Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
Having said all of that, the background information included in his books is invaluable and authoritative, cutting through a lot of the PR BS which emanates from the producers. The best of both worlds is to use him for background info, but use the 4 or 5 star scales favored by for example Decanter, Hugh Johnson et al.
some people still use a 20 pt scale.(sort of thought both broadbent and robinson used one of those) the pre parker scale was a 20 point scale, which included points for appearance, smell, and who knows what else.
i think parker's scale is really a 30 point scale that starts at 70 or so. mad dog, thunderbird, mogan david, or wild irish rose, probably score in the low 70's on the parker scale.
one of the most famous systems uses a three beaker rating.
parker came out with that 100 point, taste only system, and it became very popular.