Over millennia of development, our understanding and our common perception of the meaning of words have changed greatly. With that in mind, we must ensure that the basic definition of quality is clarified in order to establish what quality in wine represents. This is the first step to defining wine quality. Quality, by many dictionary accounts, is a defining character, a unique trait which separates one thing from another. It is also defined as having excellence lacking in fault or flaws and as being superior.

The second step in defining quality in wine requires us, the industry professionals, to accept the fact that the consumer’s perception of quality is based more on the character side than the excellence side of the definition. All too often, those of us who have taken it upon ourselves to be the self-proclaimed experts of knowing what is good, criticize those wines that are viewed as quality products by the consumer. The demand for these wines and the rapid growth of sales is a clear indicator that the consumer is looking for that distinctive quality which satisfies them, not the critics. Look simply at the top-selling names in many markets—brands such as Oyster Bay, Yellow Tail, or J. Lohr—and it becomes clear that consumers are often seeking easy drinking, value for money, and broad appeal long before worrying about whether a wine shows clear superiority over another. In that context, “quality” may be defined less by complexity or distinction and more by price, approachability, the fact that it isn’t too dry, or even by practical considerations, such as packaging that fits neatly into everyday life.

We must not forget the consumer’s emotional or visceral view of the topic when providing the factual answer to the quality question. However, quality in wine from a technical perspective is about the absence of flaws, and science alone can make that argument. Any winemaker with a lab can calculate levels of SO2 (sulphur dioxide), volatile acidity and extraction. To that information, the skilled professional will add a personal assessment based on years of experience and the outcome of a quality assessment with tactile data.

Over the past 30 years, the industry has made great strides in understanding how to make better wine, even purer, cleaner ones, which have fewer faults than in the past. Brettanomyces, a naturally occurring yeast that can influence a wine’s aromas and flavors and was once described as “typicity,” can be better controlled through proper winemaking and cellaring conditions. Vineyard management, advanced viticulture practices and more sanitized vinification help to ensure the number of potential flaws is reduced.

Therefore, we can say that overall wine quality is higher than it was just three decades ago. Many individuals involved in the wine business for more than 15 years may be able to remember a time when consumers could be heard saying, “I can’t drink Italian wines because they give me a headache.” While some of the winemakers called this “typicity” or “quality” of their vineyards, it was in fact elevated levels of histamines as a result of high levels of sulfites. Today, with the introduction of new cleaning techniques and sanitation standards in the winery, as well as nitrogen bottling, we have seen the levels of sulfites decrease greatly in Italy. It could be said that we have replaced a certain quality with quality of excellence.

Perhaps the most room for interpretation of quality exists within the pages of every wine publication or online resource. Numerous examples exist, in a plethora of languages and editions, that proclaim which wines are of the best quality. Some of these journals do in fact celebrate the unique quality of the wines while trying to assess their overall quality. Rating the beverages has even taken on a language of its own. The 10-point rating, the 100-point scoring system or the five-star classification of wines by different critics can be declared as proof that one individual’s assessment of quality differs from that of another. The question can be asked: how can one magazine give a wine 90 points while another gives it four stars? What is the difference in quality? In a world where things are always being rated, which rating is giving the wine higher scores for quality?

In a blind tasting held at the 2003 Society of Wine Educators conference in Anaheim, five pairs of wines were presented to a group of 50-plus wine professionals. As each set was about to be unveiled following individual tasting and noting the quality, the group was asked to vote on their favourite ones. In each pairing, without exception, the unanimous favourite was the wine which had scored under 80 points in a famous wine magazine, which shall go unnamed. The wine not chosen, by the majority, as the preferred choice had scored 90-plus points in the same publication. All the products at the tasting were from respected and revered wineries around the world, and they were well made and lacking in flaws. However, the final assessment of quality contradicted the established magazine’s definition. The high-scoring wines were distinctive and well made, but their unique qualities did not surpass the group’s basic view of quality.

Quality in wine can be defined in many ways. However, three things cannot be ignored: firstly, quality is indeed the unique character a wine possesses which makes it unlike another, or another region; secondly, it means that a wine does not have flaws, imperfections or faults; and lastly, quality is too individual a term never compared to another’s view of quality.

Hopefully these three philosophies can combine in such a way that all wine lovers around the world will benefit. Consumers will gain from a better understanding of what they like about a wine and why. The industry will benefit from having a foundation of respected and reputable peers helping the consumer in their search for quality, and last but not least, wine will continue to show better and more unique qualities.