How to understand our points valuations
The points we give depend on many things such as mood, the company tasting with, if tasted on a wine tasting or at a dinner with good friends and excellent food, and many other things. If we have tasted the wine more than once we give a range with the lowest and highest point and if we have tasted the wine three times or more also an average. However, if we have tasted it 5 times the lowest and highest values are not included (i.e.20%), which means that only 3 values are included, and if we have tasted the wine 10 times or more 20 % of the lowest and highest values are excluded, leaving 80% of the values. We also report the number of defect bottles for each vintage but the points when the bottle is defect is excluded.
We always taste our wines blind but when drinking within the family one of us of course know which wine we taste.
With friends and in wine clubs we do not know if it is port or anything else we taste.
In the Danish Port Wine Club we know which house we shall taste but not in which glass (i.e. semi-blind tasting).
At the Wine Society 18% we know that the wine we taste has at least 18% alcohol but we do not know what kind of wine we drink so it is always blind tastings except when we have a Great Tasting (these are semi-blind).
At the Port Wine Festival in Copenhagen we know what the houses are serving in the glass so it is not blind. On the other hand we do not give any points at all when we taste Port which are 4 years or younger after the vintage which is often the case at the Festival.
We use the 20 points judgement but give half points and even + (i.e. 0.25 points) and – (i.e. 0.10 points less). This means that we have 37 values between 14 and 20 points (the normal range we use for decent Vintage Port) to compare with for example Suckling who has only 31 points between 70-100 points (the normal range he use for Vintage Ports). This means that you have to multiply our points with 5 to get the 100 points scale.
Our points are always set based on how the bottle is the day it is tasted, not giving any points for the future. This means that 15 points on a bottle which is immature/young is worth much more because it will probably develop more and give more points in future than 15 points on a mature wine that has already reached its peak.
Since Vintage Port needs time to develop and it often takes some years before stabilized on bottle, they are not really drinking very well when younger than five years. Because of this, we decided to not set any points for the wines when they are so young. Instead we give a rank to indicate the quality, we use the following: Good – Very Good – Impressive – Very Impressive.
However, drink vintage port and just love it. Points are not so important even if it is fun. Sten remember when he was quite new in the Port Wine Club and a Danish Wine merchant invited the Club to a totally blind tasting. First they tasted Dow 1963, Croft 1963, Quinta do Noval Nacionale 1962, Graham 1948. Sten gave Graham 1948 20 points. After that they had Cockburn 1927. He said it should have maybe more than 20 points but let it be 20 points. Then came Quinta do Noval Nacionale 1963. Well this was heaven - and it got 22 point on a 20 points judgement. That’s life - and a wonderful life it is!
Translation of our points to 100 points scale
We are using 20 points in our tastings. Our translation is not inflation in points nowadays used.| >74 | Below Average | >13 |
| 75-79 | Average | 13-14 |
| 80-84 | Good | 14-15 |
| 85-87 | Very Good | 15-16 |
| 88-90 | Very fine indeed | 16-17 |
| 91-93 | Excellent | 17-18 |
| 94-96 | Outstanding | 18-19 |
| 97-100 | Classic | 19-20 |