In Portugal, many people don't ask "how many Parker points". They ask whether "it was in Grandes Escolhas". Grandes Escolhas magazine (also cited on product pages as Vinho Grandes Escolhas) is a tasting, a guide and a national selection. At Vinogrande, more than two hundred and seventy wines carry a GE tag: GE17, GE175 (17.5), GE18, GE185, GE19.
It's a 20-point scale, not 100. An 18 from Grandes Escolhas doesn't turn into a 90 from Wine Advocate. The shop doesn't do that sum.
Who they are and what they publish
Grandes Escolhas is Portuguese wine press: tastings, an annual guide, picks for the table and the cellar. For Portuguese buyers, the name already circulates on shelves and in wine-shop conversation. When Vinogrande quotes Grandes Escolhas, it quotes the publication — not a stray number.
In the shop's internal tags, GE18 = 18 points; GE175 = 17.5; GE185 = 18.5. The half point counts. We don't round.
How to read the 20-point scale
- 16–16.5 — good, correct wine, often a "good buy".
- 17–17.5 — very good; the core of the award-winning selection in the shop (GE175 is the most common GE tag).
- 18–18.5 — excellent, the tier customers ask for as gifts and for special occasions.
- 19–20 — rare. GE19 exists; GE20 is the exception in this catalogue.
If you're used to 100 points, give it a second: 17.5 out of 20 is not a "low score". In Portuguese criticism, 17.5 is already a wine worth discussing seriously.
Why Vinogrande lists Grandes Escolhas
Because it's the publication our customers — in Moledo do Minho, Lisbon, Porto and across the Minho — already know. The house's 90+ curation includes national scales. Ignoring Grandes Escolhas would be pretending that criticism only exists in English.
Four wines from the shop (real scores)
Quinta do Regueiro Alvarinho Primitivo 2024 (Monção e Melgaço). On the product page: 18 out of 20 from Grandes Escolhas magazine and, in the same sentence, 93 points from Revista de Vinhos. Tag GE18. Two Portuguese publications, two scales: 18/20 and 93. The shop quotes both and doesn't add them up.
Pó de Poeira Tinto 2022 (Douro). On the product page: Grandes Escolhas magazine awarded 17.5 points. Tag GE175. An estate red, a national score, the half point visible.
Conceito Único Branco 2019 (Douro). On the product page: 19 out of 20 from Grandes Escolhas. Tag GE19. A white at the top of the Portuguese scale — the product page calls it a distinction reserved for exceptional wines.
Herdade da Calada Syrah Tinto 2018 (Alentejo). On the product page: 17 pts Vinho Grandes Escolhas — ruby colour, red-fruit aromas. Tag GE17. So it's not just the 18s and 19s: 17 points is part of the conversation too.
How to read a score before you click "buy"
- Out of 20 or 100? If the page says "points" with GE, it's the Portuguese scale.
- The half point (17.5 / 18.5) isn't decoration.
- Free shipping in mainland Portugal on orders over €80.
Shipping and shop notes
Free shipping in mainland Portugal on orders over €80. Secure payments. Below that threshold, shipping is calculated at checkout. Orders placed by 2pm on a working day ship the same day or the next working day. Wine is fragile: in extreme heat, dispatch may be delayed. Alcoholic drinks are sold only to over-18s.
Stock changes. The scores in this article were copied from the product pages on vinogrande.pt at the time of writing — not rounded, not invented. If the product page and this text differ, the product page applies.
— Vinogrande, Moledo do Minho. Buy wine online. 90+ points from renowned critics. Free shipping in mainland Portugal on orders over €80.
