Wine Ratings Explained: What Wine Scores Really Mean

A wine rating is a critic’s verdict on a wine, usually a score on a 100-point scale plus a short tasting note. A score of 90 or more generally means the critic found the wine outstanding. But the number only tells you so much: who gave it, for which vintage, and what the bottle costs matter just as much. This guide explains how wine scores work and how to use them to buy better wine for your money.

How the 100-point scale started

The 100-point scale in wine is an American invention. The critic Robert Parker popularized a scale from 50 to 100 in the 1970s, modeled on the grading system used in US schools. Because the scale starts at 50, a score in the 80s is already a good result.

Major publications such as Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Parker’s own The Wine Advocate use similar 100-point scales. The numbers look the same, but each publication defines its own bands, so a 90 from one critic is not exactly the same as a 90 from another.

What the scores mean

Wine Spectator publishes how it defines each band of its 100-point scale. It is a useful reference for reading most US wine scores:

Score	Wine Spectator’s label	Our reading as a shopper
95–100	Classic	Rare, and usually priced to match
90–94	Outstanding	Worth seeking out, especially under $20
85–89	Very good	Where many of the best everyday buys sit
80–84	Good	Fine for everyday drinking
75–79	Mediocre	Usually best skipped
50–74	Not recommended	Skip

The labels in the second column are Wine Spectator’s. The third column is our plain-English reading of them. Wine Spectator says it reviews finished wines in blind tastings, so the tasters don’t know the producer when they score.

Is a 90-point wine good?

Yes. On Wine Spectator’s scale, 90 to 94 points means outstanding. A wine with 90 points from a major publication is a safe choice. If it also costs less than $20, it is a very good find.

Are 85 to 89 points worth buying?

Often, yes. In our view, the high 80s are the best place to look for everyday value: these wines are rated very good, and they aren’t priced on the strength of a 90-plus score.

Other rating scales

Not every critic uses 100 points:

• 20-point scale. Some critics, including the British writers Jancis Robinson and Michael Broadbent, score wines out of 20.
• 5-star scale. Some writers and guides use 0 to 5 stars, sometimes with half stars.
• Community ratings. Sites such as CellarTracker collect ratings from many non-professional drinkers, and apps such as Vivino show an average star rating from their users. These are helpful for popular wines, but the ratings come from many people tasting in different conditions, so they are less consistent than a critic’s blind tasting.

Because the scales work differently, we never convert a 20-point or 5-star rating into 100 points. When we quote a score, we say which scale it uses.

Why critics disagree, and the limits of scores

Two critics can taste the same wine and give it different scores. Tastes differ, and so do tasting conditions. Critics of the system also point out that when many wines are tasted side by side, deeply colored, full-bodied and concentrated wines tend to stand out and score higher. Some argue this has pushed winemakers toward that style and away from lighter, more individual wines.

So use a score as a strong hint, not a final answer. In our view, a light, fresh wine with 88 points can be a better match for your dinner than a heavy one with 93.

How to use wine ratings when you buy

1. Check the vintage. A score applies to one vintage. The 2021 can be rated very differently from the 2022 on the shelf.
2. Check who gave the score. A shelf tag that says “92 points” should name the publication. If it doesn’t, be cautious.
3. Compare the score with the price. This is the idea behind QPR, the quality-to-price ratio. A 90-point wine at $15 is far better value than a 90-point wine at $45.
4. Read the note, not just the number. The tasting note tells you whether the wine is light or bold, dry or fruity, which matters more for your meal than a point or two.

How Wine Blue Book uses ratings

Our value picks compare published critic scores with current US prices and give each wine a Great Value or Good Value verdict. We don’t taste the wines ourselves, and we show every score with its source and the date we checked the price. The full method, including the price thresholds, is on How we rate wine. To see it in action, browse our best value wines.

The original Wine Blue Book

From the mid-2000s to around 2012, this web address was home to the Wine Blue Book, a monthly newsletter that compared the scores different critics gave each wine with its price, to help readers find good-value bottles. Its issues and ratings pages are no longer online. If an old link brought you here, the guides above show how to read wine scores today, and our value picks carry the same idea forward with current wines and prices.