Keeping score

As wine science and technology advanced, of course, standards of measurement became more important in the marketplace.

In the 1980s, an American lawyer named Robert Parker started up the aptly named magazine, The Wine Advocate. Mr. Parker’s incredible palate meant that his comments, as the years progressed, could make or break a winery or a vintage. He was well respected because he was always fair in grading wines from all regions.

The most influential tool he introduced was a grading system for scoring wines. Strangely, this rating system started from the 50 per cent mark. Anything that scored less than 60 per cent was deemed suspect; 100 per cent was nectar of the gods. Most wine writers in the Americas tend to use his rating system. (If you pick up a Vintages catalogue you will see this score underneath the listing.)

European wine writers, however, tend to use a rating system with the high score being 20. And, like Parker’s system, scores really begin at the halfway mark of 10.

There are also some country-specific guides. Gambero Rosso deals exclusively with all Italian wines, using a five-cup rating range. Decanter magazine uses a five-star system, as do many other writers.

When you are purchasing a wine from Vintages you can usually get a good understanding of its quality based on its score.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
It is the time of year when sitting on the deck, embracing the sunset, is enhanced with a crisp white or rosé wine.

As luck would have it, I was introduced to the 2011 Casa-Dea Riesling this week. Made with estate-grown fruit, and developed with care by winemaker Paul Battilana, this wine is a true expression of the Riesling grape.

Riesling is noted for its fruit acidity and will produce a wine that can be light in body while temperate in alcohol. Casa-Dea’s Riesling has these attributes, plus a fruity citrus nose and a palate of white grapefruit and lime with a caress of “petrolly” perfume. It embraces the terroir of the County with a crisp acidic finish.

The wine is available at the winery located at 1186 Greer Road.