The Wine Awards Guide

The aim of this competition is to select and evaluate the best local French wines. This competition, which takes place every year at the International Agriculture Show, is organised under the control of the state and has a rigorous process of selecting with fair terms. It is recognised for the accuracy of its results. At this contest, these are more than 15,000 wine samples tasted by 3,000 judges. Only 4,000 wines will be medal winners in the end. There are three types of medals: Gold, Silver and Bronze.

This selective and independent, complete and reliable guide, rates wines out of 20 and winemakers on a scale of 1 to 5, based on the overall performance. Since 2007, the guide has established itself as a leading international wine-purchasing guide. This guide has the particularity to be in constant search of the best French wines. A team of expert tasters tastes an average of 50,000 wines per year to end up selecting 1 out of 6. Michel Bettane and Thierry Dessauve, fine wine enthusiasts, have a high requirement level: whatever the region, the domain, the vineyard or the prestige, each winemaker is treated the same. Not only do they rate the wines but they also rate the whole production and the winemaker's consistency.

La Revue des Vins de France is one of the best known oenological magazines. In addition to the monthly release, two additional guides come as a complement each year: « Le Guide des bonnes affaires du vin » about the best vintages under 20€ and « Le Guide des meilleurs vins de France » that establishes a rating of the 1,300 best domains and 7,000 best French wines. The wines are rated out of 20 and the winemakers from 1 to 3 stars. You can find some best picks and wine-grower portraits. The guide has solicited the support of trade unions and producers inter-branch organisations to select the wine. They organize blind tastings of all the samples that the vine-growers want to submit. The selected wines must not exceed a limited price defined by the guide, according to the appellation. The aim being that the buyer obtains a good deal.

The Wine Advocate is a journal developed by the famous American wine taster Robert Parker. All the wines are blind tasted and rated comparatively. The famous Parker rating goes from 50 to 100 points. The latter are allocated based on different criteria such as the nose, the robe, the bouquet, the palate and the wine's ageing potential. The wines are referred to as excellent and with an excellent quality-price ratio between 87/100 and 89/100. The (rare) wines with more than 90/100 are the best from their category and exceptional vintages according to Robert Parker. Parker wants the rating to allow the reader to situate the general quality of the wine in a category, as it is evaluated by a professional critic. They have a huge influence because a good rating can raise the price of a wine. Robert Parker will slowly but surely be retiring soon, letting new young but demanding wine tasters continue his mission for The Wine Advocate.

Originally, this guide dealt only with gastronomy and tourism. Nowadays, it distinguishes itself thanks to its impertinent and independent tone and is a great success enjoyed by all. Its reputation extends well beyond the country's borders to defend their value "Always find the best". Nowadays, this guide rates and comments on over 9000 wines classified according to the appellation. New wineries and organic domains are brought to light. The rating system is simple: the wines are rated out of 20 and the wineries from 1 to 4.
The guide has the particularity of indicating the best value for money and the "pleasure" wines, respectful of their heritage.

This is the essential guide of Spanish wines. José Penin's fame is comparable to Robert Parker in the United States. His work as a wine journalist and editor over 25 years has allowed him to develop his knowledge of the wine world. The wines are rated from 50 to 100 points by a team of experts. Those that reach a grade of 95/100 are qualified as exceptional.

This monthly English magazine, known as "the best wine magazine in the world", is read in over 90 countries. It is the reference for everyone that likes wine, from the amateur to the enthusiast. A little over 4000 wines per year are suggested. Two types of ratings are attributed: one rating system out of 100 points and the « Décanter World Wine Awards » Gold, Silver and Bronze. They are granted each year during this international competition where hundreds of wines are presented to a specialist jury.

« Wine Spectator » is one of the most important specialist wine publications in North America. The magazine is published 15 to 18 times a year and competes directly with other publications like « Wine Advocate ». Each issue contains 400 to 1000 wine critiques scored out of 100 point and blind tasted by a notorious jury. Each year, the Top 100 is eagerly awaited.

Jancis Robinson is the most famous wine critic in the world. She received the title « Master of Wine ». She creates « L’Atlas mondial du Vin » together with her English collaborator Hugh Johnson. This guide is a real encyclopaedia on the world of wine and also rates out of 20. It's a "must" for the enthusiasts for the level of both the advice you can find and the rating process.

This contest, consisting of the French Oenologists Union, promotes rigour, precision and expertise in a global context. Over 3,500 samples from all over the world are sent and submitted to a blind tasting of 150 tasters of 40 different nationalities on fair terms. The best products are rewarded with medals (Vinalies Gold, Silver, Bronze) as well as trophies for the best product in its category. This guide and its rewards are a real seal of trust and quality for the consumer.

This magazine is the most read in the US and was created in 1998. It's one of the specialist wine publications with a 100-point scoring system. We can find several categories of wine, post, interview, classification as well as 400 tasting scores. It's a worldwide catalogue in the world of wine.

This award is a selection of wines made by our clients! You have tasted them, commented on them and rated them. For a wine to be considered a Vinatis Client's Favourite it must have accrued at least 10 positive reviews with an average rating of 15 out of 20. In short, when they are your favourite!