Wine ratings explained

Three- and five-point ratings don't address the subject adequately, and wine producers themselves cannot be relied upon to be objective.

In the beginning, there were no rating systems to help consumers wade through the thicket of wines claiming quality. One merely said that a wine was “good”, “very good” or “excellent”.

Yes, the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines for the world fair had identified 61 reds (and 26 sweet whites) as worthy of being categorised into five “growths” — but it’s cast in stone, with only two changes in 160 years.

Today, there are thousands of wine labels and each year’s vintage needs to be rated separately. Three- and five-point ratings don’t address the subject adequately, and wine producers themselves cannot be