What's Going On in the World of French Wines

I was asked the other day if I give the wines I chose for the Top 50 list points. When I said that I don’t like using a point system, the natural follow-up question was “why not?”

It’s a good question and a valid one. Most wine critics do like to use some sort of rating system, something that, I’ll be honest, I tend to shy away from. There are all kinds of esoteric discussions around wine ratings which usually end with the argument, well, people just seem to love them. And it is true – we do love ratings and they can have their place. Restaurants get stars, movies get thumbs up, wines get points – the list goes on and on. But how much can (and should) you really trust a score?

When it comes to giving out points, I think that it is easy to get a bit carried away. What exactly does a 100 point wine mean? Is it perfect? And if it is perfect, is it perfect at that point in time or will it be better or worse several years down the road? What does wine perfection mean? Does it mean that all other wines you taste will never taste as good? If two wines are both given the same perfect score will they taste the same or different? This last question is a bit silly of course. In most cases they will be different – that’s one of the most interesting things about wines – the variety. Type of grape, location where the grapes were grown, decisions made in the winery, choice of packaging and closure – all of those things affect the taste of a wine which creates a staggering amount of variety.

But sometimes variety is overwhelming, which is one reason why point systems were first introduced. It was thought that it was one way to try to simplify the crazy world of wine. But I think sometimes we take scores a little too seriously. I think it is important to look for a description of the wine rather than its final score. This is the main reason why I give a tasting note for each wine on my Top 50 list but I do not include a final score. The other issue I have with points is that sometimes scoring wines is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Wines differ in a lot of ways. There are wines that pair better with food as opposed to those that are better drunk on their own. Sparkling wines, still wines, dessert wines – they all have different attributes and characteristics.

Now I am not saying that we should abandon all point systems forever and ever, but I think that points alone should not determine what we do and don’t drink. I think it is important to look past the score and see why someone likes or doesn’t like a wine. And in the end, the most important thing is not whether some critic likes a wine, it is whether or not YOU, the drinker of the wine, enjoy it. Critics can be helpful – I hope for instance that the Top 50 list is useful to people looking for a great bottle of wine. I’ve tried to assemble a list that has a lot of variety and value. But remember, the list is just a guide and the ultimate decision as to whether or not something scores with your palate is if you enjoy it.