This 1986 cabernet was a very good year.

Translation 1987 had poor quality possilbly because of lack of quality assurance. True some things like rain and sun cannot be controlled but this may have less to do with quality than alleged.

Wine ratings often are also bogus. Think about a national wine rating conference.

1. Who pays for the event?

Usually those submitting their wines.

2. Who are the "experts"?

Often they are employed by the wineries. Can they spot their employer's wine? In many cases yes, especially if the wine has a identifiable characteristic (It is not a flaw, it is characteristic).

3. How are awards made?

Like many competitions they are structured so that nearly everyone walks away with something.

But what about blind tasting?

The label and any other information is totally bogus to the quality of the wine. If the expert can't tell the difference between champagne and merlot, what kind of expert are they?

Many tastings are touted as single blind tastings, but are they? Any time the experts have circled the wagons around a taste table and can even see each other, prejudice is introduced. Real professional tastings are not conducted like this. Real tastings involve individual stations where the taster cannot see or hear the other tasters. Samples are presented in heavily colored glasses to eliminate selection based on variation of color. If color is to be evaluated (usually a bogus attempt to eliminate the blindness of the test), it is evaluated in a separate series. The proper way to determine preference is with what is called a triangular taste test. Three samples are presented to the taster at one time. Two of the samples are the same, one is different. The taster has to identify the odd sample and indicate preference. The other tasters have the samples permuted in all possible combinations including which sample has 2 the same. Statistically the data is analyzed to see if there is a real difference between the samples and if there is if there is a real preference. Of course this method requires a lot of tasting and no doubt at a tasting competition sensory fatigue may be raised (primarily by the losers). However, there are methods to cleanse the palette. Besides, what do wine tasters do the rest of the day at a taste competition?

This may draw some criticism but remember what the purpose of a taste competition is:

To have something to advertise with.