Whether a wine is a good wine for you depends, of course, on your personal tastes and preferences, and your budget. After that, it's mostly about the quality of the wine, with wine scores from reviewers and publications being a good guide. But wine scores by themselves are often not enough. After all, a number doesn't say everything. The tips below will help you on your way:

Read the wine review

A high wine rating does not automatically mean that it is also a wine of taste. Wines are rated in relation to the classic examples of their category. If the style does not suit your taste, it is unlikely that you will enjoy the wine. So be sure to read the wine review(s) to get an idea of the style and look for terms that appeal to you.

Use reviews of your favorite wines

Look up your favorite wine(s) and check to see if they have reviews. If they do, read the tasting note(s) carefully and look for keywords that appeal to you. Memorize these keywords and use them when reviewing other wines.

Watch out for the reviewer

Tasting is subjective and even experienced, professional wine tasters have preferences. Delve into the notes of different reviewers and find out who has like-minded tastes. If your "favorite" reviewer gives a high wine score and his or her tasting notes indicate that he or she enjoyed the wine, chances are you will enjoy the wine as well.

Be open-minded and take some risks

Wine ratings and reviews help, but they don't ultimately tell you everything. Wine is something you have to discover. That requires practice. If you want to use wine ratings in your exploration, that too requires some practice. You'll need to invest time and money to get better and better at learning which wine(s) best suit your tastes. You may buy a few wines that are disappointing, but in doing so, you will ultimately learn which wines suit your taste. The only way to continue learning is to take some risks and try new things regularly.  So don't wait any longer and let your journey of discovery begin here!

Want to know more?

Was this information helpful for you but are you looking for more background information, facts and figures before you invest in or buy the best wine? Than download our "Whitepaper: Investing in Fine Wine" here.