Wine Spectator editors review more than 15,000 wines each year in blind tastings, providing scores, tasting notes and drink recommendations. We set stringent standards for ourselves and rely on the proven ability and experience of our editors as tasters and critics. We follow the guidelines below in order to maintain the integrity of our tastings:
Tastings take place in our New York and Napa offices. Additional tastings, organized by our staff, take place at independent sites in the wine regions of Europe. All tastings are conducted in private, under controlled conditions.
Wines are always tasted blind, in flights organized by grape variety, appellation or region. Bottles are bagged and coded, and corks and caps are removed. Tasters are told only the varietal and/or region of the wine and the vintage. They do not know the name of the winery or price of the wine while tasting.
We have developed this tasting methodology through more than 30 years of experiment and experience. We believe it ensures that our tasters remain impartial and that our reviews are unbiased and fair. You can watch the video about our tasting procedures in the Learn section of the WineRatings+ app. If you’d like to know more details about how we taste, please visit WineSpectator.com for more information, including our Statement of Ethics.