What is Parker score . The Parker score of the wines, owes its name to Robert M Parker, a wine critic who creates his wine valuation scale recognized worldwide by all countries, and wine critics.
What is Parker score
Robert M Parker
Born in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), he is today one of the most prestigious wine critics in the world.
He studied law at the University of Maryland School of Law and worked as a lawyer for ten years in Baltimore.
In 1975 he decided to publish his first wine guide, in order to help wine consumers, in order to be a little “a consumer advocate”.
First publication
Years later, in 1978, he published his first wine guide that he distributed free among friends and wine distributors he knew. At six months, and still in 1978 (in the month of August), he published his second wine guide, in the magazine The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate, which already had more than 600 subscribers that followed him.
Fame. What is Parker score
Great wine expert from Bordeaux, his great leap to world fame occurs when he reports that the Bordeaux harvest of 1982 considers it “superb”, in the face of opinions of critics who thought otherwise.
But it would be in 1984, when he decides to abandon his work as a lawyer and dedicate himself fully to the world of wine, and to write about it.
The Parker system
The notes on wine, Parker writes them six times a year, and is based on a rating of 100 points. This system is designed together with his friend Víctor Morgenroth.
It consists of assigning wines a score between 50 and 100 points. Each wine is assigned starting 50 points, and from there points are added depending on:
The color: 5 points
Appearance: 5 points
Aroma: 15 points
Buquet: 15 points
Taste: 20 points
Finish: 10 points
Overall wine level: 10 points
Classification
Wines that score between 90 and 100 are classified as “outstanding” on Robert Parker’s list.
Those who score between 85 and 90 points are considered “remarkably high.”
And for those who get between 80 and 84 points, it is considered “remarkably low”.
Such is the influence that Robert Parker has today in the wine sector, that the wines that are made to obtain a high score are called “parquerizados” wines.
Several publications of books made by this wine critic are known, in particular 11 books, all of them have been best sellers.
But not only is it admired in the sector, it is also feared or seen with fear, by many wine producers, given the great power of influence it has.
A bad critique of R. Parker about a wine can ruin a wine, or a winery.
Prices. What is Parker score
The wines with high scores in Robert Parker’s guide are not wines with low prices. Any of the wines with scores of 99 or 100 points, easily exceed € 100 per bottle, can reach up to € 5,000. So it is not easy to obtain them.
In most cases we talk about wines considered as wine gems.
However, the same wineries that have obtained these wines with very high score, have in their portfolio of wines, other wines much more affordable to the pocket of wine lovers.
We just have to look at their wineries and see the wines they produce.