When I look at a bottle in an online shop I almost always see a number next to it: «94 Parker», «95 Peñín», «93 Suckling». They’re useful, but only if you know which scale is behind them and who gives it. Here’s a summary of the most common ones in Spain, with what each says about itself.
The 100-point scale, in one sentence
Almost all critics today use a scale that in practice runs from 50 to 100: below 80 almost nothing gets published and, from 90 upwards, the wine is considered very good or excellent. Robert Parker popularised it in the United States and it has become the international standard.
Robert Parker / The Wine Advocate (RP)
- Parker created the scale with the first issue of The Wine Advocate and the house says it remains unchanged. It runs from 50 to 100 points.
- 96–100: an extraordinary wine, a classic of its type. 90–95: outstanding. 80–89: from barely above average to very good. 70–79: average, without distinction. 60–69: below average. 50–59: unacceptable.
- The letters «RP» refer to Robert Parker Wine Advocate, not necessarily to Parker himself: the score can come from any taster on the team (in Spain, for example, Luis Gutiérrez signs many of them).
- A score in brackets, such as (90–93), is a barrel estimate; a «+» (95+) means the wine may improve in bottle.
Guía Peñín
- Spain’s benchmark wine guide. It started with a 0 to 10 scale and in 1992 adopted the 50 to 100 scale, for its international reach.
- Wines with 95 points or more are re-tasted in a comparative tasting (“re-tasting”) before the final score is set; the best of the year form the «Podium», with a minimum of 95 points.
- As well as the score, it uses stars for value for money: 3 (fair), 4 (good) and 5 (excellent).
- It tastes with its own team and in the production areas, and appearing in the guide costs the wineries nothing.
James Suckling (JS)
- A former Wine Spectator critic; all the scores on JamesSuckling.com date from after he left the magazine in 2010.
- According to his own website: 90 or more, outstanding and an excellent buy; 95 or more, «must buy»; 85–89, still worth it; below that, he doesn’t recommend spending your money.
- Barrel samples get two-point ranges, such as 92–93.
Wine Spectator (WS)
- 95–100: classic, a great wine. 90–94: outstanding. 85–89: very good. 80–84: good, well made. 75–79: mediocre. 50–74: not recommended.
- Finished wines are tasted blind from bottle and get a single score; ranges (for example 87–90) are provisional, usually from barrel.
Decanter
- The British magazine now scores all its wines out of 100 (it used to use a 20-point scale and publishes conversion tables).
- In its panel tastings, a wine needs at least 95 points to be «outstanding» and 98 to be «exceptional».
- At the Decanter World Wine Awards medals are awarded by score: bronze from 86 to 89, silver from 90 to 94, gold from 95 to 96 and platinum from 97 to 100; the «Best in Show» wines are chosen from among the platinums.
Tim Atkin MW (TA)
- A British Master of Wine, very influential in Rioja, where every year he publishes a Rioja Special Report with scores for thousands of wines and a classification of wineries by levels, inspired by the Bordeaux «growths».
- He uses the 100-point scale and explains the convention himself: 85–89 is equivalent to bronze, 90–94 to silver and above that, gold. He has written about score inflation: «95 points is the new 90».
Vivino (stars)
- It isn’t a critic but a community: any user scores from 1 to 5 stars and the rating is the average.
- According to Vivino, the platform average is 3.6; a 4.0 beats around 85 % of the wines in its database and a 4.5 around 99 %. It also says that, in its analysis, a 4.0 on Vivino corresponds to about 90 critic points.
- Pros: there are ratings for almost any wine. Cons: it mixes very different tastes and rewards the easiest styles.
How I use them
- Look at who’s scoring, not just the number: a 93 from a demanding critic is worth more than a 96 from a generous one.
- Compare within the same scale and the same region: a 92 in Ribera del Duero doesn’t compare well with a 92 in Champagne.
- Read the tasting note. The Wine Advocate itself says the comment is a better guide than any number.
- Bear the vintage in mind: the score is for a specific year; the next one’s may be different.
- And above all, trust your glass: if you like a 90 more than a 96, for you the 90 is the better wine.
Sources
- Robert Parker Wine Advocate, «TWA Rating System»: robertparker.com/about/the-rating-system
- Guía Peñín, «Preguntas frecuentes – Proceso de cata» (FAQ – tasting process): guiapenin.wine/preguntas-frecuentes-proceso-de-cata
- JamesSuckling.com, «FAQs»: jamessuckling.com/faqs
- Wine Spectator, «Wine Spectator’s 100-Point Scale»: winespectator.com/articles/scoring-scale
- Decanter, «How to read Decanter wine scores: the 100 point scale» and «How we judge wine at Decanter World Wine Awards»: decanter.com
- Tim Atkin MW, «I’m not 100 points on that» and the Rioja Special Report pages: timatkin.com
- Vivino, «The Vivino wine rating system: Credibility of the crowd»: vivino.com/en/wine-news/vivino-5-star-rating-system
Checked in October 2026.
