help with wine ratings

[njjchiro]

HELP!
I recently become interested in wines and have been happily trying many. What I'm having trouble with is understanding the rating systems used and recomendations for how long a wine my be stored. For example, I recently purchased a Spanish Rijoa and when I checked it out on Parker and WS the ratings were much different (86 WS 92Park) this seems like a very large difference. Additionally Park...said will age for 15 or more years and WS says 6 years is about it. Again it was for the same bottle of wine and the same vintage (98). So, what do you say folks....can anyone enlighten me..THANKS

[dananne]

Answering for myself, ratings are only as valuable as the person providing them, and the palate I trust most is my own. That having been said, at times you may, through tasting, trial, and error, find a reviewer whose palate and tastes more closely resemble your own. As an example, if you find that you agree more often with Tanzer than with Parker on Rhones, then go with the former's rating if there is a difference when making a purchase decision.

Frankly, there are some folks on this site whose reviews of wines I'll trust over something like the "Speculator" any day [img]http://38.118.142.245/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

If you'll let us know the Rioja in question, perhaps I (or someone else) could let you know if we've had any experience with it and/or any opinions on aging it. IMHO, old-style Riojas (from good vintages) can go 10 years easy, while the verdict is likely out on newer, "international style" Riojas being made by some producers.

Oh, and welcome to the board! [img]http://38.118.142.245/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[njjchiro]

Thank you for the welcome "dananne" and I appreciate the information you have given me. I have never had a Rioja and wanted to experiment.....so I purchased a Bodegas Fernando Ramirez de Ganuza (1998). I have not, as yet, opened it so any info you and other boad members may share would be much appreciated.

[dananne]

If it was the Reserva, and goes for about $45, then I tried a glass at a tasting at a local shop about a month or so ago. If memory serves (and it's the first thing to go -- or the second, depending on who you're talking to), it was a blockbuster made from old vines. Very dense and concentrated. It was a little steep for what I had to spend that afternoon, so I didn't bring it home, but if I had, I probably wouldn't touch it for at least 5 years.

If you're wanting to do some more immediate experimentation with Rioja and the Tempranillo grape, first give the Spanish Wines thread on this site a look-see over the past year. Also, some recommendations from me on some Rioja that can be cracked open now, but are at (for me) frendlier price points, give any one of these a try: Bodegas Muga '97 or '98 Reserva (about $16), Artadi Vinas de Gain Crianza '00 (about $15), Remelluri '99 (about $19), and Finca Allende '99 (about $15). Also, at a very friendly price point, you could try the Marques de Murrieta Neonato '00 at about $10.

Happy drinking, and check back often -- and let us know if you try anything how you liked it!

[Thomas]

In my always outrageously humble opinion, a person just starting to explore wine should avoid reading the ratings. It can be habit forming and then you will miss the thousands of other wines that the "professional" raters either never try or never like.

On skeeter's answers to some threads above you will get good advice.

[sedhead]

I second foondi's post.
It has been always intiminating to me as a novice that someone can distinguish between a wine in the same varietal rated at 92 and one rated at 93. Why not 92.5?

[dananne]

Very true, and good points on the value of ratings for beginners. I read the issue, though, less of one about which rating was "correct" and more about when to open the bottle. For that, I think reviews may be helpful for beginners who wouldn't know otherwise that, say, a Barolo needs to age some to be more approachable. Especially at the price point he was at on this question. That's why I tried to give him some suggestions of Rioja that he might try now.

But, like I said earlier, trust your own palate. And, as Skeeter has so elequently pointed out today, experiment!

[img]http://38.118.142.245/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[Innkeeper]

I think that it is a good idea to find a reviewer/rater whose palate is similar to ones own. I grant that 100% is impossible. The one that I frequently take advice from, other that the "experts" around here, is Dan Berger. From my narrow point of view, the $55 per year for his newsletter is well worth it. He only mentions wines he recommends and rates them either as "Exceptional" or "Very Highly Recommended." Best of all I can afford many of the wines he recommends.

[Thomas]

Perhaps, but how does a beginner know whose palate relates to his or hers when the beginner is just exploring to develop a palate. I stand by my commitment to dissuade beginners from considering ratings--of course, I don't think anyone should consider a quantifying score applied to a subjective endeavor, but I am a pedant...

(ww, that last word has nuthin to do with chillun--just in case!)

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 12-24-2003).]

[njjchiro]

Thank you all for the much needed information. Wine, though sublime, is a very daunting task to a newbee! It is so easy to fall into the "ratings" trap when you don't have a clue as to what you should be tasting. I've been lucky to locate this forum, I'm sure that you all will be able to set me in the right dirction.

Dananne, I've put down the bottle of reserva and will wait a while to open it...I've also been looking for your other suggestions but as yet have been unsuccesful. I understand that a member of this board is in retail wine sales in Framingham,MA, maybe I'll take a ride to visit him next week.

[Thomas]

njjchiro, sometimes the post takes so long you think it didn't go through, but as you see, it did--both times... [img]http://38.118.142.245/ubb2/eek.gif[/img]

Keep sampling and keep searching for wine you will like; it is a most rewarding trip.

[Brom]

I suggest that you never read a rating or review of a wine you already own. All you will do is color your own opinion.

You bought a $50 riserva wine to try out a Rioja? While you are holding that, look for some bottle below $10.

I seldom name brands, as you noticed with the recommendations above, there is never any telling whether you will ever see the wines someone suggests. I would concur on Muga wines, but as you found out, they can be hard to locate.

In this case however I'll name names too -- Bodegas Montecillo is a very well distributed, inexpensive and reliable Rioja. Other producers of tons of wine and therefore widely distributed are CUNE, Faustino, Marquis de Caceres & Marquis de Riscal.