Decanter World Wine Awards Scoring Criteria Demystified

(Created with the help of ChatGPT with information summarized from Decanter and other Internet sources)

Decanter’s World Wine Awards (DWWA) use a 100-point scale plus medals, but they do not publish a granular “checklist rubric” with fixed point values per question. What is public are:

  • The score bands and medal definitions.

  • How wines are grouped and judged (typicity, context, price band, etc.).

Below is a synthesis of Decanter’s own descriptions plus standard professional tasting practice, written as the practical “question set” a DWWA panel is effectively running through when allocating points.

 

 

1. Official DWWA scoring bands and what they mean

DWWA wines are tasted blind in regional and price-peer flights and scored out of 100. Medals are tied to score bands and qualitative definitions.

DWWA medal bands

  • ≤ 85 points – No medal

    • Wine is below award threshold for its peer group.

  • 86–89 points – Bronze

    • “Well-made, sound and satisfying” within its category.

  • 90–94 points – Silver

    • “High-quality wines of excitement and personality” in their category.

  • 95–96 points – Gold

    • “Outstanding and memorable wines” within their category. Only ~3.9% of entries achieved Gold in 2023.

  • 97–100 points – Platinum (and potential ‘Best in Show’)

    • Selected from Golds in a second, stricter round; represents the very finest wines, with the top 50 chosen as “Best in Show” each year.

Across Decanter generally, the same ranges are also described as:

  • 98–100: Exceptional – great, profound wines.

  • 95–97: Outstanding – excellent wines of great complexity and character.

  • 90–94: Highly recommended – very accomplished wines with impressive complexity.

These are the anchor definitions you have to map your own internal rubric against.

 

 

2. What judges are assessing – practical criteria and implicit questions

At DWWA, wines are flighted by origin, style, grape, vintage and price band, so every wine is judged against its logical peer group.

Panels of at least three judges taste blind, score individually and then debate every wine before a final score/medal is agreed.

In that process, they are effectively working through the following pillars:

2.1 Technical correctness and cleanliness

Baseline: a faulty wine will never see Silver or higher.

Key questions a judge is implicitly asking:

  • Is the wine free of obvious faults (TCA, brett at faulty levels, VA, oxidation, reduction, refermentation, etc.)?

  • Is the clarity acceptable for the style (no unexplained haze, browning, or spritz)?

  • Is the closure or handling fault (corked, heat damage, oxidation) present? If yes, request a replacement bottle.

If a wine fails here, it caps out at Bronze or no medal, regardless of other positives.

 

 

2.2 Aromatic profile: intensity, clarity, precision

  • How intense are the aromas for the style and price band?

  • Are the aromatics clear and focused, or muddled/dull?

  • Are there positive complexities (layers of fruit, floral, spice, savoury, tertiary notes)?

  • Do the aromas show correct varietal and regional typicity (e.g. Sangiovese sour cherry / herb, Syrah pepper / dark fruit, etc.)?

For top scores, judges are looking for high intensity, precision, and evolving layers in the glass.

 

 

2.3 Palate structure and balance

This is where most of the score is “made or lost.”

Judges are essentially parsing:

  • Acidity – is it appropriate to style and region, and integrated?

  • Tannin (reds, some rosés/orange) – quality (ripe, fine, chalky vs. green, astringent), quantity and integration.

  • Alcohol – does it feel balanced, or does heat poke through on the finish?

  • Sweetness vs. acid (off-dry / sweet styles) – is the sugar level harmonious, or cloying?

  • Body and texture – does the wine feel coherent, or bitty and disjointed?

A 90+ point wine must be fundamentally harmonious, even if youthful and structured; 95+ requires not just balance, but poise and precision at a very high level.

 

 

2.4 Concentration, length, and persistence

A major discriminator between 89, 92 and 96:

  • Concentration – how dense is the core of flavour relative to its peer group and price band?

  • Length – how long do attractive flavours persist after spitting?

    • Bronze: a brief but pleasant finish.

    • Silver: clearly sustained flavour, with some evolution.

    • Gold: flavour persists, develops, and echoes distinct elements (fruit, mineral, savoury) for a long time.

    • Platinum / 98–100: very long finish where the wine seems to keep unfolding.

DWWA materials explicitly highlight length and memorability as key features of Gold and Platinum medals.

 

 

2.5 Complexity and evolution

Judges are asking:

  • How many distinct flavour dimensions are there (primary fruit, floral, herbal, spice, oak, mineral, tertiary)?

  • Do they interact and evolve as you swirl and re-taste, or is the profile simple and static?

  • Does the wine show development appropriate to its age (e.g. young but already layered; aged but still vibrant)?

Higher scores demand wines that not only taste good but tell a more complex story in the glass.

 

 

2.6 Typicity and sense of place

Decanter is explicit that wines need their cultural context to be intelligible; wines are flighted so typicity can be assessed fairly.

Judges consider:

  • Does the wine clearly express its declared grape(s) and region?

  • Is it a credible, authentic example of its style (e.g. Douro red, Texas High Plains Tempranillo, Hunter Valley Semillon)?

  • Is any winemaking “makeup” (excessive oak, residual sugar, heavy extraction) obscuring place and variety, or supporting it?

Silver and above assume good typicity; Gold/Platinum tend to be benchmark expressions of that place/style.

 

 

2.7 Quality relative to price band (“value” dimension)

DWWA groups wines into price bands and explicitly expects judges to adjust expectations. A £15 wine is not judged against a £100 wine on absolute complexity, but on whether it over-delivers within its band.

Judges ask:

  • For this price band, how impressive is concentration, complexity, and refinement?

  • Would consumers feel this wine is a strong buy, an acceptable buy, or overpriced?

There are special “Value Golds” drawn from Gold medal wines under a set price ceiling.

 

 

2.8 Overall harmony, drinkability, and memorability

Finally, panels tilt their heads back and ask:

  • Do all the elements form a coherent whole, or are we admiring components more than the wine?

  • Is it emotionally compelling – a wine you’d actively want to drink and pour for others?

  • Does the wine feel memorable within this category and flight?

This is where borderline 94/95 decisions often get resolved.

 

 

3. How criteria translate into scores at 90, 95, and 100

Remember: scores are panel scores averaged and then confirmed/adjusted after discussion, with additional re-tastings for high medals by Regional Chairs and Co-Chairs. Golds are re-tasted for possible promotion to Platinum, and Platinums for Best in Show.

Below is what, in practice, a wine needs to look like at each level.

 

 

3.1 What a 90-point wine (Silver band: 90–94) must deliver

Officially: Silver medals (90–94) are for “high-quality wines of excitement and personality” and Decanter broadly calls 90–94 “Highly recommended.”

In practice, a ~90-point wine should:

  1. Be technically sound

    • No clear faults; minor reduction/VA only if it doesn’t detract.

  2. Show good typicity

    • Recognisable grape and regional character; nothing feels “wrong” for the style.

  3. Be well balanced

    • Acidity, tannin, alcohol, and (if present) sweetness are in harmony; no obvious harshness or heat.

  4. Offer solid concentration and respectable length

    • Flavours are clearly focused with a finish that persists and feels satisfying, though not especially long or layered.

  5. Show some complexity or personality

    • More than just one-note fruit: at least a second dimension (spice, herb, mineral, savoury or oak).

  6. Be genuinely pleasurable to drink

    • Judges could happily drink a glass or bottle; it’s not just “correct,” it’s enjoyable.

  7. For its price band, feel like a strong purchase

    • Particularly at lower price bands, a 90-point Silver will usually be a standout value within its flight.

A 90-point wine does not need to be profound or ultra-complex. It is a very good, confidently recommended wine with clear quality and personality.

 

 

3.2 What a 95-point wine (Gold band: 95–96) must deliver

Officially: Golds (95–96) are “outstanding and memorable wines” that stand out in their category, representing only a small share of entries (≈3–4% in recent years).

Relative to 90–94, a 95-point Gold must tick all Silver boxes plus:

  1. Flawless technical execution

    • No distracting fault signatures; oak, extraction, and all winemaking choices are very deft.

  2. Marked intensity and concentration

    • Aromas are immediately striking; the palate has a dense core of flavour relative to its peer group.

  3. Long, evolving finish

    • After spitting, flavours keep developing rather than simply fading; judges can recall distinct notes 20–30+ seconds later.

  4. High degree of complexity

    • Multiple layers – primary, secondary, and often some tertiary or subtle savoury/mineral dimensions – that unfold with air.

  5. Exceptional harmony

    • Structure feels seamless; nothing sticks out. Alcohol is perfectly embedded, tannins are fine and texturally refined, acidity is incisive but not aggressive.

  6. Benchmark typicity

    • The wine is not just correct; it is a reference-level example of its style and origin in the flight.

  7. Clear memorability within the context of judging

    • When the panel looks back over the flight or day, this is one of the wines they remember vividly and want to re-taste.

In other words, 95 points at DWWA corresponds to a wine that professional judges would be comfortable calling genuinely outstanding and a clear leader among its peers, even if not yet at “profound” or “transcendent” level.

 

 

3.3 What a 100-point wine (within 97–100 Platinum / Best in Show) must deliver

DWWA uses 97–100 for Platinum medals, with the very best promoted into the Top 50 Best in Show. 98–100 in Decanter’s broader language is “Exceptional – a great, exceptional and profound wine.”

In practice, a 100-point wine must go beyond Gold in every dimension and survive multiple rounds of scrutiny:

  1. Absolute technical perfection in context

    • No detectable faults and no meaningful criticism of balance, structure, oak integration, or phenolic handling, even by very demanding tasters.

  2. Aromatics of remarkable purity and complexity

    • Deep, layered nose with both primary and tertiary tones; every revisit reveals something new. Nothing feels heavy, caricatured, or confected.

  3. Exceptional palate architecture

    • Texture is almost effortless: tannins are ultra-fine yet present (where relevant), acidity is a precise spine, sweetness (if present) is in perfect counterpoint.

    • The wine feels three-dimensional, not flat: attack, mid-palate and finish are all compelling.

  4. Extraordinary length

    • Finish is very long and multi-stage; flavours keep unfolding long after spitting, with a sense of echo rather than simple persistence.

  5. Profound complexity and nuance

    • Multiple interlocking flavour families (fruit, floral, spice, mineral, savoury, tertiary) in balance. Nothing dominates; nothing is missing.

  6. Definitive typicity and individuality

    • It is immediately recognisable as its style and origin, yet offers an additional dimension of character that makes it stand out as a benchmark or even historic example for that category.

  7. Perfect harmony at its stage of evolution

    • Whether young or mature, the wine feels “at one with itself.” Judges sense it is either at a great plateau or on a clear trajectory to greatness.

  8. Unanimous emotional and intellectual impact

    • Across multiple judges and re-tastings, the wine consistently provokes the reaction: this is as good as this style can be. There is no serious dissent on its greatness.

  9. Survives the final comparative gauntlet

    • It is re-tasted against other Platinums and still stands out as one of the absolute best; only here will it be pinned at 99–100 and potentially Best in Show.

In day-to-day competition reality, true 100-point scores are vanishingly rare; most Platinums cluster at 97–99. But conceptually, 100 at DWWA equates to a wine that seasoned international judges regard as a reference-level, possibly once-in-a-career bottle for that category.

 

 

4. Summary: quick reference for 90 / 95 / 100

You can think of it this way for DWWA:

  • 90-point wine (Silver)

    • Flawless or near-flawless; clearly typic; good concentration; good length; some complexity; distinctly enjoyable; strong value in its band.

  • 95-point wine (Gold)

    • Flawless; intense and concentrated; long and evolving finish; high complexity; exceptional harmony; archetypal for style & region; memorably stands out in its flight.

  • 100-point wine (top Platinum / Best in Show territory)

    • Technically perfect; aromatically profound; structurally seamless; extraordinary length; profound complexity; both benchmark-typic and uniquely characterful; unanimously compelling across multiple re-tastings and comparisons with other world-class wines.

 

 

 

Back to blog