Wine Spectator ratings are like the "Funnies" to most serious people ITB. Ratings and coverage are dependent on advertising, unless you are already an "icon" brand or producer. There are a couple of very well quasi-scientific papers on this that are on the web.... very interesting reading for those with a mathematics and/or economics background - or anybody that understands regression analysis.

Today, I think that the Spectator is a mere informative tool for folks to know whats out there, but I don't think that its a reliable tool for the somewhat serious to advanced Wine Aficionado. The same can me said of the other large publications..... even the "mythical" Robert Parker Wine Advocate must also be taken with a pinch of salt (to say the least). On the subject of Parker, I only follow his advice regarding California, his ratings on France are no longer of interest (for me). Perhaps the only publication that I still take somewhat seriously is Decanter Magazine.

Aside from that, I have a short-list of wine writers that I hold in high regard, but even for those "critics" I tend to follow each writer only for a few specific regions (and not for everything they cover). Most of the writers I follow are UK and Europe based, with one Australian and another South African. I have one guy that I follow for Champagne, another for Ozzie Shiraz, another for Bordeaux, one for South African Pinot Noirs, etc.

Like most things in life, doing things properly requires attention to detail and investing the right amount of time.