RATING SYSTEMS

[erodriguez]

Hi, I'm new in wines... and I'm looking for a Rating System where i can score item by item, I always find the finals rates and i don't know how to get that final score... can some one help me with a Rating Card System or something like that?

THANK YOU.

[Kcwhippet]

Not sure I understand. Are you looking for the step-by-step systems the critics use to rate wines - i.e. the categories they use and the points for each category to rate the wines? If so, there are several systems used depending on which rater your reading. Since you're new to wines, those systems won't be much use to you because they're being used by folks with many, many years of judging wines. Best you let us know which wines you like so far and perhaps we can steer you toward some of those wines with "good" scores and good prices.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Erodriguez, and welcome to the Wine Board. I developed one about thirty years ago and recently found my old records. Looking them over I found that they did me no good then and are worthless now. The closest I come to a system and we drink a bottle almost every night, is to record my impressions on the few wines we lay down after opening, and to make a note on everyday drinkers that I never want to see again.

[erodriguez]

I can´t see yours replays....... but thanks.

[wondersofwine]

I started by learning to use the University of California at Davis 20-pt. system and still use that sometimes when we are picking our favorite wine of the night at a group tasting. You can also translate the points roughly to a 100-pt. scale by multiplying by five. It goes something like this:
1-6 points for aroma/nose/bouquet (six being the highest possible)
1-6 points for flavor
1-2 points for color
1-2 points for clarity (if the wine is unfiltered, you may want to allow for some
slight cloudiness)
1-2 points for balance
1-2 points for finish (or overall impression)
To be useful you should have some idea what color is expected with that variety and age of wine (pale straw, medium gold, garnet, ruby, purple, tawny, etc.) and be able to detect off-odors such as too much Brett, TCA contamination ("corked"), stewed vegetables, rotten fruit, etc. However, even without a lot of training you can put down your general impression of the nose (attractive, flowery, fruity, hardly noticeable, repellant, etc.) and the flavor and get some comparison of which wines stand out for you in a tasting of several wines. A score of 18 on the Davis scale would be like a 90 on the 100-pt. scale (a wine you judge to be outstanding).

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 09-13-2005).]