CWL Scoring System

Most reviewers score wines based on varietal character. It’s a great system if you are a wine expert and understand the particular nuances of various wine grapes, which you can then judge individual bottles on. Everyone I’ve met with that talent has worked in the wine industry, and last time I checked, most people that buy wine have jobs doing something entirely different.

Thus, here at California Wine List, we take varietal into account, but it’s not a major consideration when we reviews wines. Of course, at any tasting we conduct there are, at least, two or three of our expert tasters (the ones that work in the industry or are intimately familiar with wine). However, we all invite a few of our friends to each tasting. These are people who enjoy wine, but certainly are not experts or connoisseurs.

We incorporate the opinions of “average wine drinkers” into our reviews because we know that most customers fit that description. When we give wines a numerical score, we try to do it in the broader context of wine instead of only a specific varietal or blend. In other words, how much did we enjoy the wine independently of the grape/grapes in the bottle?

Our Scale:

100-98: An extraordinary wine that is once in a lifetime good

97 – 95: A very special wine of superior character

94 – 92: Simply a great wine of exceptional quality

91 – 89: A very good wine that stands out as above average

88 – 86: A good wine that is slightly above average

85 – 83: An average wine that’s fine for a causal glass

82 – 80: A drinkable wine, but it won’t impress anyone

If you have any questions about our scoring system, please, feel free to write us at info@californiawinelist.com