Scores

Scores

As of 2012, I started to apply scores to my tasting notes.  I felt this necessary for two reasons:

1) To try and further aid my development, in terms of understanding wine;

2) I felt that may be a market expectation to do so, especially as I start to receive more samples from wineries.

As of September 2013, I dropped the dual use of 'Points + Word/ Descriptor'. I felt this was rather limiting in that it only 'allowed' for a 'Good' wine to be scored between 88-90, and likewise a score of 85-87 could only be associated to an 'Average' wine. I leave the original table intact below. 

The scoring system* I use is fairly standard:

Points	Star	Medal	Word/ Descriptor
82-84	*		Poor
85-87	**		Average
88-90	***	Bronze	Good
91-93	****	Silver	Very Good
94-96	*****	Gold	Outstanding
97-100	******		Exceptional

Don't get too hung up on scores, they cannot be enjoyed per se, and should be seen as one small element of the overall tasting note.  

Likewise scores should never detract from the experience one derives from a wine, from sharing it with friends, family, loved ones and those experiences that arise out of their consumption.

* It was changed on 24/03/2012 so that 91-93 was Very Good.  I felt the qualitative jump from Good - Excellent too great.  Reviews were retrospectively adjusted.