It's all about style, Baby!
"Hey, if all you are doing is buying a style of wine, what's the difference."
That quote is from a comment on my post about whether vintage dates really serve a purpose on wines priced under $10...
The problem is that I hear this type of comment more and more frequently. All I get from it is a level of pretentiousness which I find very disturbing. All wines are created in some style or another, and it's an exercise in personal choice when deciding which wine you wish to drink.
First, my question for all of you reading this blog is as follows: aren't we always buying a style of wine - be it a Chianti, Sauternes, White Rhone, Pinot Gris, etc...? We all approach a bottle with some expectations about what the contents should be like. And that's in response to the price, label information, overall package used, cultural biases, past experiences, and so on.
Second, I feel it necessary to point out again that it's a fallacy to assume that all wines which are created for mass consumption are inherently inferior, or that they will someday replace all other wines. I'm not sure what the source of this angst of wines for the mass market is, but I don't like the fear it fosters. There never has been a wine made without regard to style - ever (other than that very first wine ever consumed by mankind). Man has been trying to improve, control and enhance the flavors of this most primal of beverages since that first ethereal encounter with it. The thought some winery relies solely on serendipity and luck to turn out a wine is ridiculous; that any winery would then reapply that same model harvest after harvest is sheer fantasy. And anyone who tells you otherwise has something to sell you. All throughout history people have emulated wines from other cultures - Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Celtic, Gallic, etc.
You see, anyone who's making more wine than fills their immediate needs (which would probably be around 2 barrels worth max) is looking to sell it to or barter it with someone else. By default that implies they are looking to make it attractive to others. In other words, they're going to adopt or develop a "style" of winemaking which appeals to someone other than themselves.
If all you see in wine is art then remember that art is bought & sold every day. Get over it. Get a corkscrew and have a glass, as wine wasn't made to be collected, hoarded, kept on a pedestal or elevated beyond everyday use.
It was made to be consumed.
That quote is from a comment on my post about whether vintage dates really serve a purpose on wines priced under $10...
The problem is that I hear this type of comment more and more frequently. All I get from it is a level of pretentiousness which I find very disturbing. All wines are created in some style or another, and it's an exercise in personal choice when deciding which wine you wish to drink.
First, my question for all of you reading this blog is as follows: aren't we always buying a style of wine - be it a Chianti, Sauternes, White Rhone, Pinot Gris, etc...? We all approach a bottle with some expectations about what the contents should be like. And that's in response to the price, label information, overall package used, cultural biases, past experiences, and so on.
Second, I feel it necessary to point out again that it's a fallacy to assume that all wines which are created for mass consumption are inherently inferior, or that they will someday replace all other wines. I'm not sure what the source of this angst of wines for the mass market is, but I don't like the fear it fosters. There never has been a wine made without regard to style - ever (other than that very first wine ever consumed by mankind). Man has been trying to improve, control and enhance the flavors of this most primal of beverages since that first ethereal encounter with it. The thought some winery relies solely on serendipity and luck to turn out a wine is ridiculous; that any winery would then reapply that same model harvest after harvest is sheer fantasy. And anyone who tells you otherwise has something to sell you. All throughout history people have emulated wines from other cultures - Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Celtic, Gallic, etc.
You see, anyone who's making more wine than fills their immediate needs (which would probably be around 2 barrels worth max) is looking to sell it to or barter it with someone else. By default that implies they are looking to make it attractive to others. In other words, they're going to adopt or develop a "style" of winemaking which appeals to someone other than themselves.
If all you see in wine is art then remember that art is bought & sold every day. Get over it. Get a corkscrew and have a glass, as wine wasn't made to be collected, hoarded, kept on a pedestal or elevated beyond everyday use.
It was made to be consumed.
posted by Anonymous at 8:13 AM
5 Comments:
Huge,
No question, anyone buying a wine is looking for some sort of style and every commercial wine is made with a style in mind.
However, I do think that some wines are created by some for the purpose of collecting or putting on a pedestal. Not many, but some.
Huge,
I think that you are taking this ‘wine to the people thing’ a bit far... Look , non-vintage is a great idea for those wines where the winemakers are trying to create wines (through whatever means they choose), that are consistent from year to year. Let them blend whatever they want, from wherever and whenever as far as I am concerned. That is cool because the public that is consuming these wines want that consistency and predictability (as well as the price). . Bonny Doon is even getting some Riesling from Germany for some of his blends and I find that idea of cross-continent blending intriguing, and possibly a way out for some of the bulk producers (I hear there is some juice for sale in France).
But this pedastel thing is a bit over the top. The majority of wines profit from cellaring, gaining complexity as the years pass…and these aren’t just the Marylin Merlots or Latours of the world. In fact, it is this part of the interaction with the winemaker that is the most gratifying. The winemaker makes the wine and then it is up to us to decide when, with what, whom and how to drink it. This could be in 1 month, 3 years, 5 years, who knows, it kinda depends on the vintage and the style of the winemaker. There is nothing egotistical about this, it is simply a part of good wine drinking.
And as it is an essential part of the skill set of any winemaker to know when to pick his grapes, it is equally important for the collector to know when to drink the bottle. Old and dusty is as abhorrent as over-ripe.
Caveman
Hey Huge,
I agree with most everything. Obviously, the Brett thing will always be a devisive issue between those who appreciate these non-fruit aromas versus those who don't. But to throw anothe french phrase at you..'des fois la beauté c'est dans le defaut.'
I must admit that I don't have the same perspective on elitism.. I think that is very much more a problem where wine is not already part of the cultural fabric. IN Europe, and in Québec, wine drinking is an integral part of everyday life, so it is rare that I encounter those pretentious types aside from the above stated hoarders, or those who spend on big bottles solely for the purpose of impressing. But that is a marketting issue for the likes of you and Tom.
What do you think about international blending?
Now there is marketting potential...
Caveman
i believe the Bonny Doon wine is called Pacific Rim or something (it is their Sushi wine), and somewhere in the area of 15% of it is German grown Riesling.
Caveman
Huge,
Actually vintages could potentially still be important in under $10 wines (or £6 here in 'jolly' old England).
First, vintages are useful for 'DYA' (drink the youngest available) type wines which die quite quickly in the bottle often while they're still on the supermarket shelves. Plenty of cheap French stuff needs to be drunk immediately.
Secondly, there is some regional wine which is produced to good to excellent standards and which will still show vintage variation (e.g., a Jayer Gilles Hautes Cotes de Nuits, or an AOC Chablis..) and may even benefit from cellaring.
I admit this is however a rather Old World/French centric view. I would agree that in most cases a $10 California Chardonnay doesn't need a vintage...
Cheers
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