Every year, many producers release thousands of wines on the market and I try to select wines that I believe may have interest to the subscriber to The Uncorked Report.

Now, I know many people place a lot of importance on a score or rating of a wine, however, it is more important to get some experience with a particular reviewer to see if your palate matches their palate.

Remember, ratings & scores are only a guide not an absolute.

For example, I may give a rating of 98 Bow ties to a Pinot Noir from Sancerre (Loire Valley, France) because it is a wonderful example of its type, but if you don't like a light bodied, refreshing Pinot Noir with subtle fruit flavors, then who cares about a high score?

As I mention to customers who come into the wine store, if you don't like the characteristics of a 98 point wine why would you buy it? Just because of the rating? I don't think so...

During the beginning of one of my wine certification programs our instructor was discussing the format for the tasting part of the upcoming classes. We were advised that if anyone describes a wine with the flavor of "lobster bisque" they will be asked to leave that evening's session. We, as professionals and students, were expected to to follow a very simple rule, "identify specific aromas and flavors that are easily identifiable to at least 95% of the people ".

I use the above rule for my tasting notes. I always keep in mind that our personal life experiences, yours and mine, will influence our perceptions of aromas, sweetness, acidity, tannin (in red wines), body, flavors, alcohol levels and, most importantly, our overall conclusions about quality and value.

You may notice that many aromas and flavor characteristics repeat in the notes. The reason is that those are the characteristics I can identify, although I am constantly smelling and tasting all sorts of foods, flowers, spices, and natural elements to broaden and hone my wine tasting skills.

There are some other important ingredients to add into the wine tasting mix...the food, the ambiance, the company, your mood, and even what you may have had for breakfast.

I always say to customers that "very few people have had a bad bottle of wine on vacation" and they usually smile or laugh and say it's true. An important thing to keep in mind -- Do not discount, in any way, your mood and the context in which you are tasting the wine.

I hope that my tasting notes lead you to some wonderful wines and you find we have a similar palate. If there is ever a wine, after you have tasted it a second time, that you believe I have been far from the mark of accuracy accurate please contact me.

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I use a 100 point scale -- from 0 to 100.

I feel comfortable using absolute guidelines, although I realize that much of tasting wine and food is subjective, just as reviewing a ballet, movie, song, book, etc. It is not an absolutely objective science.

I usually taste two to three wines at a time in order to give each wine its appropriate focus and attention. I am not looking to be unfair to either my subscribers or the wine producers so I truly focus on each component, sometimes returning to the wine after a short "rest" from analyzing the wines.

The scoring method and the weight I place on each individual component comes from reading several textbooks on the subject of wine tasting, reading information posted on the internet, and my own subjective decision based upon my experience and education. See "How to Taste Wine"

This methodology may change from time to time as I receive new information or recognize a fault in the weighting system. Contact me with your comments, ideas, suggestions.

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Clarity (vitally important)

4 to 5 Points—The wine is brilliant, with no dullness, murkiness, or particles of sediment.

2 to 3 Points—The wine is clear, but not flashing with light reflections.

0 to 1 Points—If dull or cloudy.

Intensity & color (for the wine type) reveals little about the quality

0 to 9 Points—Acceptable colors for white wines are varying shades of yellow, gold, straw. 0=Flaws are any amber tones, indicating oxidation.

0 to 9 Points—A rosé wines can be a true pink, or by reason of its grape source, tinged with deeper red or orange. Overly violet tints, brown tints of amber or deep red are faults.

0 to 9 Points—Color of red wines wines depends greatly upon the grape variety. Pinot Noir may be light enough to verge on transparency. Cabernet or Zinfandel will be deep red. Newer or younger wines will often have blue-purple edges, as older wines will show bronze edges.

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The aromas

0 to 5 Points—Condition—Clean? Unclean? Faults? Any "off" aromas.

0 to 11 Points—Intensity—Can hint as to quality.

0 to 15 Points—Aroma and Bouquet—Aromas come from the fruit; Bouquet is an assortment of fragrances usually found in high quality mature wines) (Aroma/Bouquet Development: A wine that is more subtle and complex on the nose is likely to be more mature and of better quality)

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0 to 3 Points—Sweetness/Sugar—Experienced first on tip of tongue. Sugar and total acidity go together. Overly sweet for the wine's type is a fault, as is overly dry.

0 to 3 Points—Total Acidity—Experienced second on sides of tongue toward the back (salivation effect). It is wine's refreshing zing. If low, the wine is flat, flabby or soapy. It can be too high with unpleasant sharpness.

0 to 5 Points—Tannin—Experienced as a drying effect on gums and teeth. Important for red wines to age. Most pronounced in young red wines. Bitterness may be the result of excessive tannin due to over extraction during maceration in red wine making, excess oak contact for white wines, barely ripe red grapes, bruising of grape skins and pips during both red and white wine making.

0 to 5 Points—Body—This is the wine's viscous nature identified as mouth-feel or weight in the mount.

0 to 3 Points—Alcohol—Difficult to detect on the palate but is a constituent of body. If out of balance with the other constituents or just very high a burning/warming effect occurs at back of mouth.

0 to 7 Points—Flavor Characteristics and Intensity—The flavor should correspond with the bouquet and aroma, being clean, fruity, full or balanced. Are the flavor characteristics complex? Do new flavors evolve on the palate as the tasting time lengthens? Is there a myriad of flavors or just one or two?

1. First you feel the presence and tastes of the wine extending and remaining beyond the back of your tongue and down into your throat. The favors of "short" wines seem barely to cross your tongue before they die.
2. The second perception of Palate Length is one of the MOST IMPORTANT means of judging quality. It is the length of time over which the wine continues to hold your attention as you explore it in your mouth, for how long it carries on stimulating your taste-buds, teasing your palate. The finest wines seem to have an inner energy and range of sensations which keep you savoring so that you finish the liquid in your mouth before you have exhausted its possibilities. This is often referred to as the middle-palate, or length across the palate. KEY FEATURE OF QUALITY.

0 to 7 Points—Length of Finish/Aftertaste—The tastes and aromas which persist after you have finished tasting the wine, and for how long these last; the longer the better. If any of the three strongest constituents of wine - acid, tannin, alcohol - can be present in excess, and where this is so they may give rise to a false impression of quality.

0 to 11 Points—Intensity—Can hint as to quality.

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The only category for subjective appraisal, adjusting the score on the basis of the wine's total performance.

0 to 5 Points—Balance of Components

0 to 5 Points—Length of the Finish

0 to 5 Points—Intensity of the aromas and flavors

0 to 3 Points—How expressive is the wine of its region of origin or its grape variety/blend

0 to 1 Points—How well will the wine last (I do not give this much weight because 98 percent of the wines produced today are for consumption within 12 months.

0 to 1 Points—Potential to improve in the bottle

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Approximate retail price excluding tax

Availability

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95 to 100 Points—Great, Exceptional, Excellent, Spectacular
90 to 94 Points—Wine made me smile and reflect on it virtues. It is rich in character, unique, complex.
85 to 89 Points—Very Good (They may be delicious with some interesting flavors and textures.
80 to 84 Points—Good (The wine is pleasant. You could bring this wine to a casual get together with friends or to drink on a weeknight. Worth buying and drinking.
70 to 79 Points—Mediocre (Might not be mentioned by this reviewer).
60 to 69 Points—Poor (Might not be mentioned by this reviewer).
59 and below—Not mentioned by this reviewer.

Favorite Wines: This isn't necessarily the wine with the highest score but a wine that appeals to me and my own taste. And usually, I am purchasing this wine for my home consumption.

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References:

• Fielden, C. & Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2004). Exploring the World of Wines and Spirits. London:England.
• Robinson, J. (ed.) (1999). The Oxford Companion to Wine - Second Edition. Oxford University Press. New York: NY.
• Schuster, M. (2002). Essential Winetasting: The Complete Practical Winetasting Course. Michell Beazley. London:England.

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