Michelin introduces a grape rating system for wineries

stablished in 1900 out of a simple need to repair an engine in the early days of motoring, the Michelin Guide soon evolved to include accommodation and restaurants – places where drivers could wait while mechanics got their cars back on the road. Over time, wine has secured a vital – and lucrative – role in the on-trade, prompting expectations of a revolutionary new category akin to the Bib Gourmand designation for quality wines at affordable prices. But Michelin’s latest launch takes a different path. Rather than broadening the scope of its hotel and restaurant guide, the new publication focuses exclusively on wine, positioning itself as a direct rival to the Revue du Vin de France and Bettane & Dessauve guides. Like them, it aims to select and rate the top wine estates, region by region. The difference lies in its format: Michelin’s version is entirely digital and will gradually feature wine regions from around the world.

Mirroring the familiar structure of its Michelin stars for restaurants and hotels, the new guide uses a hierarchy of one, two or three grapes – though simply being featured is an accolade in itself. The distinction applies not to individual wines but to estates, selected collectively based on five criteria: the quality of vineyard practices; the winery’s technical proficiency; the estate’s identity and personality; the wines’ balance and their consistency in terms of quality. According to a press statement, inspectors are “all professionals and employees of the Michelin group – former sommeliers, specialist critics or production experts, boasting practical, in-depth experience in the wine industry”. This naturally begs the question of how such a team was assembled and funded. Gwendal Poullennec points out, however, that the Michelin Guide acquired Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate in 2016 and has therefore been developing this expertise for nine years, building on Robert Parker’s 38 years of work and 500,000 archived tasting notes.