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The experts use one of three rating systems to judge the quality of wines. 

  • 100 point scoring system – used by Robert Parker, Stephen Tanzer, James Halliday, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines. This is the most popular system here in New Zealand. 
  • 20 point system – used by Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson and experts.
  • 5 star system – used by Decanter Magazine, Michael Cooper, and common in various other publications and wine shows.

Devotees of the 100 point system frequently tweak grade distinctions in a minor way but are not usually very precise in scoring a wine. British wine writers usually are precise in explaining the 20 point system in a definitive way and in so doing they leave space for the wine drinker to react to the wine objectively and indeed for the wine itself to move up and down the scale as it ages.

Here is a scale of what the experts go by:

100pt scale
eg Robert Parker Jnr		 20 pt scale
eg Jancis Robinson		 5 Star scale
eg Michael Cooper & Decanter Magazine
95-100point Classic: a great wine 19-20 Truly exceptional 5 Stars
90-94  Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style

18  A blinder
17 A cut above superior

 5 Stars
4 Stars
85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities 16 Superior 3 Stars
80-84 Good: a solid, well made wine 15 Average but undistinguished 2 Stars
75-79 Mediocre: a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws 14 Deadly dull or borderline unbalanced 1 Star
50-74  Not recommended    1 Star

You will find many of our wine listings state the experts' ratings in the pane; beneath the picture of the wine. The box shows the expert's name or journal they report in and the score they gave to the wine.

Most of the wines we list are rated at 85 or 16 points and above. Of course there is a correlation between price and quality – but at the top end of the market, prices often have as much to do with limited supply and excess demand as they do with outstanding quality. Fortunately, The Wine Vault  has been able to source many excellent 90 point wines in the $20- $60 price range.

You will sometimes find experts giving the same wines different marks. This is natural – they have different tastes and the wine itself may change according to its age or environment when tasted. As you sample more wines from The Wine Vault, you may find that you start to "follow" a particular expert or magazine as your own tastes respond positively to their recommendations.