30 seconds on how I rate beverages...

I try to rate wines with a view to how we normal folks consume them.

As we all know, wines can change dramatically over time in your glass. I see that as an elemental part of wine rating, one often missed by the time demands placed on professional tasters.

I analyze over hours - not just the seconds many wine sages usual have.

When I don't finish a given bottle, I will even take notes again the next day to gauge how well the wine survived overnight slumber in the fridge.

A detailed rating key can be found beneath the post below.

Cheers and happy drinking!

Keith

Argentina, Red Blend, Don Valentin, "Lacrado", Casa Bianchi, 2008





Note: This is a red blend of 40% Malbec, 35% Cabernet
Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot - and is made as a simple
"table wine".  

I've made note of it because I was expecting simple plonk.  

My expectations were wrong. It is actually fine...

N/ Smoked berries. Grapey.  Yes, I said that. Leather.
Slightly cooked.

T/ Medium mouthfeel. Zero tannic bite. Round, but
a tad chalky. Simple yes, but gulpable!

The other reason I post on this is.. well... the price
is incredibly low.

About $4.50 on sale!, regularly around $6-9.

I think even just a few years ago, to have a ~$5 wine be
even ratable, yet alone decent, would have been nearly
impossible.  I think this "table wine" speaks volumes
as to how much modern winemaking practices and 
equipment are raising the quality bar ACROSS
price categories, perhaps even disproportionately
in the cheapest ranges.

This is the cheapest wine I've ever posted on, but it
by no means is the worst.

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Ratings KEY detail

I list the country of origin first, then the name of the grape varietal, the maker, and finally the year.


C/ = Color. Rarely noted unless unique for that varietal.

N/ = Nose, aroma - how it smells.

T/ = Taste, mouthfeel, finish.

95-100 Astounding. Total quality on all fronts. Seriously memorable. The starting material must have been near perfect, and the makers clearly took pride in their art.

90-94 Brilliant. Special stuff indeed. Do what you can to try it, you will not be disappointed.

85-89 Very Good. Above average quality. Worth a try.

80-84 Good. Average.

75-79 Fair.

50-74 Yuck. Avoid. Don't even think about trying. A disaster.

Notes

Both the Astounding and Brilliant ratings are accompanied by a label picture.

I usually decant red wines at least 20 minutes before tasting begins.

My ratings reflect my perceptions over at least a hour of smelling and sipping. I don't spit (unless I'm at a large tasting event).

I try to taste at the same time of day, in the same glass, and without food to be as objective as possible.

Many wines I will vaccu-vin, refrigerate, and rate the next days or days to see how they hold up.

In short, I try to rate wines from the view of how we drink as normal consumers. Having 50 wines in front of me and spending 60 seconds on each does not seem objective enough to me.

Wines are only rated against other wines in the same price category.
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