How I rate wines

When it comes to wine review on my blog, first note that I call it the way I see it.  But the great thing about wine is that we all have different tastes!  I tend to like big reds (like a great Cabernet) and very dry reds (like the classic bordeaux), but that may not suit your tastes at all, which is fine by me!  But just so you know where I am coming from, you know a little about my tastes.  Also, I really don't drink any white wines (honestly they are too fruity and give me a headache!), so you'll probably never see you favorite pinot gris reviewed on my blog (though that raises the interesting idea of guest blogs, hmmm...).  Unlike the major reviewers like the Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, Wine & Spirits, etc. I will not rate on a 100 point scale, simply because reviews tend to be clustered right around the top 20 points of the scale.  They are all 88 or 90, or 93 or 94, or maybe on a really great bottle a 96.  Now I've had 94s and 88s and I can tell you there is a HUGE difference that to me does not equate to 6 points out of 100!  So for me, I'll just go on a simple 10 point scale as follows:

10 - Totally freaking awesome, buy this wine for your wedding, or first child, graduation, or getting out of prison or whatever you celebrate!  This is an awesome wine you will not soon forget!

9-9.5 - This is a great wine, very memorable and should be an easy pick for special occasions.

8-8.5 - A very good wine, at the top of what should be expected of the particular style/vintage.

7-7.5 - A good wine, solid for the price/style/vintage, would certainly serve to company

6-6.5 - A nice wine, great for everyday drinking with the family.  You can usually afford to drink this everyday too!

5-5.5 - An ok wine, definitely one to set aside for late in the evening after all the good wine is gone and you may not notice as much.

4-4.5 - Ok, but probably has something going for it, like maybe you can buy it for $1.99 per bottle at Trader Joe's (did I mention how much I love Trader Joe's?)

Anything under 4 - this is terrible, save it till it becomes vinegar and make some salad dressing.  Not sure I would even cook with it!

Oh yes, and I will try to post photos of the wines I rate, so you can at least see the bottle and know what I am talking about (I am such a visual person!) - but this reminds me that my camera is so sad and out of date I need a new one!