Scores don't always tell truth about wine

Wine scores have tremendous power. The old saw is that if a wine scores more than 90 points you can't find it, and if a wine scores below 90 points, you can't sell it.

With the sea of wine available to consumers, it makes sense to have a system to rate quality. But there is a lot of confusion and controversy about ratings.

A good score can elevate a winemaker to great heights. It can allow consumers to buy "by the numbers" without reading the confusing and sometimes silly descriptions of wine.

I have friends who shop by numbers, loading the latest scores into their BlackBerries and making the rounds of shops to pick off the wines with the highest ratings.

On the flip side, a high score can mean an instant increase in price and cause a shortage. If folks in Charlotte are chasing the latest 97-point wine, shoppers in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Vegas are, too.

No group is recognized as the undisputed authority on wine, but the most influential wine critic is Robert Parker. His opinions, published bi-monthly in The Wine Report, can rock the wine world. Winemakers send samples to Parker and his team, who rate them from 50 to 100 points.

The 100-point system is easy for Americans to understand. That's the way our papers were graded in school, and we get the idea of 90-100 points being an "A." Publications such as Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast also use the 100-point scale. Other reviewers, such as Decanter magazine and writer Jancis Robinson, use a 20-point scale, while others use a simple 1-5 point system.

Scores are based on a reviewer's opinion, so they are subjective, no matter how experienced the taster. Although professional tasters can get pretty good at evaluating dispassionately, no taster can completely disassociate his or her own preferences.

The wines that don't fare as well tend to be more subtle, restrained and delicate - all qualities that help them pair well with food.

Recently, some winemakers have refused to submit wines for tasting. Lots of small to midsize wineries hope to build a relationship with a consumer that is based on loyalty and confidence, rather than ratings.

I poured one wine - whose producer opposes rating systems - at a blind tasting party where we ranked wine using a 20-point system developed at the University of California at Davis. It came in dead last. But both bottles I brought were the first to be drunk after the tasting, and it was the wine that tasters almost unanimously chose to pair with dinner.

Winemakers and consumers are edging away from a slavish devotion to wine scores. Wine lovers also are learning to trust their own palates, knowing that they give the score that counts.