What are wine scores?

The practice of assigning ‘scores’ has had an extraordinary effect on the wine market. They enable potential investors and traders to take a position and affect the market, without necessarily knowing anything about the wine.

They empower new wine drinkers to make decisions independently of wine traders. And because, unlike tasting notes, they can be understood universally, they can guide potential wine buyers all over the world. Wine scores, for example, played a part in Asia’s dramatic and inflationary entry into the fine wine market in the 1990s. Scoring enables new, good, wine producers to make a name for themselves and their wines very much faster than ever before. The downside for wine drinkers is that prices inevitably rise steeply.

Scores are generally written as follows:
RP 85 advising the consumer that Robert Parker has awarded the wine 85 points out of 100. Some wines have a range of points, for example: RP (85-90), and this is usually because the wine was tasted and scored before bottling and finishing.

Parker’s tastings are done in peer-group, single-blind conditions, which mean that the same types of wines are tasted at the same time, though the producer of each wine is not disclosed at the time of the tasting.

Parker explains his ratings in this way:

Score Explanation

96-100 An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. I think wines of this calibre are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.

90-95 An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. I consider these terrific wines.

80-89 A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavour, as well as character with no noticeable flaws.

Robert Parker’s influence on fine wine prices cannot be overstated. As one observer once noted, “When Robert Parker spits, the world listens”. Historically the wines that Robert Parker gives high scores to, particularly scores over 90 points, tend to be the wines that show the biggest increase in value. Many Bordeaux producers now wait for Parker’s ratings before setting the release price of their wines.