At WineStatistics, we’ve developed a detailed yet intuitive wine rating system designed to cater to both casual wine enthusiasts and experienced wine connoisseurs. The core of this system is a comprehensive wine tasting table that breaks down a wine’s profile into 10 key elements, grouped into four categories: visual, olfactory (nose), gustatory (palate), and finale (finish & aftertaste).

The maximum rating a wine can get is 100 points, therefore each individual element that forms the wine’s profile can get up to 10 points, representing 1/10th of the total score:

Elements are grouped by categories, each with it’s own importance weight in the overall wine profile:

• Visual (10%): this category assesses the wine’s appearance, particularly color and intensity | includes one element: color – max 10 pts;
• Olfactory (20%): this category focuses on the wine’s aromatic profile | consists of two elements: aroma and flavor – max 20 pts;
• Gustatory (50%): this section evaluates the wine’s palate and the sensory experience on the mouthfeel | includes 5 elements: sweetness, acidity, alcohol, tannin, and balance – max 50 pts;
• Finale (20%): this category addresses the wine’s finale and its length | consists of two elements: finish and aftertaste – max 20 pts;

Each independent element represents one vector in the overall wine profile and is explained as follows:

• color explains the wine’s color, as well as its opacity and intensity;
• aroma measures the intensity of the wine’s aromatic profile;
• flavor describes the flavor profile of the wine (primary, secondary and tertiary notes);
• sweetness indicates the perceived sweetness or dryness on the palate (not the actual sugar content);
• alcohol assesses the perceived alcoholic warmth on the palate (not the overall level of ABV);
• acidity reflects the wine’s perceived tartness on the mouthfeel (not the general PH level);
• tannin evaluates the perceived astringency or grip on the palate and its texture or coarseness;
• balance measures the harmony between gustatory elements (sweetness, alcohol, acidity and tannin);
• finish measures the length and persistence of the wine’s aftertaste;
• aftertaste assesses how pleasant is the lingering sensations on the finish.

At the end of our wine reviews two visuals will be displayed – the wine review chart:

And the radial wine diagram where each branch represents an element of the wine’s profile:

One of the standout features of the WineStatistics rating system is the ability to customize the scores according to your personal preferences. Simply replace our ratings with your own, sum the results, and calculate your unique wine scores. Just keep in mind that there are no ‘rights‘ or ‘wrongs‘, nor perfect wine evaluations, as wine tasting is subjective by nature, and one’s sensory profile will inevitably evolve in time.

Please note that we’ve decided to omit the price factor from our wine reviews for two reasons: first reason is that wine prices vary widely from retailer to retailer, and can even be variable at the winery at different points in time; the second reason is that we intend to compare the wines from Moldova and Romania with their international counter-parts, therefore we would like to avoid and discard the complexities introduced by such price-influencing factors as import costs, transportation, and retail markups.

Each wine review concludes with a very simple, easy-to-understand score and recommendation:

• 100 | iconic | epic wine | a wine that defines excellence with unparalleled complexity
• 96 – 99 | excellent | reference wine | a wine that can reach into the realm of perfection
• 94 – 95 | great | benchmark wine | a wine that has all the traits to become legendary
• 92 – 93 | fine | excellent wine | a wine of premium quality with good potential
• 90 – 91 | nice | enjoyable wine | a well made wine that lacks elegance and finesse
• 75 – 89 | fair | acceptable wine | a decent wine that lacks character and structure

Additionally, we provide the wine’s maturity level, that is hinting at when to uncork that bottle:

• developing | still young – requires more bottle ageing
• in its prime | drink today or age it for another year
• past its prime | requires no more ageing – drink now
• fully mature | too late – will not develop any further

We hope that the WineStatistics ratings will guide you to find the right bottle for any occasion – whether it’s a special dinner or just a quiet evening at home. By doing so, we aim to save you both time and money while enhancing your overall wine tasting experience.

The WineStatistics ratings and reviews are a freeware product. You are welcome to use them at your will and share them without further notice, as long as you credit the source. We also highly recommend to tailor our ratings to your own taste preferences in order to calibrate your taste profile. That being said, don’t forget to enjoy the wine itself as part of your journey.

We hope that our wine reviews will be of good use to you, and that you will enjoy wine as much as we do. Join us on facebook for more insight into the fascinating world of wine. Check our complete list of reviewed wines on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed so far.

You may now support us by contributing with one-time donations so that we can continue to review even more wines for you. Every contribution, big or small, helps us in our mission to bring the world of wine closer to wine enthusiasts. Thank you for your support, and don’t forget to enjoy the journey of wine appreciation! WineStatistics is a non-profit community that produces independent and highly detailed wine reviews. By taking the time to slow down and appreciate the subtle nuances that distinguish one wine from another, we believe we can learn valuable lessons about savoring life itself.

© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. There are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.