JamesSuckling.com reflects my thirty years of experience as a journalist and wine critic. From tasting notes and videos to blogs and events, this website focuses on the great wines of the world including Italy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Australia, New Zealand, California, Chile and Argentina.
I believe today's wine drinker deserves more than just written reviews and criticism. They need to see the place, the people and the evaluation process with their own eyes. In truth, there is much more to learn about wine than just numbers and prose.
We also taste thousands of wines every year. The ones on site are generally not blind, but I pull out the paper bags for the larger, more organized ones. I taste young wines both for the pleasure they provide and for their potential to improve with age. I was told early in my career that a wine of exceptional quality must improve with age, and I have believed it ever since.
When I evaluate mature wines, I put more emphasis on their actual drinking pleasure. My team of editors follows the same wine review criteria. Finally, I rate using the 100-point scale. I have used this point system for almost 25 years, and I still believe it is the easiest way to rate a wine, with its origins from elementary school in the United States.
A wine that I rate 90 points or more is exceptional (A). It's a wine I want to drink a glass of and it's a great buy. If I rate a wine 95 points or more (A+), it is a must buy and a bottle I want to drink in its entirety! If I rate a wine lower than 88 points, it may still be worth buying but proceed with caution. I certainly wouldn't recommend spending your money on something of lesser value. Barrel rated wines, or unfinished wines, are rated with two-point ranges such as 90-91 or 92-93.
