Challenging the Status Quo
So much ink has flowed on whether or not wine should be reviewed or assigned a score. The argument is passionate and two radically opposite schools-of-thought have emerged from the debate.
Reviews and Scores: The Downside
An individual review is a subjective judgment that does not reflect the opinion of the larger community. The mere fact that one person loves a wine, or hates it, has nothing to do with our personal taste buds. We recently hosted a viognier blind tasting and ended up with 4 wines out of 6 getting first place. How could this be? They were all so different. Well, that’s the point: each wine exhibited various characteristics and personalities that appealed differently to each of us.
Wine is a dynamic substance that evolves over time. Since a review only considers one moment in time in the life of the wine, how do we account for the transformation of this organic substance? The wine will change by either improving or deteriorating and therefore its transformation decreases the accuracy of this static review.
The appreciation of a bottle is often linked to the story behind the wine. A review does not provide information about the terroir, the winemaker, or the winery. A score does not describe grape characteristics, nor does it mention the weather for that year in that region. Anecdotes about the winemaker’s techniques, or the new equipment the winery acquired for that vintage, are simply not part of the tasting notes.
A review omits the context in which the wine was appreciated. A professional tasting event might introduce 100 to 200 different wines during a 5-hour span. By contrast, a small dinner party where each course is paired with a wine might paint a totally different picture for the consumer. The context impacts the experience and therefore influences the reviewer’s perception of the qualities of a wine.
What Does a Number Mean Anyway?
A score below a certain level might be a kiss of death for a winery. The perception that the wine is bad will not only affect the reputation of the winemaker but also the image of the winery and the quality of any other wines produced there. Yet, only one person disliked the wine at one point in time during one tasting event. Shouldn’t the score be an indication of a rank amongst a set of similar wines? How to interpret its weight? The reverse being true, a score above a certain level might bring instant fame.
The good scores are leveraged commercially as promotional tools. The numbers are being thrown at consumers as a mechanism to justify overpricing. Distribution gets suddenly uneven and long-lasting relationships are being ignored in favor of a strategic allocation model which rewards big names and famous places. Scores profoundly skew the wine industry by controlling supply and demand and discouraging integrity.
The numerical judgment also influences how wines are being made. Weak-minded winemakers “engineer” their wines to cater to renowned reviewers and obtain higher scores, hoping to boost sales. Yeast, oak chips, and reverse osmosis represent only a few methods affecting color, style, and alcohol content. The quest for scores has influenced the winemaking techniques of too many wineries.
The Value of Reviews and Scores: When They Matter
Demystify
Wine, unfortunately, is perceived as elitist and ridiculously complicated. Young adults entering the working world possess little or no knowledge about wine. The barrier of entry into the wine world is overwhelming and too often intimidating. This should not be the case. Reviews can help demystify the upper-class status of wine and deliver knowledge to the new wine enthusiast.
Empower
In rather simple terms, a rating is an indication and a review is a description. Under no circumstance should a single rating or review dictate a purchasing behavior. On the other hand, collective opinions, aggregation of reviews, and wine comments bring considerable value in selecting a wine. Additionally, the review process empowers the wine enthusiast to identify the various flavors and aromas inside the bottle.
So much ink has flowed on whether or not wine should be reviewed or assigned a score. The argument is passionate and two radically opposite schools-of-thought have emerged from the debate.
Reviews and Scores: The Downside
An individual review is a subjective judgment that does not reflect the opinion of the larger community. The mere fact that one person loves a wine, or hates it, has nothing to do with our personal taste buds. We recently hosted a viognier blind tasting and ended up with 4 wines out of 6 getting first place. How could this be? They were all so different. Well, that’s the point: each wine exhibited various characteristics and personalities that appealed differently to each of us.
Wine is a dynamic substance that evolves over time. Since a review only considers one moment in time in the life of the wine, how do we account for the transformation of this organic substance? The wine will change by either improving or deteriorating and therefore its transformation decreases the accuracy of this static review.
The appreciation of a bottle is often linked to the story behind the wine. A review does not provide information about the terroir, the winemaker, or the winery. A score does not describe grape characteristics, nor does it mention the weather for that year in that region. Anecdotes about the winemaker’s techniques, or the new equipment the winery acquired for that vintage, are simply not part of the tasting notes.
A review omits the context in which the wine was appreciated. A professional tasting event might introduce 100 to 200 different wines during a 5-hour span. By contrast, a small dinner party where each course is paired with a wine might paint a totally different picture for the consumer. The context impacts the experience and therefore influences the reviewer’s perception of the qualities of a wine.
What Does a Number Mean Anyway?
A score below a certain level might be a kiss of death for a winery. The perception that the wine is bad will not only affect the reputation of the winemaker but also the image of the winery and the quality of any other wines produced there. Yet, only one person disliked the wine at one point in time during one tasting event. Shouldn’t the score be an indication of a rank amongst a set of similar wines? How to interpret its weight? The reverse being true, a score above a certain level might bring instant fame.
The good scores are leveraged commercially as promotional tools. The numbers are being thrown at consumers as a mechanism to justify overpricing. Distribution gets suddenly uneven and long-lasting relationships are being ignored in favor of a strategic allocation model which rewards big names and famous places. Scores profoundly skew the wine industry by controlling supply and demand and discouraging integrity.
The numerical judgment also influences how wines are being made. Weak-minded winemakers “engineer” their wines to cater to renowned reviewers and obtain higher scores, hoping to boost sales. Yeast, oak chips, and reverse osmosis represent only a few methods affecting color, style, and alcohol content. The quest for scores has influenced the winemaking techniques of too many wineries.
The Value of Reviews and Scores: When They Matter
Demystify
Wine, unfortunately, is perceived as elitist and ridiculously complicated. Young adults entering the working world possess little or no knowledge about wine. The barrier of entry into the wine world is overwhelming and too often intimidating. This should not be the case. Reviews can help demystify the upper-class status of wine and deliver knowledge to the new wine enthusiast.
Empower
In rather simple terms, a rating is an indication and a review is a description. Under no circumstance should a single rating or review dictate a purchasing behavior. On the other hand, collective opinions, aggregation of reviews, and wine comments bring considerable value in selecting a wine. Additionally, the review process empowers the wine enthusiast to identify the various flavors and aromas inside the bottle.
Share
Reviews represent also a medium to share an experience not lived by others. By using a common language and a well-understood nomenclature, an individual can convey sensory perceptions for a wine and therefore share with others the tasting experience.
Assist
As an indicator, reviews and scores assist people in choosing a wine. The number of bottles flooding the market is such that one barely could make a dent in tasting all wines. The score is a guide to quality and the description paints the different components of the wine. Buyers have the opportunity to select a bottle based on independent reviews rather than the promotional materials of the producer.
Moderate
From a health perspective, the mere fact of reviewing a wine slows down careless drinking. It is not about the quantity being consumed but rather the perceived quality of the wine. When combined with a meal, it is considered a drink of moderation rather than an abusive substance.
Educate
Tasting and comparing many different wines increases knowledge. Distinctive flavors are acquired and complexity can only be understood after sufficient exposure to a diverse selection. Reviewing wine builds sensory perception. Recording our reaction to a wine allows us to remember, compare, and discuss with others our appreciation.
Communicate
Reviewing and scoring can open the door to clear communications amongst wine lovers. It establishes a common language used by a diverse crowd to simply digest "wine information". Scoring has already fulfilled this function: most consumers find the 100-point system intuitive and understand the scoring values. Yet, the score needs to be the aggregation of a large number of people and not one single palate in order to be useful.
Guide
Lastly, consumer reviews have always been popular because it considerably speeds up the learning curve prior to making a purchase. In that same way, wine reviews and scores fulfill this role under the following circumstances: the information is independent, encompasses more than one single opinion, and aims only at guiding a selection.
WINE OPINION HAS BEEN, DEMOCRATIZED
It might time to introduce a third school-of-thought: a movement capitalizing on the best of both worlds, yet addressing some of the current problems encountered with reviews. Let’s imagine this world:
We’ve created a place for wine connoisseurs and amateurs to review wines in an easy and intuitive manner. Our system has been designed to be easily searchable with a browser or a mobile device.
We call it: iTELL iSEEK.
Reviews represent also a medium to share an experience not lived by others. By using a common language and a well-understood nomenclature, an individual can convey sensory perceptions for a wine and therefore share with others the tasting experience.
Assist
As an indicator, reviews and scores assist people in choosing a wine. The number of bottles flooding the market is such that one barely could make a dent in tasting all wines. The score is a guide to quality and the description paints the different components of the wine. Buyers have the opportunity to select a bottle based on independent reviews rather than the promotional materials of the producer.
Moderate
From a health perspective, the mere fact of reviewing a wine slows down careless drinking. It is not about the quantity being consumed but rather the perceived quality of the wine. When combined with a meal, it is considered a drink of moderation rather than an abusive substance.
Educate
Tasting and comparing many different wines increases knowledge. Distinctive flavors are acquired and complexity can only be understood after sufficient exposure to a diverse selection. Reviewing wine builds sensory perception. Recording our reaction to a wine allows us to remember, compare, and discuss with others our appreciation.
Communicate
Reviewing and scoring can open the door to clear communications amongst wine lovers. It establishes a common language used by a diverse crowd to simply digest "wine information". Scoring has already fulfilled this function: most consumers find the 100-point system intuitive and understand the scoring values. Yet, the score needs to be the aggregation of a large number of people and not one single palate in order to be useful.
Guide
Lastly, consumer reviews have always been popular because it considerably speeds up the learning curve prior to making a purchase. In that same way, wine reviews and scores fulfill this role under the following circumstances: the information is independent, encompasses more than one single opinion, and aims only at guiding a selection.
WINE OPINION HAS BEEN, DEMOCRATIZED
It might time to introduce a third school-of-thought: a movement capitalizing on the best of both worlds, yet addressing some of the current problems encountered with reviews. Let’s imagine this world:
Reviews are conducted by a crowd.
The single palate opinion has just died, giving birth to an aggregation of people’s reviews in one snap shot.
Consumer rating is powerful. It is an expression of an experience communicated to others using an intuitive
language.
Reviews present consistent and comparable results, yet without losing their personality. The review is being captured using a step-by-step model covering the different sensory senses and also allowing for personal touches and comments. The uniformity of the results magnifies the huge potential for searching.
Reviews become searchable regardless of who wrote them so one person can no longer influence the way wine is made or how much money it commands. Consumers regain the freedom of choice with a new diversity in wine that leverage terroir and climate rather than follow the dictates of professional wine critics.
Taste buds are personal and no one controls your palate. Each and every single one of us can formulate an
opinion based on what is pleasing to the palate and what is not. Consequently, wine amateurs should be
comfortable experimenting and learning about wine by opening up a bottle.
The next step is to attempt to share the experience with others who did not live it.
Reviews present consistent and comparable results, yet without losing their personality. The review is being captured using a step-by-step model covering the different sensory senses and also allowing for personal touches and comments. The uniformity of the results magnifies the huge potential for searching.
Reviews become searchable regardless of who wrote them so one person can no longer influence the way wine is made or how much money it commands. Consumers regain the freedom of choice with a new diversity in wine that leverage terroir and climate rather than follow the dictates of professional wine critics.
We’ve created a place for wine connoisseurs and amateurs to review wines in an easy and intuitive manner. Our system has been designed to be easily searchable with a browser or a mobile device.
We call it: iTELL iSEEK.