DRXENO – The WK Badges
• MdV MV – Badges, What Are They?
• Notes From The Cellar – Introducing the Cellar Badges

Okay, now that you’re here reading this, hear me out. I used the title, “You Don’t Score Wine? You’re Full of Crap” because of all the posts that denounce the practice of scoring wine. They range from “Wine Scores are Full of Shit,” “Points Are Pointless,” “Hype and Illusion” and my favorite “Robert Parker Must Die” (okay I made that last one up). Everyone seems to be on this never ending cycle of crapping on the 100 point, 5 point, 12 point, 2 stems up scale, that rarely do I see anyone talking about the benefits and reasons WHY it is so popular.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way:

• Scoring wine is partially subjective and imprecise. We’re talking about a sensory experience. What you like is different than what I like…yeah, yeah I get that. My 92 might be your 94…big deal. We’re also talking a little science here. Acid, balance, varietal characteristics all play into the documentable repeatable part of wine scoring. Wine is an agricultural product. It’s obvious when you get a flawed peach. You don’t hear anyone saying, “How can you call that peach bad…some people like under-ripe crunchy peaches.” Well, they might, but it’s not how a peach is supposed to be.
• A score will not dictate if you will like or dislike a wine. Just because Ebert and Roeper give a movie two thumbs up, does that mean you’re going to love it?  Hell no, but it might give you an indication if all the critics are giving it two thumbs, five reels, four stars, or whatever rating they’re using. Face it, we’re not talking three selections of rum or even 10-20 selections of beer, we’re talking hundreds and sometimes thousands of different wine bottles at different price points staring at consumers in a mocking, snooty tone. A score offers a starting point.
• It is human nature to score and rate. We rate everything from football (with a draft day scorecard) to hot dogs. We make decision on hotels bookings (show me only 4 star rated hotels) to restaurants (needs to have a Zagat rating of 25 or higher). At our house we rate the dinners on a five star rating. If a new recipe doesn’t get 4 or 5 stars, it doesn’t get made again. Life’s too short to eat a 3 star meal.
• The 100 point scale is flawed. Partially subjective sensory experiences like movies, art, food and wine don’t lend themselves to a precision based scale like 100 points. While I appreciate the fact that Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, and International Wine Cellar can taste through thousands of wines that I will never try, there is no discernable difference between 88 and 89 points (or 99 and 100 points). Do I look through their list and make mental notes of high scoring wines that fit my budget and preferences…you bet (as I’m sure most subscribers do)! BUT, I would never spend more than $50 on a wine that I didn’t have at least some personal experience with (previous vintage, personal referral, tasting room sample) regardless of the score. Granted, this is my stance…many of you may have different thresholds.

There Is Value In Those Numbers

With all of its controversy and flaws, I think there is some tangible value in wine ratings. You may be a rating naysayer but I guarantee you, everyone is a wine critic. You’re drinking a great bottle of Riesling from Finger Lakes and it pairs perfectly with your lemon chicken and scallop pasta. You rave about it the next day at work. At its most basic you have a rating system of don’t like, meh, like, love (a four point scale). Sometimes that co-worker goes the extra step and says, “Oh man, sounds like a great bottle of wine. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate it?” Boom, you just became a wine reviewer with a full blown 10 point scale.

Wine Scores Have Made Wine Better

Stick with me here…if Consumer Reports didn’t provide detailed ratings and reviews on cars that held automakers accountable for quality and reliability, do you think Detroit (Japan and Germany) would really go the extra mile to blow you away with fit and finish and long lasting parts? Auto makers are held to a higher standard by the court of public opinion and formal reviews. The same holds true for wine. For 30 years, the power of review was held by a few. These traditional “Booze Lit Crit” as Tony Greenberg calls them could make or break a wine, winery and an entire vintage with the powerful stroke of their quill. In the world of the internet, hundreds of wine bloggers and thousands of consumers pass judgment (cast reviews) on a wine in 140 character tweets or 300 word reviews. The aggregation of this information on sites like Cellar Tracker, Cork’d or Snooth provide a valuable resource of information to consumers. If information and knowledge is power then traditional print Bruce Banner has been transformed into the Incredible Hulk through the internet. This power (along with more modern wine making practices) has caused the quality of wine to improve. Look on the shelves, there is a whole hell of a lot less Boones Farm and Carlo Rossi Jug Wine than there used to be.

Wine Scores Act As a Guide

The majority of people don’t analyze wine like writers / bloggers do. They couldn’t tell a cassis from a cranberry and tannin is something you do at the beach. My guess is that 80% of wine drinkers, even those that consider themselves regular drinkers are just looking for something that tastes good, fits their style, goes with their food and is in their budget (often times the label makes the decision).

• Case Study #1: I recently went on a shopping trip with two people that drink wine on a pretty regular basis (2-4 bottles per week). As we walked around this little eclectic wine shop in East Portland, I watched them pick up bottles and look at the cards, “Wow, 92 points Wine Spectator.” “Oh, honey look at this one, the staff here rates it a top pick, and it’s only $18.” What I noticed from this shopping adventure was that the couple sought out red wine, was okay venturing to the wild side of Nebbiolo and Granache, but was more comfortable having the score as a guide to make a decision. It told them, someone else with more wine tasting experience than them, tasted this wine and thought it was a 9 out of 10.
• Case Study #2: I asked people on my Facebook page about wine scores and buying decisions. The non-scientific results of 20+ comments were pretty mixed from, “I know what I like” to “It helps when picking a new wine.” While not for everyone, a rating system acts as a referral and source of trust when navigating the sea of selection.

Scores should act as a guide or a baseline as one reviewers experience with the wine. I think consumers are smart enough to make that connection in the same way that they don’t blindly spend $20-30 on a movie date just because it got good reviews. They analyze the plot, the actors, and length; then they compare that with the mood they are in. If they are really on the fence, they may check a few more reviews before making their decision. Before dropping $30 on a night of entertainment with wine, smart consumers are going to do their homework. They’ll check the score and read the tasting notes on the card. “Deep muscular flavors of sour berry, earth, black tea, and leather,” may not be their thing but, “Bright red berry flavors with hints of pie filling and a smooth velvet finish that lingers for eternity,” could be right up their alley.

Moreover, wine information shouldn’t come from only one source. Wine as the province of one solitary palate is a sham, no matter how skilled and experienced that palate. Why? Because palates are different. Some like salt and some like sugar. (Doug Frost; Points are Pointless)

Wine Ratings Aren’t Going Anywhere, Deal With It

As I mentioned earlier, it is human nature to evaluate, rate and pass judgment on things. Those who do so with experience and consistency (see Consumer Reports or Wine Enthusiast) end up being trusted resources for information and decision making. Do you go to Consumer Reports when looking at buying your next brand of ice cream? Neither do it, but obviously enough people cared for them to review it in the July 2010 issue. When it comes to wine, I’m a fan of 5-10 point scales, letter grades, and things customers understand (I’d buy it, I’d drink it if someone else was paying, I’ll skip it ~ Atlanta Wine Guy)

The most effective wine reviews must contain ALL the pertinent information to help in making an informed buying decision. Wine reviews that leave out important facts like alcohol percentages are potentially misleading the consumer on how the wine will pair with food. I also feel that tasting notes are king. So what if that Syrah scores 97 points. If I’m not a fan of powerfully extracted, big cherry, spicy wine, I’m not going to like it. The score gives an impression paired with the experience; the tasting note describes the sensory encounter with the wine. A great example of this in the blog world is Steve Paulo from Notes from the Cellar.

In a comment on Tom Wark’s Fermentation, Charlie Olken writes, “The writing, the ability to describe wine in a way that someone else tasting that wine will agree is, in fact, of great value.”

You can express your frustration and disdain for the 100 point system all day long. Chances are you’ll see the removal of the three-tier system before the dismantling of the 100 point system.

My Advice To Consumers

• Seek out several reviewers that you can trust. Over time you’ll find people who have similar likes and dislikes with text you can relate to.
• Drink more wine. You will learn so much by drinking a variety of wine. Be sure to take notes on what you like and don’t like about your experiences (be careful…if you do that long enough and it ends up on the computer, they’ll call you a blogger).
• Use scores as a guide if you need them, otherwise drink what you like.

For the rest of you, don’t tell me that my points are pointless or that my rating scale is full of shit. If you say you don’t score wine, I think you’re full of crap.