My rating system is based on one thing. My wallet. There is a lot of wine out there. A lot of it is good (or at least good enough). So the clearest way for me to share my thoughts is with my dollars. Will I buy them again or not? So with that I have come up with is a two tiered system.  One for wines on the value end of the scale say $12 or less and another for those that I am expecting quite a bit more from.

 For those that are on the value side there will be five categories:

• Bulk Buy
  • The top ranking.  This means that I am (or already) have bought mutliple bottles of this wine.  Generally speaking, based on how full the wine rack is, that will mean anywhere from 4 bottles to a case.  In addition, as I am drinking these bottles I am actively looking to replace them.
• Buy It
  • This means I will grab another bottle of this next time I am buying some wine.  These are wines that I enjoyed and always want to replace the bottle I just finished.
• 12th Bottle
  • Sometimes a wine is good but not necessarily good enough to warrant buying again. After all there is a lot of wine out there to try! That said should the stars align this may find its way back into my glass. This usually happens when I am sitting there with 8 or 9 bottles in my cart and looking to round out the case. With that in mind the 12th Bottle designation has been born. That said it has long been a troubling one term and is likely in need of a makeover…
• Skip It 
  • These are wines that I didn’t particularly care for but found drinkable.  Perhaps someone else may be able to appreciate them but they weren’t for me.  Could be this is a varietal that I don’t particularly care for or maybe I think it is an average wine at a fair price but would rather search for something else than spend my time with another bottle.
• Avoid It
  • These wines are ones that I simply would not buy nor would I likely take them from someone for free either.  I will use this rating sparingly.

For those that are a bit more up the pricing scale:

• Cellar It
  • These are wines that I am very impressed with, will go out of my way to find and am digging deep to find enough money for a half case or so for the cellar.
• Wow!
  • These are wines that I thought were worth the money.  When am I likely to buy them again?  At a restaurant, for a special occassion or if I feel it is time to spoil myself!
• Pricey
  • These are wines that were good, but not necessarily good enough to stretch your wine budget for.  If someone served them to me again I wouldn’t be disappointed but chance are I won’t be opening my wallet to get another bottle.
• Not for Me
  • This is personal, so in a lot of cases it could be that I don’t care for the varietal.  Any expensive Merlot or Chardonnay may end up in this bucket.  Ala Skip It (above), these are wines that I didn’t particularly care for but I was able to see how someone else could.
• Rip Off!
  • This means even if you have more money than you know what to do with, save it!  I think I have had one expensive bottle like this in my entire life so hopefully it will never be used!

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