WHAT’S THE difference between a wine with a 94-point score and one awarded 98 points? A lot more than a mere four points. Jeffrey Sapara, a New Jersey-based wholesale sales representative for importer VOS Selections, recalled that when the 2010 Contino Gran Reserva Rioja was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker Wine Advocate, Vinous and Wine & Spirits, three well respected wine publications, in previous years, a few retailers bought a case or two. But after wine critic James Suckling’s website awarded the same wine 98 points in January 2018, Mr. Sapara was deluged with calls.
“All...