Marks out of...?

The Radford Wine Scale

It has become very fashionable to give wines marks out of 10, 20, or 100, even though it makes about as much sense as marking paintings: if, say, the Mona Lisa is worth 98/100, then is Whistler's mother worth 87/100? Or the Hay Wain, perhaps, only 79/100 because too many people like it and it is therefore tainted with populism?

All right. Having established that marking anything as subjective as the taste of wine is a recipe for complete bollocks, why am I going to go on and reveal the Radford Scale of wine marking? Is this pure hypocrisy? Well, perhaps. But, when you're tasting a large range of wines you do need something more than the ever-fallible human memory to remind you of what you've had. So some sort of mnemonic scale is extremely useful. The following is my own scale, much of which has been shamelessly pinched from other sources, of course. But it does have a rational and understandable basis, at least - the question as to whether or not you actually like the wine. The basis is that wines are tasted blind, although those with an iron will and self-control may be able to apply this scale to 'dressed' wines. Marks are out of 20, with 1-8 disregarded as seriously defective. From 9 upwards we're assuming that there is no actual fault with the wine but, at the bottom end of the scale, it is simply ch eap and nasty.

I don't like this wine:

9 - And I'd be forced to comment adversely on the quality, wherever I was.

10 - And, if offered it at a friend's house, I'd say that I was driving.

11 - But, if offered it at a friend's house, I'd accept it and say nothing.

I like this wine:

12 - I would buy it again if I happened to see it in a shop...

13 - ...And probably take an extra two or three bottles to store.

14 - I would go specifically to the shop which stocked this wine...

15 - ...And buy it by the case.

16 - I would 'phone around locally to see who stocked this wine...

17 - ...And pay a delivery charge to have it sent round.

18 - I would 'phone around nationally to see who stocked this wine.

19 - ...And buy a minimum five-case lot to get it from the importer.

20 - I would go abroad/hire a forwarding agent and import this wine myself.

Your comments on this system are welcomed. It works for me. have you got a better idea?