Critic scores: judgement, not measurement

The standard

The reasoned single judgement states who tasted when and under what conditions, and against what the verdict is measured. Without these details a number remains an opinion without origin.

Criteria

• The score names its author and the time of the tasting
• It expresses a judgement, not a physical quantity
• It holds for one sample at one time, not permanently
• Different tasters arrive at different numbers

Distinction

Critic scores ≠ wine quality: the score judges, it does not measure a property of the wine. The reasoned single judgement makes visible that behind every number stands a verdict at a point in time. Critic scores ≠ classification systems: classifications rank estates permanently, scores judge one vintage in the glass.