Reviews

How I Taste Wine

Everyone has their own scoring system for communicating quality assessments, and we’ve all become very familiar with the U.S. system of scoring on a 100-point scale. My own method comes from a collector friend who used to keep empties on a “wall of fame,” penciling stars and pluses directly on the labels. This was over twenty years ago, and I don’t remember his exact criteria, but what developed for me is something personal that helps me remember my impression of the wine. 

Here’s how it works:

***** = a superb example of terroir expression, wine-making skill, and class

**** = exceptional for its appellation and vintage

*** = a satisfying and delicious wine

** = good to very good, a wine without flaws

* = little motivation to drink

+ or ++ can be added to the one-star through four-star assessments, pushing the score higher. 

Thanks for discovering this site and for your shared interest for “Wine in Germany & Austria.”