Wine Rankings

There are generally accepted scoring or ranking ranges that many experienced wine tasters and critics use to assign an overall value assessment of a wine. From local competitions to major wine and food publications, you're likely to see reference to these rankings at some point.

Most scoring systems use a 100-point scale. Some have variance in their ranges, but all are intended to help ascertain and understand the overall characteristic quality of the wine assessed.

The rankings to which we subscribe are listed below. While judging the quality of a particular wine may be have some subjectivity in the process, rankings can be an immensely helpful guide as you select wines for you and your guests.

The Ranking Scale

50-59 - wines are flawed and undrinkable

60-69 - wines are flawed and not recommended but drinkable

70-79 - wines are flawed and taste average

80-84 - wines are ‘above average’ to ‘good’

85-90 - wines are ‘good’ to ‘very good’

90-94 - wines are ‘superior’ to ‘exceptional’

95-100 - wines are benchmark examples or ‘classic’