The Wine Assessment Institute
Seven pours. Eight metrics. One verdict.
An assessment process of such completeness that it has, on several occasions, outlasted the wine.
The Institute
A rigorous, multi-stage evaluation
Founded in 2012 under the Global Head of Wine Assessment, the Institute applies a single protocol to every wine submitted: the Seven Pours.
Each Pour is performed by a trained assessor under controlled conditions, recorded in a prescribed unit and reconciled against the others. The Institute’s accreditation is held by 214 Assessors, of whom the Global Head personally trained all.
The process takes, on average, eleven days. A wine that has not finished by then is considered to have declined to participate.
The Seven Pours
A multi-stage evaluation protocol
Each stage is carried out in sequence and recorded in its own unit.
- I
Preliminary Visual Deliberation
The wine is observed for a minimum of ninety seconds in a Grade A assessment room under calibrated light. Assessors record colour, clarity and the first tentative impression of seriousness.
Unit: Visual Gravitas (VG) - II
The Graduated Sniff
A three-stage olfactory protocol: the Courtesy Sniff, the Considered Sniff and the Concluding Sniff, separated by intervals prescribed in Standard 22.1. Complexity is expressed in Nasal Intricacy Units.
Unit: Nasal Intricacy Units (NIU) - III
First Contact
The initial sip, taken without comment. Assessors are asked to refrain from facial expression for a period of eleven seconds.
Unit: Initial Composure (IC) - IV
Structural Integrity Analysis
Body, acidity, tannin and balance are assessed for their capacity to support the wine’s stated ambitions and the weight of its label.
Unit: Structural Integrity Rating (SIR) - V
Finish-Duration Assessment
Under the Tolliver Standard of Finish, assessors record how long the wine lingers and how long they would prefer it had not.
Unit: Perceived Regret Seconds (PRS) - VI
Regional Credibility Scoring
The wine is compared against what its region would reasonably be expected to say for itself, and the gap is recorded.
Unit: Credibility Points (CP) - VII
Bottle-to-Expectation Reconciliation
The wine’s price, label and reputation are weighed against the experience, and the variance is converted into the Overall Disappointment Index.
Unit: Dregs (Dg)
Scoring methodology
The Shit Wine Score
Eight metrics, weighted and combined into the Shit Wine Score (SWS), a figure between 0 and 100. The Overall Disappointment Index is then derived as (100 − SWS) × 10, expressed in Dregs.
SWS = 0.17·AC + 0.15·SI + 0.13·FD + 0.13·RC + 0.15·(100−BEV) + 0.10·(100−PL) + 0.10·PP + 0.07·LCODI (Dg) = (100 − SWS) × 10| Code | Metric | Unit | Weight | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC | Aroma Complexity | NIU | 17% | |
| SI | Structural Integrity | SIR | 15% | |
| FD | Finish Duration | PRS | 13% | |
| RC | Regional Credibility | CP | 13% | |
| BEV | Bottle-to-Expectation Variance | ΔE | 15% | |
| PL | Pretension Load (inverted) | Pl | 10% | |
| PP | Price Plausibility | Pp | 10% | |
| LC | Label Confidence | Lc | 7% |
Try the methodology
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Shit Wine Score
Overall Disappointment Index
Specimen assessment
Weingut Konsens, Mosel “Selection Obliqua” 2021
A completed assessment, as issued by the Institute.
Exceptional Mediocrity
SWS 87.4 · ODI 126 Dregs
“A wine of remarkable composure, offering pear, mineral and a polite suggestion of slate.” — Assessor Panel, Stage VII
International wine classification
The Five Classes
Adopted in 1999 by acclamation, with one abstention.
| Class | Designation | Descriptor | Minimum SWS | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class I | Distinguished | Exceptional Mediocrity | 85+ | Wines of unwavering conviction and no particular consequence. |
| Class II | Notable | Commendable Ambivalence | 70+ | Wines that attempt greatness and are praised for the attempt. |
| Class III | Respectable | Qualified Tolerability | 55+ | Wines that can be finished, in the right company. |
| Class IV | Provisional | Cautious Regret | 40+ | Wines retained on record pending further consideration. |
| Class V | Unclassifiable | Referred to Committee | 0+ | Wines for which the Institution has no vocabulary, and has asked for one. |