The Michelin Guide for Wine - truly rais(in)ing the bar or just another gimmick?
We all know the Michelin Guide - we use it as a point of reference to determine very quickly which restaurants are worthy of an exceptional dining experience. The establishments aren’t just good – they’re star-studded.
The Michelin Grape
At the beginning of December, The Michelin Guide announced that it was introducing a ‘new distinction in the world of wine’, with the expansion highlighting a key part of an ‘overall gastronomic experience’. Known as The Michelin Grape, the new distinction is set to highlight estates and producers across key regions by assessing their overall merit and brilliance based on five universal criteria;
- Quality of Agronomy = essentially, the quality of viticulture.
- Technical Mastery = the brilliance of the winemaking process and what goes on inside the winery.
- Identity = in wine terms, a sense of place, more commonly known as ‘terroir’.
- Balance = the polyphony between acidity, tannins, oak, alcohol and sweetness, or BLIC (balance, length, intensity, complexity).
- Consistency = evaluating across multiple vintages, ensuring cohesiveness even in the most challenging of years that can be plagued by appalling weather.
The aim of the new distinction is to reward not just the vineyards but also the people who run them. Just like the Michelin Guide, the Michelin Grape intends to provide wine lovers with the same trusted benchmark, but with the use of One, Two or Three Grapes – truly celebrating deep roots and real terroir-ific character.
A public viewpoint
For those who regularly use the Michelin Guide, this new distinction seems to have been well received – after all, if one understands the restaurant guide then having the seemingly same system available gives wine lovers a better connection to the wine world, allowing them to truly resonate with wines that have been awarded an accolade. In turn, this allows more food consumers to have their eyes on wine and understand it in a similar context. Finally, a guide with real vine and vigour behind it.
An insider's perspective
But, for those of us in the wine industry, it could be said that this new guide is simply another gimmick – more Chardon-nay than Chardon-yay? The nature of our jobs as buyers, writers and educators means we have a firm grasp and understanding of the winemaking process – we’ve visited the vineyards, we’ve met the producers, we’ve heard their stories, and we’ve tasted their wines. Our clients trust us to communicate our experiences to them and to best advise them on what to drink and, more importantly, when to drink it. It really does have little practical use for professionals who already work with classification systems, suitability of grapes to certain climates, analysis of final wine styles and ultimately understanding the difference between ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’.
The practicality of sourcing
The guide is set to launch in 2026, where the project will start with two regions that could be arguably the most exemplary in the winemaking space – Bordeaux and Burgundy. From an everyday consumer point of view, yes, the guide will certainly give them easy access to the best wines (at least according to Michelin) but getting hold of these wines may not be as simple as visiting the local specialist wine shop and purchasing a bottle because the guide told one to do so. Wine professionals know that access to these two regions can be very difficult, and as professionals we can certainly make assumptions about the wines that may appear within the guide and know that accessibility will be an issue – does anyone have cases of DRC or Chateau Margaux lying around?
What about the rest of us?
One must consider the audience that Michelin are trying to entice. While the guide will be freely available to anyone who wishes to read it, the awarding of the stars will only be of specific relevance to those who are willing to invest time and money into it. It could be argued that the guide will leave very little room for hidden gems, emerging trends and indigenous grape varieties that might be more appealing to a younger audience with, potentially, less money available particularly if the focus is to be on ‘key regions’. Countries like Greece and Portugal (beyond Douro) are really gaining global acclaim.
Final thoughts
If executed well, the guide could certainly offer a new lens of wine appreciation. Done poorly, it risks being another gimmick in an already crowded market of wine scoring publications. For now, the wine world is certainly waiting in anticipation with curiosity ready to see if Michelin truly have created a toast-worthy find or simply squeezed grapes for publicity.
