taste scoring systems
There are a variety of scoring systems which can be used for rating wines. The two most well known are the 20-point University of California-Davis system devised by the famous Professor Amerine in 1959, and the 100 point system used by such organizations as The Wine Spectator, American Wine Competition, Wine & Spirits, and wine critics like Robert M. Parker, Jr. A comparison of the two systems shows that they assign various numbers of points to specific qualities or characteristics found in wines. The scores are then totaled to give an over all rating. In the UC Davis 20 point system, points are given for the following categories: Appearance (2), Color (2), Aroma & Bouquet (4), Volatile Acidity (2), Total Acidity (2), Sugar (1), Body (1), Flavor (1), Astringency (1), and General Quality (2). In the UC Davis system scores have the following meanings:
17 - 20 Wines of outstanding characteristics, no defects
13 - 16 Standard wines with neither outstanding character or defect
9 - 12 Wines of commercial acceptability but with noticeable defect
5 - 8 Wines below commercial acceptability
1 - 4 Complete spoiled wines Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s 100 point rating system provides the following information about wines:
100 - 90 Outstanding or Excellent wines
89 - 85 Very Good to Excellent wines
84 - 80 Very Good wines
79 - 75 Pleasant wines but lack complexity, character, or depth
74 - 70 Average wines
69 - 50 Poor, Unbalanced, Flawed, Dull, etc. Wine & Spirits' 100 point system is:
100 - 96 Superlative
95 - 90 Exceptional
89 - 80 Highly Recommended
79 - 70 Recommended
The Wine Spectator rating system is as follows:
100 - 95 Classic
94 - 90 Outstanding
89 - 80 Good to Very Good
79 - 70 Average
69 - 60 Below Average
59 - 50 Poor The Medals awarded by the American Wine Competition have the following meanings:
| Platinum | 96 - 100 | Superlative |
| Gold | 90 - 96 | Exceptional |
| Silver | 80 - 89 | Highly Recommended |
| Bronze | 70 - 79 | Recommended |
A comparison of the rating systems shows the following equivalencies:
| U.C. Davis | Robert M. Parker, Jr. | Wine Spectator | Wine & Spirits | American Wine Competition |
| | 17-20 | 90-100 | 95-100 | 96-100 | Platinum |
| 17-20 | 85-89 | 90-95 | 90-95 | Gold |
| 13-16 | 80-84 | 80-89 | 80-89 | Silver |
| 9-12 | 70-74 | 70-79 | 70-79 | Bronze |
| 5-8 | na | 60-69 | na | na |
| 0-4 | 50-69 | 50-59 | na | na |
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