To give you an idea how I (He) score wines, I use a 20-point scale. Over the years my points system has basically broken down this way:
10 or below – Awful. Spit it out!
11 – Way below average.
12 – Below average
13 – OK, drinkable, pleasant, nothing special tho
14 – Good, enjoyable, not memorable perhaps, but representational of the variety
15 – Very nice. I enjoy drinking it and would recommend it
16 – Very good. If it’s a new wine, this is a very high score. For an older wine, there’s still lots of room. This probably equates to a 90 on a 100-point scale.
17 – Excellent. Rarely do I rate current releases this high.
18 – Outstanding. Reserved for older wines.
19 – Unforgettable.
20 – The best of the best. I’ve never given a wine a 20. Gotta leave space for perfection, like the Russian judge.
Yeah, I know, my 20-point scale is really condensed to 10. So to get back to about 20, I throw some pluses in there to further distinguish ratings. OK, I realize this is weird and probably a 100-point scale is simpler, but I’ve been rating wines like this for over 25 years and I’m not about to start over now.
