Michelin Guide will now rate wineries

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - If movies have the Oscar, and television has the Emmy, then Michelin's Star Ratings are the Oscars of dining. But Soon, Michelin will be rating exceptional wineries worldwide with their own kind of Oscar. 

Let there be grapes 

"I'm swirling the wine to blend a little air, specifically oxygen with the natural compounds of wine that's gonna release all the aromas," said Deepak Gulranjani, owner and winemaker at Nicholson Ranch Winery. He sells only through his tasting room or to wine club members.

He was happy to hear that Michelin, legendary rater and recommender of eateries, upon which a few are given star ratings, will soon rate wineries. Wineries will not receive stars, but Michelin Grapes, beginning next year in France.

But Napa, Sonoma and other major California wine regions cannot be too far off." said Mr. Gulranjani. Michelin's expert judges include proven sommeliers, wine-type specialists and other wine and winery experts.

Hopes of younger clientele

Rob McMillan is senior vice president of Silicon Valley Bank winery financing. "I think it's a really good thing for the industry. Anytime you bring in somebody with that kind of a reputation, it can only be helpful," said McMillan. "You know, we've got to have an on-ramp for younger consumers and when I say younger, I mean under 60," he said.

The judges will have an elaborate grading system at wineries and in the Michelin lab. They'll look for taste, aroma, clarity, the interplay of flavors, the overall balance, how well it's made, how the grapes are grown, and how well the winery applied science to its efforts. 

"All is like small parts but all those things combine to give an identity, I would say, a personality to your wine," said winemaker Gulranjani.

So, what do younger tasters think? 

"It's a great idea. I mean, there's a lot of work that put into making a great wine as we learned today, there's months and months of processes and thoughts about it. So, why shouldn't that be rewarded or scored just like food is?" said Bridgett McKeon of Rochester, New York. 

"I do think that Michelin holds a lot of weight. So, if you see that there's a Michelin-rated winery, I think people will want to check it out, especially because it's new. So that's gonna be a unique thing and everyone is gonna want to see it," said Christina Schaub of San Francisco. 

"I think it actually makes a lot of sense because it's a smart transition. I mean there's a huge crossover between food and wine and help people really understand and maybe get more interest in trying more wines," said Kendell Doyle of Brooklyn, New York.

This could encourage many non-wine drinkers to come in and rescue the customer-starved wine industry.