I always wonder if wine ratings are really the same across all classes or price categories of wine.

For example, if a $9 wine is rated by WS at 91, is that really the same rating as, let's say, a $40-50 wine that has the same rating?

Yes

Paul, remember WS taste all of their wines blind.

+1. That's why folks go nuts when the occasional 15 dollar wine scores in the mid-90s. Do some blind tasting yourself. The pricier wines often rise to the top, but not always!

I don't see why price would matter, but what do you mean by "classes" of wine? Were you using that as a synonym for price or do you mean something like region?

By "class" I simply meant price class ($10, $20, $30, etc.) To the extent that you pay attention to ratings or buy on that basis, it is hard to accept paying $50-60 for a bottle rated 92-93 when sometimes you can find a $12-15 bottle with the same ratings. I tend to buy varietal, terroir, winery in that order before considering ratings alone.

quote:

Originally posted by GregT:
I don't see why price would matter, but what do you mean by "classes" of wine? Were you using that as a synonym for price or do you mean something like region?

Paul,

I'm sure others will chime in, but many times I think that extra cost may not get you a better tasting wine now, but gets you a wine that is built to age and will give a much more unique, and some would say rewarding experience down the road.

Things like new oak barrels, and aging time in them aren't cheap, which is usually reflected in the price. For many, a 92 point "drink it now" experience simply doesn't compare to a well aged 92 point bottle (given by the same reviewer) that had been built to go for 20+ years.

OK. So you used "class" in relation to price. Then it shouldn't matter at all.

There are many things that account for additional costs - high prices of vineyard land and/or grapes, high prices for consulting winemakers, high prices for elaborate bottles and labels, high prices for attorneys if you are just starting in the business, etc. The guy who buys land in Napa today and wants to make wine will be investing a lot more than the guys who bought back in the 1970s and planted back then. And Napa is probably more expensive than Bordeaux.

But all of that doesn't raise the price of the wine to what you finally pay. At a certain level, and it's fairly low, you're not paying for the inputs anymore.

After a certain price, wine becomes a Veblen good. Consequently, there is no reason at all that you can't find a $18 wine as good as an $80 wine. It's why you should do blind tasting once in a while.

Here are some figures from Jancis Robinson. Check out the table on the bottom of the page. It's from 2001, but you get the point.

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/jr738.html

ahh yes but is 91 pts taste the same to the poor, blue collar, upper class, Bilderberg Group? Think about it.......What about intelligent monkeys?