The announcement that Michelin, the gold standard of restaurant ratings, is moving into winery evaluations has surely created interest in the food and drink media. Some people are afraid, some are unclear, but the majority of us are just fascinated. When an institution that has changed how the world eats for over 125 years shifts its focus to wine, it is sure to cause debate.
Naturally, several questions arise. Will Michelin dominate wine criticism as it has restaurants? Is the iconic 100-point score finally on its way out? What about long-time, on-the-ground reviewers like me? Will we be replaced by a super-panel of jet-setting wine experts?
At the present, it's difficult to say. Details are still few, and this uncertainty is exacerbated by the fact that the wine business is going through a difficult period. A recent news release offered some basics: Michelin will assess vineyards on a scale of one, two, or three grapes: "very good," "excellent," and "exceptional." There will also be a "Selected" category for dependable, consistent-quality wineries, comparable to Michelin's Bib Gourmand for restaurants.
The evaluations will be based on five major criteria: agricultural quality, winemaking technique, expression of uniqueness (which appears to mean terroir), balance in finished wines, and consistency between vintages, with an emphasis on wines that age gracefully. Tastings will be conducted by panels comprised of former sommeliers, specialised reviewers, and former winemakers.
That's really all we know about the "how." According to the San Francisco Chronicle, winery inspectors will not be anonymous, as Michelin's famously secretive restaurant reviewers are. Given that many top-tier estates do not encourage drop-in visitors, this strategy makes sense.
In terms of "where," Michelin will begin operations in Bordeaux and Burgundy in 2026, which should come as no surprise to anybody familiar with the wine industry.
The more intriguing question is, "why?"
On the surface, wineries appear to be a natural extension of Michelin's hospitality universe, which includes restaurants since 1900 and hotels since the 1920s. Michelin introduced "Keys" to assess hotels last year, replicating its Star system. Wine seems like the natural next step.
Still, there is a significant difference. When Michelin began assessing restaurants and hotels, it was striking new ground. For decades, however, wine criticism has been a crowded field. So, will Michelin focus only on well-known brands, or will it utilise its power to discover new producers and stories?
Plenty of open questions.
This change might alternatively be interpreted as a clever rearrangement of existing components. Six years ago, Michelin purchased Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, the newspaper that popularised the now-common 100-point system. Whether you like it or not, that approach still reigns supreme in the wine market; I personally assign hundreds of such ratings through blind tastings each month. Michelin now appears to be ready to provide an alternative.
Restaurant and wine reviews are not the same sport. Restaurants use a variety of ingredients, processes, and styles that are at least somewhat objective. Wine, on the other hand, lives and dies according to perception and palate. That is why blind tasting is so important—it keeps things fair and frequently surprising.
I can't tell you how many times blind tastings have changed my assumptions, both ways. Legendary growers occasionally fall short, and lesser-known wines quietly outperform. Those times are precisely why wine criticism is so intriguing.
So yet, Michelin hasn't said much about what this implies for the Wine Advocate, other than to emphasise that the Michelin name has immense worldwide weight. Many insiders believe that elements of the Advocate—such as its knowledge, data, or tasting resources—will be included into the new system. After all, why reinvent the wheel when you have a perfectly fine one?
It's also feasible that both techniques can coexist: Wine Advocate will continue to score bottles by bottle, while Michelin would provide a larger, producer-level stamp of approval.
And, surely, there is the commercial aspect to consider. Michelin's restaurant guidelines are partially funded by tourism organisations looking for exposure. A similar paradigm may arise in wine, with regional wine groups contributing to the bill—though traditionally, those budgets have been a bit tight.
Whatever shape this all takes, one thing is certain: Michelin's entry will bring a greater focus to wine. That's a nice thing. I've always felt that more reputable voices lead to better-informed customers.
Wine could use all of the good attention it can get right now. If an internationally acknowledged authority reminds people that wine is part of a healthy lifestyle, it benefits everyone—from vineyard workers and winemakers to reviewers like myself who get to taste and tell the tale.
Welcome to the tasting bar, Michelin Man.
