1 Wine Dude

Wine Ratings on 1WineDude.com: The Aftermath2 min read

Posted on by 1WineDude

in about 1winedude blog, commentary, wine review

I love you people – you sure have some intelligent opinions!

My open discussion on whether or not 1WineDude.com should implement a rating system for its wine reviews generated just a teeny bit of discussion… as in over 70 comments worth of discussion!

There was a poll as well, for those who prefer to have their say without commenting. 

The results?

The poll ended up over 60% favoring the addition of ratings (see the previous post for an explanation of how those ratings would work). 

The comments had a slight majority in favor, with the remaining roughly comments falling into the following groups (in descending order of responses):

  • It’s your blog, do whatever you want.
  • I don’t like ratings but I’ll forgive you if you use them.
  • Please, please, please do NOT do this.

Despite the fact that the majority of responses to the wine rating question were in favor, the mix of poll results and comments didn’t strike me as the type of majority that implies a Dick-Cheney-style voting “clear mandate of the people.”  I’m not sure it feels right.

So what am I gonna do?

Well… I’m gonna compromise…

Here’s the skinny:

  • There will be no wine ratings added to the text of 1WineDude.com articles.
  • Beginning next week, there will be a ‘grade style’ wine rating added to every mini-wine review that I post via twitter.

This feels more “correct” to me:

  • Lots of readers come to 1WineDude.com expecting offbeat, deeper analysis of wines and wine happenings.  Ratings just don’t fit into that picture, and tell us nothing about the connection we make to that wine, even if the rating isn’t numerical.  As many of you pointed out, a grade-style rating system (A through F) can be equated to a numerical rating without much of stretch to the an imaginative grey matter of 1WineDude.com readers.
  • Some readers dig the mini wine review feed (which is summarized weekly and cross-posted here). Those “reviews” (if they can be called reviews) offer much more of a quick-hit overview of the impressions that I get from a wine – and in those cases, I think that a rating can actually help interpret those minis better and therefore might add value (and so are worth doing, even if it means that I will only have even fewer of the 140 available characters left in twitter after typing in the name and region whenever I review a German wine).

So, there it is – it feels more natural, and I’m going to give it a shot.  If you don’t like it, well then start your own damn blog. 

Kidding, of course – I look forward to hearing what you think of this.

Cheers!

(images: nnhs.newton.k12.ma.us)

24 thoughts on “Wine Ratings on 1WineDude.com: The Aftermath2 min read”

  1. I think that was a good decision. I agree that a rating would help the mini-reviews, to give it more depth of where it stands in your mind rather than your usually witty metaphor.

      1. Realzing it's hard to find the time to drink all that wine ;) and write full reviews… or maybe even stand after all that ;)

        The mini reviews are wee bit brief on info so I think Rob's on target here.

        Keep up the great blog work. Remember – everyone's got an opinion and rarely is everyone correct so it's your blog — Do it your way Dude!

  2. It's your party and you'll rate if you want to. What gets me is people that pass judgement on those that choose to. The whole industry is subjective and by nature we'll all opinionated people. I look forward to seeing how you use the new ratings!

  3. I resigned myself to rating wines with arbitrary allusions to random "things". For example; a giraffe, a screwdriver, a french woman's foot, or perhaps an eye patch :). No one seems to know whether or not I am kidding (myself included), but it has made for some lively banter.

        1. Good call.

          And for a cape, I'd say you gotta go vintage Port.

          Handbag… Champagne.

          Cheap Australian Bulk Wine… a sick dog, maybe?

          :-)

  5. Good decision. Maybe if you used a rating system in Base 6 no one would understand it and everyone would be happy.

  9. Well, I was all for you adding ratings if that's what you wanted to do, but if it's not what you want to do, that's good too. I'll continue reading no matter what! I suspect most others would have as well. Them's my thoughts, such as they are.

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