I am excited to join the Revolucion, as it were, of my good friends at VinTank, as Paul Mabray recently described on their We Are VinTank blog (Scores, we don’t need no stinkin' scores!). I join my good friend Ward Kadel and revered Master of Wine Mark de Vere in this endeavor, in this new journey into the undiscovered country of The Wine Badges. Not that I will completely stop scoring wine or anything… but this is new. New is fun. And fun is what this guy is all about.
The Cellar Badges are a new paradigm in wine scoring. Viva la Revolucion!
Instead of scoring wines using my points system, wines reviewed under the auspices of The Cellar Badges will be assigned a badge (hence the name). Each badge grants to the wine lucky enough to receive it certain recognition, recognition of characteristics.
What characteristics? Depends on the badge.
Classique des Classiques — Highly typical wines of one of the most classic French-roots varieties (cab sauv, merlot, syrah, pinot noir, malbec, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, semillon, chenin blanc, viognier).
Supermarket Surprise — Surprisingly good wine, possibly available in supermarkets, and priced under $15.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome — A wine that is very dark in the glass and features dark notes (espresso/coffee, tobacco, chocolate, etc).
Tropical Vacation Approved! — A white that shies away from both the “butter/oak” paradigm and the “apple/pear” paradigm to feature tropical notes like pineapple, banana, mango, etc.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Brunello — Sangiovese other than Brunello di Montalcino that rocks socks.
Legit Juice — Just an awesome wine, all around, regardless of the style. Really, among the best of the best there is.
New School Superstar — A New World or New World Style wine that is above the fray.
Way Down South — Awesome wine from the southern hemisphere.
Sparklin'! — A great sparkling wine.
So stay tuned, keep your eyes peeled, and you might even see some of The Cellar Badges out in the wild!