Does a 'Wine Enthusiast' Score Mean Anything to You?

[GregT]

I guess the question would be - does it mean anything in a specific context?

If I’m a customer looking for a wine to buy, maybe. If I’m a vendor looking for a shelf talker, yes. The customer who buys a shelf talker doesn’t usually know or care who the reviewer is. Some do, but those are in the minority and if they care, they already know the score when they come into the store.

A WE score doesn’t move a lot of wine through distributors, but it can be useful on the retail shelf.

For my own purchase, I know and actually respect some of the reviewers. The general magazine is a knock-off of the WS, but some of the reviewers are actually pretty savvy. So some guy like Paul Gregutt has been tasting wine in WA for a long time and he’s written a couple books on it. Would you pay less attention to him than to a reviewer at WA who knows nothing of the wines?

So the real question should be - would the score of a WE reviewer mean more if it were published in a different magazine?

[Victor_Hong]

It means more than a JSM 96.

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

Remember the old “I only buy Playboy for the articles” schtick in the 1960s and 1970s? I only buy WE for the pictures…of Steve Heimoff’s tats!!!

[Adam_Lee]

We chose to submit our wines to the Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Burghound, Rhone Report, and a number of other writers. Once you’ve been in business for an extended period of time (as we have…ugh, getting old), you place an increased value on reaching new groups of consumers. We have noticed increased sales from a high score/review in the Wine Enthusiast, though it seems somewhat dependent on what type of ratings/reviews other wines get in the same category (what other Pinots get, for example). One of the things we have noticed about the Wine Enthusiast is an increased presence in airport gift shops, etc. thus we find we have more casual wine drinkers get in touch with us when we get a good review (as opposed to the all subscription Advocate, Burghound, etc. - ). From that POV, getting broader exposure (but usually smaller per person sales), the Wine Enthusiast can definitely be worth it to a producer.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines & Novy Famly Winery

[RDHudak]

Definitely not.

[John_Fagan]

I think Paul Gregutt is a very good reviewer of the Pacific Northwest. His books and blog are also very informative.

[SteveC]

Nope.

Neither does Suckling any more.

(Actually most ratings are way overrated – and I don’t necessarily mean over-scored)

[Alan_Koehler]

@John Fagan

I think Paul Gregutt is a very good reviewer of the Pacific Northwest. His books and blog are also very informative.

+1
Paul Gregutt’s reviews/scores are the only ones I pay attention to in WE and find them very helpful on a relative basis when shopping for wines from WA state, particularly the Walla Walla region.

[TomHill]

@Stewart Johnson

@Dan Hammer

No.

I remember a thread several years ago on the parker boards about WE. How they ‘seemed’ to rate wines from advertisers ‘higher’ than other wines.

The causation for that correlation runs like this: you get a notice from the WE advertising department that your wine received xx pts; that notice includes a reminder that not every wine review gets published in the magazine; it further notes that if you want to assure publication, you might want to buy an advertising package; and so, producers with good reviews are the most highly motivated to buy the advertising that guarantees that that review sees the light of day. It’s not pretty, but I think it’s worth spelling out because it at least puts the individual reviewer’s integrity in a better light. And I feel like I should make that point because I don’t have anything bad to say about Steve Heimoff. I think his blog is often good. I’ve wondered, however, if his reviews aren’t a victim of his appreciating too broad a range of styles. Laube, Parker, Meadows all have pretty clear style preferences such that you can know what a high score from them will mean to you, for better or worse. I don’t have as clear an idea about Heimoff’s prejudices.

Curious, Stewart. We hear continual assurances from WE/WS/WA/W&S/etc that advertising has no (as in zero/nada) influence on their reviews; that the editorial departments
are totally isolated from the advertising departments. So at what point is the decision made whether to publish a review or not?? I would presume by some editor, not the reviewer??
Does this editor receive a list of this issue’s advertisers to “aid” him in his decision on which ones to publish? Based on this list, would this editor publish an 85-scoring wine and
delete a 93-scoring wine? I have confidence that the reviewers of the wines are not influenced by the advertisors, but beyond that…??? Curious minds want to know.
Tom

[larry_schaffer]

Tom,

Good questions and good points . . . . perhaps we can convince Mr. Heimoff to come aboard and comment?!?!?

Cheers

[Ken_McNamara]

@Casey Hartlip

@b hudak

It means more than a Wine Spectator score.

Same for me.

+1

[Tim_Heaton]

@E.Todd

Means nothing to me…which is exactly the same as any other score from any other critic means to me.

Since I have stopped looking at critics/scores about 3 yrs ago, my enjoyment of wine as a beverage to share over a meal has gone way up. I am no longer basing MY impression of a wine on a preconceived notion of what to expect based on someone else’s meaningless review and score.

this

[Beau_Carufel]

I wonder if anyone on these forums will actually admit that a major publication’s score affects their buying decisions?

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

@Beau Carufel

I wonder if anyone on these forums will actually admit that a major publication’s score affects their buying decisions?

TWA scores for German Riesling provide a basis for my buying decisions until I get enough experience past 2007 to 2010 to use my own judgement.

[Kenny_H]

Original question- no.

This question…

@Beau Carufel

I wonder if anyone on these forums will actually admit that a major publication’s score affects their buying decisions?

Yes.

If I happen to see a three score consensus I begin to think they might be on to something. Then I go to cellartracker for a sanity check. If anyone I trust is there, I consider it validated. That is exceedingly rare, but happens.

[K_John_Joseph]

@Beau Carufel

I wonder if anyone on these forums will actually admit that a major publication’s score affects their buying decisions?

Go look in other threads…the answer is the reality; people rely on scores, and scores affect purchasing decisions…so do reviews.

I’ll admit it myself. If there are three wines I’ve never tried, and I’ve got enough cash only to buy one, I’ll take note of the scores, reviews, and reviewers when making a decision. I can tell you right now that a BH 92 means more than a WS 93 if I’m buying burgundy, so it’s not always “highest score wins.” I will admit immediately urinating on a WE score, and won’t even take it into account in the above scenario.

[Gordon_Fitz]

It has been my experience, that most often, WE takes WS’s notes, copies them and adds two to three points to the wine for the rating.

[Chris_Seiber]

@Beau Carufel

I wonder if anyone on these forums will actually admit that a major publication’s score affects their buying decisions?

Bingo.

[Beau_Carufel]

@K John Joseph

@Beau Carufel

I wonder if anyone on these forums will actually admit that a major publication’s score affects their buying decisions?

Go look in other threads…the answer is the reality; people rely on scores, and scores affect purchasing decisions…so do reviews.

Based on this thread, the reality is that a majority of Berserkers do not in fact rely on scores. Gotta love perspective…

[Paul_Jaouen]

Joe Cz has an excellent palate and I would pay attention to any notes he puts out in the magazine.