Jean-Marc Quarin is a wine educator and critic from the south of France. Born in Chateauneuf-du-Pape into a family of winemakers, he studied oenology and went on to study with some of the most respected Bordeaux winemakers. He is still based in Bordeaux, a decision he made so he could closely follow the Bordelais wine scene. Quarin maintains his website (www.quarin.com) from his office overlooking the vines of Medoc.
In 1998, Quarin set up his Carnets de Degustations wine newsletter, in which he reviews mostly French wines. For his domestic following Quarin employs a traditional French 20-point scoring scale, but when writing for an English-speaking readership Quarin uses the 100-point scoring scale below:
- 96–100 – Exceptional
- 90–95 – Excellent
- 87–89 – Very good
- 84–86 – Good
- 70–83 – Insignificant or dissatisfying
- >70 - Deficient
