I had an interesting conversation with Joe Roberts (1Winedude) on Twitter about how we as wine critics approach rating a wine. What started the interaction was a statement I made on Twitter about switching from the 100 point scoring system for wine to the A-F grading system that Joe currently uses. In our conversation, it became obvious that a critics ability to get around subjectivity when it comes to reviewing a wine was the cause of what became a friendly debate between the two of us. Are wine writers and critics immune to subjectivity?
My answer to that question is no, and here is why. I am assuming of course that most wine critics like myself enjoy drinking wine…Otherwise why would we feel inspired to write about the subject and feel qualified to make judgements about what we are tasting. That being said, since we like wine, we are going to have preferences that cannot be ignored. We may analyze a wine and break it down into elements that make a wine good or bad, and then rate it based on the sum of its parts. However, it is each of those elements of a wine that define its subjectivity. Take for example acidity.
Acidity is a key element in the longevity of a wine. Without balanced acidity, a wine will not age very well. Acidity also is a key component in driving the flavors of a wine. We can liken acidity to electricity. It lights up the flavors and gives them impact on the palate. Without a balanced amount however the wine can be dull and flabby with no life or electricity as it were. This is where subjectivity comes in. Some of us (critics) may be fond of acidity. In fact, I have a wine drinking friend who is literally addicted to acid. He sells wine to me and nine times out of ten, he will bring a wine that leans heavily towards acid. Now, I myself enjoy a wine with a heavy dose of acid from time to time. However, I lean towards a rounder style with balanced acid. Will my friend be influenced by his love for acidity if he is rating a wine? I firmly believe he would be, maybe not purposely, but subliminally. Deep in his soul, he craves acid and if the wine does not deliver the amount needed to satisfy that craving, it will not make the grade.
My weakness is minerality. As soon as a wine shows minerals in the mouth, I go nuts. I love it, I crave it, and I know that it influences my feelings about a wine. I may try in vain to ignore this part of my wine psyche but I know deep inside that it will rear its head. Minerals are all about terroir and I am all about a wine expressing its sense of place. I know there is a constant debate about terroir and I refuse to believe that wine does not express in its soul where it was born and raised. Therefore, I will be the first to admit that a wine that is mineral driven will get a thumbs up from me. I’m not saying that I don’t try to recognize that, and work to be objective when it comes to a wine containing a healthy dose of minerals. I’m just saying that deep inside I know it influences my rating of a wine, along with being balanced and well made.
One of the top critics in the world is known for craving certain styles of wine and rating them accordingly. Who might that be? Robert Parker Jr. has long had the reputation for liking as he would put it… generous, unctuous wines. Whether you like him or hate him, his wine ratings have made or broken wineries around the globe. He has been accused of driving wine makers to produce wines that are high in alcohol, big and bombastic in order to procure a high rating in his wine journal The Wine Advocate. I’m not sure if all of that is true, but it goes to show that even a highly regarded wine critic is incapable of avoiding subjectivity when it comes to rating wine.
That is why I chose to switch over to the A thru F grading system for rating wines. I had a few teachers in school who would give me an “A” not because my work was perfect, but because they liked the effort I put into the class, or they just liked me as a person. Is that fair? Not always of course but it is the way life works sometimes. If I give a wine an “A” it may not be a perfect wine. What is a perfect wine anyway? I give a wine an “A” because it pleases my palate, it shows a good effort in wine making, it has all the elements that make a good wine a good wine and I just simply like it enough to give it an A. If it puts my palate on overload, I may be inclined to give it an A+.
A retired teacher friend of mine once told me that the 100 point system in school was always a problem for him. He would give a student 96/100 and invariably that student would come to him and ask why they didn’t get a 97. It’s good question and a fine line. What if I were to give a wine 99 points? Why not 100? What one flaw in that wine caused me to nix it by one point? And is a 100 point wine really a perfect wine? Who says so? The 100 point scoring system is too definitive and I believe superfluous. Why not just use a ten point system? How many times have we said…”How is it on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best? Actually, I believe you can’t put a number on a wine at all. But you can grade it according to your personal palate preferences and other factors that come into play such as balance, minerals, acidity and finish.
In our Twitter conversation Joe Roberts (1Winedude) made an interesting statement…”The grade represents where I see that wine on a continuum of best/worst in the world.” Now Joe, like many wine critics has opportunity to taste a ton of wine over the course of a year. And not only “wine”, but many different wines. This no doubt gives him a broader spectrum on which to base his grade. However, Joe likes certain things about a wine that influences his grade of that wine. And, the fact that he tastes so many different wines certainly has to solidify his preferences. I will be the first to tell you that not everyone is the same, and 1Winedude may have better control over his preferences in wine then me, but he still has certain things he likes to taste in a wine.
I think it is safe to say that if we as critics are honest with ourselves we will admit that we are not immune to subjectivity. I know that most critics taste a boatload of grape juice and therefore have a broader base on which to compare and grade each wine. However, we are all human and have our likes and dislikes and this will show in the score or grade we give a wine. So, the key for the consumer is to get to know the critics palate and decide if you want to follow their direction. Their “A” wine may be your “B” wine and that is o.k. if you understand that. I’ve tasted some wines that other critics have raved about and I didn’t like them at all. One purchase is usually all it takes for you to know what direction the critics palate leans.
Be assured that nearly all us wine critics have the best of intentions. We want to give guidance to our readers so that when they invest their hard earned money, it is in a worthwhile bottle of wine. We love wine, and love to write and talk about it. But, we are human… ’nuff said.