Perhaps the most pressured venue, where people have to make a choice of wine with little time, is in a restaurant. Pexels

One argument against wine classifications could be that they encourage producers to push up prices. I’m far from convinced this is the case, but, be that as it may, we believe the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. The chief benefit is to help wine drinkers choose well, whether it’s in a restaurant, bottle shop, online shop or auction room.

Perhaps the most pressured venue, where people have to make a choice of wine with little time, is in a restaurant. The sommelier is hovering, the food’s about to come out, and you’re grappling a massive tome loaded with several hundred wine possibilities. The sommelier would argue that’s why he or she is there: to make it easier for you to choose an appropriate accompaniment to your food selections. But not every restaurant has a skilled and trained sommelier, and some people (probably you and me) prefer to do the choosing themselves.

Imagine if every wine list had a little symbol beside the wines that have a Merit rating in The Real Review Wine Classification of Australia (or New Zealand)? One, two or three bunches of grapes to signify a one, two or three-Merit classification.

There are 531 Australian and 338 New Zealand wines with a Classification rating. If that seems generous, note that it’s less than 7% of the wines of either country, and three-Merit wines represent just 0.5% of all wines in the market. It’s a mark of real distinction.

On the other hand, it’s a significant number of wines, and more than enough to have an impact on most restaurant wine lists. We hope the restaurant (and retail) trade will make use of our Classification. It’s a helping hand for the besieged and thirsty diner.