Wine ratings. A very subjective system to be sure. Well trained Sommeliers with years of experience and those in the business, once again highly trained in understanding wines, are utilized to give wines a ranking out of 100 (this method seems to be the most popular and easiest to understand). The following will explain the numerical values associated with a wine and what you can expect when you see a wine's ranking.
96 - 100:
An extraordinary wine. One with a profound and complex character with all the attributes expected of a classic wine (of the same variety). Wines of this calibre are worth searching for and purchasing to hold on for those special occasions. Very much in the upper scale of pricing and once rated, soon to be gone from shelves.
90 - 95:
An outstanding wine with an exceptional complexity and character. These are the wines which, although also pricey, can be more affordable and are sought after by those who appreciate wines. These wines are also gone fast once rated and word gets out.
80 - 89:
An above average to very good wine. A wine in this rating has good flavour and holds up well with a certain character about it. Most of the wines we all buy fall in to this range, but don't be worried as there are many gems to be found. personally, any wine 84+ will always be a draw for me to purchase.
I won't bother with any rating under 80 as I personally have never seen any rated this low.
How are wines given these ratings? The following indicates how the rankings are assembled.
Each wine starts at 50 points.
Colour - up to 5 points
Aroma/Bouquet - up to 15 points
Flavour - Up to 20 points
Further improvement (will cellaring improve this wine?) - up to 10 points
Finally :
Remember, the most important score is the one YOU apply to a bottle. No one should tell you anything other than what they felt this wine was to their preferences. I have tried numerous 90+ bottles, all in the name of education of course, and found some not to my liking, while others rated mid 80's were like a "party in my mouth". Initially use the ratings as a starting point and work on your own from there. What I've tried to do is find a published source (whether LCBO, websites, newsletters, etc) that have rated a wine. I then try the wine and see where I would place it on my own scale. In this way you start to see who you match in ratings and appreciation and in this way future recommendations from that reference can safely guide your purchases .
References :
E. Robert Parker
The Wine Enthusiast Ranking System
The Liquor Board of Ontario
Vintages
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Wine Rating System
Monday, July 5, 2010
Welcome
Welcome to my attempt at blogging.
I became (more) interested in wines after a trip to California's Napa and Sonoma counties late in 2009. On returning home I found out that many of the wines I enjoyed on my trip are (a) not available here and (b) can not be shipped to Canada due to various sanctions, etc.
Because of this I decided to investigate the wineries of Ontario, Canada and see if I could find the same sort of wines here. Was I in for a shock. After first seeing how many wineries there are in Ontario, and then seeing the actual regions for wines the search was on. Below are the 4 main regions that I personally consider, but there are wineries strewn all over the province. From these regions I will be talking about those wineries I have personally visited and sampled from their selection. I will include, where possible, companion's notes as well so as to provide a broader spectrum and not have you trust only my judgement.
The first region that everyone knows about is the Niagara Escarpment. These are well established wineries with a number of them rivalling the sizes of some California establishments. This is the region and wineries that many Ontarians and Northern New Yorkers think of and converge to when making their outings. Many wineries can be found here, and an enjoyable time can be had searching for your favourite drink. My opinion? Many are just OK, living off of past accomplishments, while producing enough of the garden variety wines that the bus loads of tourists purchase by the case. There are some great wines to be had, but you need to search them out.
The next big region, for me anyway, if the Erie Shore wineries. These can be found around the Leamington to Windsor corridor along lake Erie. I always call this the Pelee Island Wineries as the Pelee Island Winery is the biggest and most well known in this region. Of course bigger isn't always better. There are some real gems in here and you realise that 80% of them are only available by visiting the winery or via mail order. The reason is that they do not produce enough volume to be considered for our LCBO (Liquor Board of Ontario). Many produce less than 500 cases of wines, so you find a lot of care taken with these vintages.
Now we come to the Prince Edward County winery region. This is the region found on Lake Ontario in the south-eastern part of Ontario and is found near the town of Picton. These are definitely small growers, many with less than 50 acres of vines. Very much specialty wines and made with great care. Again, as with all the regions, there are some real hidden gems to be found. My only contention here is that due to the smaller sizes of the wineries, prices are in the upper ranges ($20-$50) per bottle. No real cheapies here, but then again I was able to find a great buy this past trip.
There is another region which is usually lumped in with Niagara, but seems to be finally winning it's own fans. I know this as the Beamsville winery regions. In my thinking this is the region between Hamilton and St Catherines. There are some very good wineries here, offering all price ranges, and selections of wines. Many have great reputations, and are giving their Niagara cousins a run for their bottling dollar.
So, that in a nutshell, are the regions I will be discussing here. This past year I have visited all three regions and will be going through my notes to provide you with what I felt were the surprises (good and bad), and the gems that showed up in our travels. Hopefully I can excite you to try the Ontario wines and provide some starting points for your journey.
I became (more) interested in wines after a trip to California's Napa and Sonoma counties late in 2009. On returning home I found out that many of the wines I enjoyed on my trip are (a) not available here and (b) can not be shipped to Canada due to various sanctions, etc.
Because of this I decided to investigate the wineries of Ontario, Canada and see if I could find the same sort of wines here. Was I in for a shock. After first seeing how many wineries there are in Ontario, and then seeing the actual regions for wines the search was on. Below are the 4 main regions that I personally consider, but there are wineries strewn all over the province. From these regions I will be talking about those wineries I have personally visited and sampled from their selection. I will include, where possible, companion's notes as well so as to provide a broader spectrum and not have you trust only my judgement.
The first region that everyone knows about is the Niagara Escarpment. These are well established wineries with a number of them rivalling the sizes of some California establishments. This is the region and wineries that many Ontarians and Northern New Yorkers think of and converge to when making their outings. Many wineries can be found here, and an enjoyable time can be had searching for your favourite drink. My opinion? Many are just OK, living off of past accomplishments, while producing enough of the garden variety wines that the bus loads of tourists purchase by the case. There are some great wines to be had, but you need to search them out.
The next big region, for me anyway, if the Erie Shore wineries. These can be found around the Leamington to Windsor corridor along lake Erie. I always call this the Pelee Island Wineries as the Pelee Island Winery is the biggest and most well known in this region. Of course bigger isn't always better. There are some real gems in here and you realise that 80% of them are only available by visiting the winery or via mail order. The reason is that they do not produce enough volume to be considered for our LCBO (Liquor Board of Ontario). Many produce less than 500 cases of wines, so you find a lot of care taken with these vintages.
Now we come to the Prince Edward County winery region. This is the region found on Lake Ontario in the south-eastern part of Ontario and is found near the town of Picton. These are definitely small growers, many with less than 50 acres of vines. Very much specialty wines and made with great care. Again, as with all the regions, there are some real hidden gems to be found. My only contention here is that due to the smaller sizes of the wineries, prices are in the upper ranges ($20-$50) per bottle. No real cheapies here, but then again I was able to find a great buy this past trip.
There is another region which is usually lumped in with Niagara, but seems to be finally winning it's own fans. I know this as the Beamsville winery regions. In my thinking this is the region between Hamilton and St Catherines. There are some very good wineries here, offering all price ranges, and selections of wines. Many have great reputations, and are giving their Niagara cousins a run for their bottling dollar.
So, that in a nutshell, are the regions I will be discussing here. This past year I have visited all three regions and will be going through my notes to provide you with what I felt were the surprises (good and bad), and the gems that showed up in our travels. Hopefully I can excite you to try the Ontario wines and provide some starting points for your journey.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
About Me
- Wine Guy
- Stumbling through the later stages of life, wine has become an addictive hobby, and Ontario wines my passion. After travelling to many of the wineries across Ontario I found that there were few, if any, references to them and what each had to offer. I hope this site will allow you the opportunity to read about the wine producers of Ontario and maybe get you to visit them. There are some very good wines out there, along with some very not so good wines. Finding those good and even great wines make the distances travelled well worth it. I've experienced many of these wineries and will try to provide you with what makes each special. Enjoy! Other than this latest hobby I also enjoy : playing Poker, gardening, and travelling.