OF COURSE wine ratings matter! Reviews by panels of experts, that is, i.e. if you want to gauge just how good a wine is. We’re talking about assessments of what’s in the glass by those in the know, labels out of sight – reaching consensus without being influenced by the brand status, marketing, winemaker or the location of the vineyards. Arguably, it’s more about whether a wine is among the best, and less about exactly where it ranks among the best. You might well disagree on the pecking order, but what’s really good will stand out as such more often than not, with the personal favourites of the cognoscenti somewhere amongst the leading group, more often than not.

There are certain wine industry folks and certain wine aficionados who regularly express their scepticism regarding wine shows, guides and competitions. “Love hate” is how some in the wine business refer to their relationship with the panels, some producers preferring to avoid comparisons and only submitting their wines to individual critics for assessing with the label in front of them, at least, if not also in the company of the cellarmaster at a lovely venue. Although many of the influential commentators – including Tim Atkin, Jancis Robinson, Michael Fridjhon, Christian Eedes, Greg Sherwood, Jamie Goode, Michel Bettane, Oz Clarke – are supporters of ‘blind’ tastings and serve on such panels.

Some of us would argue that Top 10s and Top 20s are more important than specific ratings and exact rankings, that benchmark Classifications which speak to the track records of wines over a decade or longer count more than which wines scored highest or ranked first, second and third in their category this year versus last year. Because of human nature and the subjectivity associated with taste, of the wines we like most we might rate Wine A higher than Wine B on one day and vice versa the next. Character, style, interest value… These are not things that can be weighed or measured to the nth degree. But while wine tasting is not an exact science, wine recommendations by those who spend their lives ‘immersed’ in ‘it’ mean a lot to wine lovers who appreciate pointers, who are keen to learn or who just want to compare notes – even more so when they know that the review wasn’t biased, that the reviewer wasn’t compromised.

Of course, some wines that aren’t recognised as being among the best can still make for an interesting drink and the stuff of enjoyment – particularly in the case of pioneering work and artistic adventure. But winemakers who reckon they’re at the top of their game yet won’t submit their ‘offspring’ for evaluation on a level playing field – by a jury of their peers and/or professional wine tasters in touch with the market – are either living in a dream world or from the school of smoke and mirrors.