How are the wines rated?

I rate wines using the 100-point scale. I have used this point system for close to 25 years. I still believe it is the simplest way to rate a wine, with its origins from grade school in the United States. A wine that I rate 90 points or more is outstanding (A), and an outstanding purchase. If I rate a wine 95 points or more (A+), it is a must buy. If I rate it 89 to 85, it’s still worth buying. I wouldn’t recommend spending your money on a wine rated lower. Wines rated from barrel, or unfinished wines, are rated with two point ranges such as 90-91 or 92-93.

I want you to taste my wine. How can I send you samples?

I don’t accept unsolicited samples. If you’re interested in having me taste your wine, please contact us (be sure to indicate the region the wine is from).

Can I use your notes and scores for marketing my wine?

If you would like to be granted the license to use any of the notes and scores on JamesSuckling.com for marketing purposes (such as sending to your distributors, retailers or customers), you must have a yearly subscription and attribute JamesSuckling.com when quoting the material.

I’m looking for specific notes that I can’t find using your search engine. Where are they?

If you’re looking for any notes that I may have written during my time with Wine Spectator, they do not appear on this website. All content on JamesSuckling.com has been generated after I left the magazine in 2010.

Why do I get the message “user not active” when I try to login? 

If you registered for a free membership, your account needs to be activated before you can login. If you didn’t receive an activation email, please check your junk/spam folder. If you still can’t find the activation email, please email us for assistance.

I’m logged into my account, but when I try to look at some of the content, it brings me to the “why subscribe” page. Why is that? 

If you registered for a free membership, you will not be able to access the premium, paid content, which is designated by a red star in the upper right corner. If you are a paid subscriber, are logged in, and still have trouble accessing any content, please contact us at [email protected].

Why doesn’t the website keep me logged in?

Upon logging in, be sure to check the “remember me” box when you do so. If you access the site from a different browser/computer other than the one you used when previously logging in, the site will not remember you. Please also make sure your browser has cookies enabled in order for the “remember me” function to work properly. If your browser’s temporary internet files, cache and/or cookies are deleted, the site will not remember you.

What if my question isn’t answered here?

Please email us at [email protected] and I or someone from my team will get back to you promptly.