The Use (and Abuse) of Wine Scores with Vino Mike and Pete on That Wine Pod

Natalie MacLean
May20th
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Introduction

How does the 100 point scale make wine scores easier for you to interpret? How can you drink better wines by finding a wine critic whose style you like? How does grade inflation affect you as a wine lover? Why is taking an online wine course often better than an in-person course?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m sharing a conversation I originally had with Pete & Vino Mike on their podcast, That Wine Pod.

You can find the wines we discussed here.

 

Highlights

  • What’s my take on the best wine?
  • Why should you look at organic and biodynamic wines on a spectrum?
  • How does the 100 point scale make wine scores easier for you to interpret?
  • Do wine scores on the 100 point scale correlate with typical school grading scales?
  • Why did I wait until 5 years into my wine writing career to start scoring wine?
  • How can you benefit from finding a wine critic whose style you like?
  • How do I choose which wines to rate?
  • Why has wine scoring become the norm?
  • How does grade inflation affect you as a wine lover?
  • Do you need to pay attention to wine critics?
  • What impact has social media had on your access to wine writers?
  • How do you learn about wine in my online course?
  • What benefits do you get from an online wine course over an in-person course?
  • Which interesting wine and cheese pairings will you learn about in my upcoming course?
  • What do I wish I could change about the wine world?
  • When should you follow your wine with eggs?

Start The Conversation: Click Below to Share These Wine Tips

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Most people want to buy wine like they buy toothpaste. Make a quick decision, get in, get out. - Natalie MacLean Natalie MacLean Click to tweet

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For the longest time, I held out thinking that you can’t trap a subjective experience like wine into a number. But over time I realized that it’s just a snapshot of the wine and your personal opinion and it’s subjective as all get out. - Natalie MacLean Natalie MacLean Click to tweet

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You’ve got the liquor stores wanting to sell every bottle of wine that they have. So they’re going to go with the highest score from the best-known critic. - Natalie MacLean Natalie MacLean Click to tweet

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We’re almost going back to the days when people spoke to one another personally to get product recommendations. We’re back to small tribes online and finding the critic or the person you trust. - Natalie MacLean Natalie MacLean Click to tweet

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Compared to a physical course, I just see the online way of delivering a wine course as infinitely better. - Natalie MacLean Natalie MacLean Click to tweet

 

About Pete and Vino Mike

Pete has been in the wine industry for over 15 years as a wine retail store manager, owner, and strategic consultant in the thriving Chicago food and beverage industry. He has three kids, is a long-distance runner and coach, and hosts other podcasts including the FatMan Chronicles, The No Fear Project, and Be Better Today.

Michael Matonte aka Vino Mike has more than twenty years experience as a fine dining manager and wine retail store manager also in Chicago. He passed the Court of Master Sommeliers challenging Advanced Sommelier exam in 2009. He’s the father of one son and plays the trumpet, trombone and euphonium.

 

Resources

Tag Me on Social

Tag me on social media if you enjoyed the episode:

 

Thirsty for more?

  • Sign up for my free online wine video class where I’ll walk you through The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner (and how to fix them forever!)
  • Join me on Facebook Live Video every second Wednesday at 7 pm eastern for a casual wine chat.
  • You’ll find my books here, including Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.
  • The new audio edition of Red, White and Drunk All Over is now available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and other country-specific Amazon sites; iTunes.ca, iTunes.com and other country-specific iTunes sites; Audible.ca and Audible.com.

 

Transcript & Takeaways

Welcome to episode 77!

We’re turning the table on this episode as I’m the one who’ll be interviewed by Pete Damico and Michael Matonte who chatted with me on their fun, irreverent podcast That Wine Pod. We cover a lot of ground, from the problems with wine scores to the wine writing life and why learning about wine via online classes has a number of advantages over physical courses.

Pete has been in the wine industry for over 15 years as a wine retail store manager, owner, and strategic consultant in the thriving Chicago food and beverage industry. He has three kids, is a long distance runner and coach , and hosts other podcasts including the FatMan Chronicles, The No Fear Project, and Be Better Today.

Michael Matonte aka Vino Mike has more than twenty years experience as a fine dining manager and wine retail store manager also in Chicago. He passed the Court of Master Sommeliers challenging Advanced Sommelier exam in 2009. He’s the father of one son and plays the trumpet, trombone and euphonium.

On instagram, I recently posted some of my favourite VQA wines to try right now, along with food pairings. Come on over and connect with me on Instagram at nataliemacleanwine. I’ll also include a link to my Insta in the show notes at nataliemaclean.com/77.

Okay, on with the show!

 

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed my chat with Pete Damico and Michael Matonte.

If you liked this episode, please tell a friend about it, especially one who’s interested in the topics we discussed about wine scores and ways to learn more about wine online. You’ll find links to Pete and Mike’s podcast, the wines we tasted, a full transcript of our conversation, where you can find me on Instagram and on Facebook live every second Wednesday at 7 pm at nataliemaclean.com/77.

You won’t want to miss next week when we chat with Amy Savoury, a certified sommelier and instructor of culinary and tourism studies at the Nova Scotia Community College. She leads tastings of Nova Scotia wines for restaurant staff around the province as well as other educational seminars on behalf of “Taste of Nova Scotia” through the support of the Department of Agriculture. We’ll talk about the latest development in Nova Scotia wines when she joins me from her home in the Gaspereau Valley.

Thank-you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week, perhaps a wine that you’d score 90 points or higher!
Best Wines, Biodynamic Wine, Books: Wine, Cheese Types, Cost Wine, Food & Wine Pairing, Learn Wine, Podcasts, Podcasts, Price Wine, Red, White & Drunk, Scores for Wine, Screwcaps, Taste Wine, Wine Course, Wine Style, Wine Trends, Wine Writing, Women and Wine, Women Wine

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