How James Halliday's wine rating system works and how to use it
by James Halliday
There has been a progressive adoption of the 100-point system in wine shows and in reviews by other commentators. The majority follow the system outlined below, and which the Halliday Tasting Team use in precisely this form in the Wine Companion.
Wine Ratings Scale
|
97-99 |
G O L D |
5 glasses - red
|
Exceptional Wines of major trophy standard in important wine shows. |
|
95-96 |
5 glasses - black |
Outstanding Wines of gold medal standard, usually with a great pedigree. |
|
|
94 |
S I L V E R |
5 glasses - black |
Wines on the cusp of gold medal status.
|
|
90-93 |
4.5 glasses |
Highly Recommended Wines of silver medal standard, demonstrating great quality, style and character, and worthy of a place in any cellar. |
|
|
89 |
B R O N Z E |
4 glasses |
Recommended Wines on the cusp of silver medal standard.
|
|
86-88 |
4 glasses |
Wines of bronze medal standard; well produced, flavoursome wines, usually not requiring cellaring. |
|
84-85 |
3.5 glasses |
Acceptable Wines of good commercial quality, free from significant fault. |
|
|
NR |
- |
Not Rated Wines reviewed but scored below 84 points. |
|
 |
|
Special value |
Wines considered to offer special value for money within the context of their glass symbol status. This can apply at any price point, and for consistency a basic algorithm is applied to take into account the price of a wine and the points it is awarded. A value rosette is given, for instance, to $11 wines scoring 85 or more points, $21 wines scoring 90 or more, $35 wines of 95 or more and $200 wines with 98 or more. |
 |
|
Shortlisted for an award |
Nominated by the tasting panel as the best example of this variety/ style in its region. |
Five red glasses
The initials SW, JF, JH, JP, NG, DB, PR, CM and MB appearing at the end of a tasting note signify that Shanteh Wale, Jane Faulkner, James Halliday, Jeni Port, Ned Goodwin, Dave Brookes, Philip Rich, Campbell Mattinson or Mike Bennie tasted the wine and provided the tasting note and rating. Biographies for each member of the tasting team and their regions can be found here.
