20 points or 100 points? How the two most important wine scoring systems work, how to convert between them – and how to rate like a pro across eye, nose, palate and overall impression at your next tasting.

At a wine fair like Expovina, or at any tasting at home, you will sooner or later meet two worlds of numbers: the classic 20-point system and the 100-point system. Both try to make quality measurable – in completely different ways. Here is how both work, how to convert between them, and how to score wines like a pro yourself.

The 20-point system: the European classic

Rooted in Europe, the 20-point scheme is still used by many tasting juries and trade magazines in the German- and French-speaking world. The idea: every sensory dimension is scored separately, then added up.

A common breakdown:

Colour: up to 2 points
Clarity and purity: up to 2 points
Nose: up to 4 points
Palate: up to 7 points
Overall impression (harmony and finish): up to 5 points

A wine counts as fault-free and drinkable from roughly 10 points:

Up to 10 points: faulty
11–12 points: modest
13–14 points: decent everyday wine
15–16 points: very good wine with character
17–18 points: exceptional, close to perfection
19–20 points: a masterpiece

Its strength: it forces you to taste in a structured way – eye, nose, palate and overall impression get your full attention.

The 100-point system: the Parker scale

Made world-famous by the American critic Robert Parker, the 100-point scale dominates international wine trade. Like the US school grading system, every wine starts with a base of 50 points. The remaining 50 are awarded for:

Appearance and colour: up to 5 points
Bouquet (nose): up to 15 points
Flavour and finish (palate): up to 20 points
Overall impression and ageing potential: up to 10 points

In practice almost everything happens between 80 and 100 points – real drinking pleasure starts around 85 for most palates:

95–100 points: world class, an exceptional classic
90–94 points: outstanding, complex wine
85–89 points: very good wine with plenty of character
80–84 points: good, solid everyday wine
below 80 points: average to faulty

Conversion: 100 points vs. 20 points

Both systems follow different logics, so any conversion is only a rough guide:

95–100 points ≈ 19–20 points: world class
90–94 points ≈ 17.5–18.5 points: outstanding
85–89 points ≈ 16–17 points: very good to excellent
80–84 points ≈ 14.5–15.5 points: good, solid wine
75–79 points ≈ 13–14 points: average to decent

Rule of thumb: a 90-point wine and an 18-point wine play in the same league – they just speak different languages.

Eye, nose, palate, overall impression: structured tasting

Eye: judge colour, depth and clarity.
Nose: smell without and then with swirling – fruit, flowers, spice, oak? Clean or faulty?
Palate: sweetness, acidity, tannin, body and length of finish – most points live here.
Overall impression: does everything come together? Harmony separates good from great.

Score like a pro – right at the fair

In the Fair Mode on wine-pairing.online you choose your preferred system – stars for a quick impression, or 100/20 points for structured tasting across eye, nose, palate and overall impression. Scan the label, set your points, done: at the end of the evening you have a complete tasting protocol to export as a PDF or share with friends – and your favourites go into your cellar with one tap.

FAQ

From how many points is a wine "good"?

In the 100-point system, 85+ counts as very good and 90+ as outstanding – roughly 16 and 17.5 points on the 20-point scale. Your own taste still rules: an 84-point wine you love beats any 95-point wine you don't.

Why does the 100-point system start at 50?

Robert Parker modelled it on the US school grading system where 50 is the base. Every marketable wine gets those 50 for free – only the quality above is scored.

Which system should beginners use?

Start with what feels approachable: stars or 20 points. Switch to 100 points once you want to compare wines internationally – most trade reviews use it.

Are point scores objective?

No – and that is fine. Points are one person's structured judgement at one moment. Their real value is comparability across your own notes.

How many wines can I seriously rate at a fair?

Professionals manage 40+ with spitting and breaks. For enthusiasts, 10–20 wines are realistic before the palate tires. Drink water, eat bread, taste your most anticipated wines first.