A unique approach to wine scoring

Who has not lived the unpleasant experience of uncorking a promising bottle and to discover, with a certain bitterness that the wine was far to meet its expectations. Still, the tasting notes of your favourite expert looked laudatory, touching even the literary pinnacle! And by the way, what to do with the remaining eleven “disappointing” bottles of the case ? Or on the contrary, with hindsight haven’t you not felt a certain degree of frustration when you realise several years later, that because a reputable wine guide discouraged the purchase of certain vintages, you passed by a unique opportunity to purchase excellent and rare bottles! The art of tasting is fortunately not an exact science and experts remain human beings, with their subjectivity and all their assets and weaknesses of the moment. The specific conditions that surround a wine tasting like if a tasting is conducted early in the day or late at night, during a blind test or not, in a noisy environment or badly sound insulated room, in a luminous or dark place, reactions of other participants, the storage conditions, the type and quality of the glasses, if the wines were decanted or not, specially chosen samples of wine coming from non representative "special" casks and so forth, will influence on the taster’s final appreciation, sometimes to his detriment.

Because it is generally impossible for the average Bordeaux wine enthusiast to taste each year some 400 estates to shape his own opinion, either for obvious financial reasons, or due to lack of time, the aficionados remain tributary to the appreciation of wine professionals. Not forgetting and taking into consideration all the risks mentioned above ! 

For a number of years and after consulting numerous wine guides and the specialised wine press, I often noted with a certain amount of frustration that important differences exist between critics in the evaluation of the same wine. Consequently, I made-up my own system of evaluation which takes into consideration both the ratings and notes of numerous wine specialists, but also the means to smooth certain conclusions which are sometimes too extreme. One had to also imagine a simple approach giving at the same time a representative and least biased image of a wine or vintage. So was born the idea of this site, whose base principle is to achieve a mathematical mean for all the tasting results of each wine and to measure the dispersion of scores within the tasters. The heading Comparative scale presents the specific rating systems used to compare the different scoring systems. Finally, to arrive at the crux of the matter, you can consult the different Vintage pages giving the average results by wines and by regions. From there, you can also access to our Top pages which lists the best wines of a vintage. The Top Region page summarizes the vintage's weather and technical characteristics and the Top Price to Quality heading informs on the best picks at the best price.  

Winemega's yearly revew goes over a total of over 400 wineries at Bordeaux! As a result, you will be certain to always have available the most updated information to facilitate your purchases.

Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that nothing replaces your own opinion obtained and forged during a wine-taste. Consequently, do not take all the conclusions expressed in this site as the absolute truth. The sum of the details is more to be seen as a means to clear the path than to express truisms. Most of all, keep intact the need to experience the pleasures of an excellent meal, the taste of an superb nectar, to feel the experience of human rapport and friendship gained by being with others. Finally, for those who may raise the question: This site has nothing tosell ! Our aim is to provide sincere, independent and totally objective information to Bordeaux wine lovers.

For Winemega.com, Alain Bringolf

Excess of alcohol can be dangerous for your health. Drink with moderation.

Many thanks to Evelyne my beloved wife for her patience and her support. And to many other friends for their true help and precious advice. A special thought to Charles Wyplosz for his active contribution to the statistical part of the site.

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