I was recently asked by a reader to address wine scores. The reader asked “…where do you buy a wine that is rated 50-74? I have never seen a wine rated at that level. Do they exist?” Great question!
There are several major wine scoring systems in use including those from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Robert Parker. These systems rely on individual wine tasters who are involved in tasting thousands of wines each year. Not every wine produced - just the ones from wine producers that are seeking a high score from one of these ratings organizations.
While the rating systems vary, the one at Wine Spectator uses the following criteria to score a wine:
95-100 Classic: a great wine
90-94 Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style
85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities
80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine
75-79 Mediocre: a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws
50-74 Not recommended
So, you clearly see that wines rated 80 points and above are at least “a solid, well-made wine.” But, below 80 points they are “Mediocre” and at 75 points or below they are “Not recommended.” So, if a winery submits a wine for a rating score and receives a score below 80 points, you are probably never going to hear about it. Those wines still get offered for sale, but the producer simply chooses not to identify their score (why would they!).
So the answer to the question is that there are plenty of wines with scores in the 50 to 75 point range. The bottles are likely on store shelves and probably located down around ground level (the best wines always get put on the top shelves) and priced low.
But realize, these scores are very subjective and being assigned by wine experts that get the opportunity to taste a lot of exceptional wines. The ones they consider “Mediocre” or are “Not recommended” are wines that you and I just might enjoy! So, don’t let wine scores, or the lack of a wine score, keep you from enjoying wines from across the spectrum. Cheers!