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Understanding Wine Ratings
from: Maxx Guide to WineWith so many types and varieties of wine, it isn't surprising a wine rating system has been developed. As with most rating systems, stars are used, so it's up to you to understand the meaning of a 3 or 6 star wine.
Wines don't always have to be rated by a wine connoisseur or expert. If fact, anyone can rate wine, but this does require you have enough knowledge about wine and how wine is made, what's needed to make wine and full comprehension of the rating system. Wine is rated in four ways -- aroma, taste, appearance and aftertaste.
Wine that has reached perfection is rated 6-stars. Perfection means nothing is missing and nothing needs to be removed. In other words, the wine can't be improved in any way. Of course, reaching perfection is a rarity, thus the number of wines in this category throughout the world is under 1% of the wine produced. A wine with a 6-star rating is considered a classic and has all the complex characteristics a classic wine should have. These wines aren't likely to be found online since they're usually tagged as collectors' items.
A wine rated with 5-stars have achieved a balance in color, richness and harmony. This makes them almost perfect since they have a wonderful aroma and taste with organoleptic characteristics which are quite extraordinary.
Next are the 4-star wines, which make up about 5% of the wines produced. These wines have finesse, flavor and great character and no real faults or noticeable flaws. These are the most common wines produced and they have a chance to increase their rating if allowed to age.
Three star rated wines come next and these are average wines. They're well made but the ingredients they're made from are ordinary. Regardless, they do have great taste and texture and there really aren't any noticeable flaws. Other than the fact the raw materials used are ordinary, there's little to distinguish them from 4-star wines.
A wine rated less than 3-stars is considered below par, thus there are usually flaws that are often noticeable and visible to the eye. Perhaps the aroma is unpleasant, or it could be a watery substance or there may be noticable floating particles in the wine, which may be due to the extra acid or tannin present.
These wines might actually taste fine to you, but you'll discover they don't really have any character, depth or complexity. 1-star wines tend to be made from very poor ingredients. These are often home-made wines which aren't usually well balanced, tend to be very diluted, and have a dull taste in addition to other flaws.
How are wine ratings determined? Wine tasting is usually organized in large groups. Each wine has no label so the group must rate them anonomously without knowing the cost or the brand. Ratings are then collected and compiled.
A thorough analysis of these wine tastings form the basis of the wine's rating and determines which class a wine fits into. Wine ratings and classification helps buyers choose a good wine.
If you understand what the rating represents, it should be a good guide when choosing a wine. However, wine choice is always subjective so use the rating as a guide, but don't assume you'll always agree with the rating since everyone has their own preferences.
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