Wine Tasting I just finished reading a prepublication version of Elin McCoy's upcoming book about Robert Parker. I found a copy, by accident, at a local coffee shop and was lucky to read this interesting book before it comes out in July. On the whole, it is a balanced portrait of everything the man has done well and badly for international wine. I'll have more to say about the book's treatment of Parker when the book is published, but McCoy's portrait of how the wine world changed from the 1970s through today is a compelling story. McCoy sees the tasting organized in Paris in 1976 by Steven Spurrier as one of the turning points. That tasting, for those who don't remember, created international headlines when a series of California wines bested some of the great names of French viticulture in a blind tasting conducted by some of France's best-known wine critics. Stags Leap came out the winner, matched against some of the greatest wines of Bordeaux. There seemed to be something democratic and practically revolutionary about the results. The upstarts from America beat out the aristocratic Moutons and Haut-Brions and the lesson was that tasted blind, without seeing the prestigious labels and without knowing the history, the superior wines were from young vines from a young country with a young wine industry which was not trapped by tradition and class privileges. American brashness and dynamism reigned supreme. More importantly, the old system of evaluating wines, a system based on the history of a region, a vineyard, a producer and the track history of their wines was no longer reliable. Blind tasting, deconstructing wine into fleeting aromatics and flavors was now the way to evaluate the worth of each bottle. Wine was no longer a culture, a way of life, a complement to a meal, but was now an Olympic event best judged by great and aspiring-to-be-great palates. Wine was removed from context and the eventual result was the Score/Tasting Note evaluatory system. I spend a great deal of time with impassioned vignerons and always try to explain to our customers how the work in the fields and in the cellars is what makes great wine. I try to explain that the 20 second sniff and spit tasting exercise can only offer a glimpse of the vigneron's work and achievements. But, it is often difficult to sell wine as a natural product since so many people in the trade have been trained to believe that the way to judge wine is through a reductionist search for "tasting" characteristics. So few people now are being trained to taste a wine in context, for where it came from, what it expresses and how it interacts with food and the real world. Instead, we have an external construct of fruit/wood/earthy flavors and aromas and we try to pigeonhole a wine into the confines of these external evaluators. We do not taste and drink the wine for what it is, but for what it approximates in wine tasting lexicon. Certainly, famous wines are not great wines because of their birthright and history. There are underachievers, deceptions and disappointments -- wine is horribly complicated.. But I am still happy to drink a Raveneau knowing it needs years to develop and seeing a Raveneau label when I drink a Raveneau does not dull my critical perspective. In fact, it enriches my knowledge of what I am smelling and tasting. Because the wine is not about me and not about my palate. Wine is not a vehicle for egomania, boastfulness and self-promotion. All the great "tasters" I have known are able to submerge their ego and understand what is in the bottle. Where it came from and where it is going. And they've done that without charts, tasting wheels or tortured prose likening wine to 57 different fruits (the Heinz Variety Tasting method). A great taster is at one with the wine. Something we can all hope to be through experience, constant skepticism and openness to new experience and new sensations. How boring the world of Points/Tasting notes has become! I even see my friends, people I like, writing endless tasting notes with endless useless fruit/wood/earth analogies that are of no possible use to anyone. Yes, they drop off the points, but they are still using the same methodology. Furthermore, modern oenology has learned how to manipulate wine to create manufactured aromas and flavors that fit into the "tasting palates" artificial construct. I'm always shocked to see people enjoying fake fruits and fake sweetness and fake viscosity that is so obviously fraudulent and alien to wine. But even people with good intentions get sucked into this whirlwind of tasting frenzy, thinking that they are somehow coming closer to learning something about wine. Why not just sit down with one great bottle. Learn everything you can about the region and producer. Go visit them on a vacation. Immerse yourself. Learn to enjoy wine. |
return to: Joe Dressner The Wine Importer |
"...Importer Joe Dressner got his hands on a copy of Elin McCoy’s forthcoming biography of Robert Parker (and he didn’t get it from me, though I do have a copy) and was inspired to consider the unfortunate ways in which the wine world has evolved since the infamous 1976 Paris tasting. ..." |
"...target="_blank" class="postlink"Joe Dressner is is right..." |
"...Another examination of the same issue from one of my favorite importers: target='_blank'Dressner on Blind Tasting. ..." |
"... I'ld apologize to Joe, but what's the percentage in that -- he'll just irritate me on another day. In the meantime, I'll enjoy this lovely little piece of wine literature: target="sbub"..." |
"... arget="_new"The Art of Wine TastingClick to Read An Exciting Expos of The Three Tier Schnook System!Clicking Here Takes You to A Breathtaking Minute-by-Minute Account of a Glamorous Day in the Life of The Wine Importer!Click Here to Speed to the Non..." |
"...target="" class="resultsLink" onmouseover='window.status="";return true;' onmouseout='window.status="";return true;'The Wine Importer... bottom of the page and clicking on older posts . This is a very user-friendly feature. the wine importer Send an ..." |
"...target="_blank"Reading this sheds some light on Dressner's philosophy. It strikes me, upon reading it, that those of us growers and producers not blessed with a Chateau or our own slice of the Cte d'Or stand little chance of ever appealing t..." |
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"...Importer Joe Dressner got his hands on a copy of Elin McCoy’s forthcoming biography of Robert Parker (and he didn’t get it from me, though I do have a copy) and was inspired to oedressner/?1674"consider the unfortunate ways in which the wine world has evolved since the infamous 1976 Paris tasting. ..." |
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"... etpic/375/" The point of this site is unabashed self-promotion, which I have learned is the key to success in the business world. Long and hard experience has taught me that the quality of our wines is unimportant -- it is my ability to network an..." |
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"...obinson - The art of wine tastingA British purple pager questions consistency in tasters and drinkability in what they're tasting. http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/yourturn050615_4 - - Cached - Similar pagesoedressner/%3F1674"The Wine ImporterThe Art of Wine Tasting · Click to Read An Exciting Exposé of The Three Tier ... Blind tasting, deconstructing wine into fleeting aromatics and flavors was ... ..." |
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"...Another examination of the same issue from one of my favorite importers: oedressner/?1674' target='_blank'Dressner on Blind Tasting. ..." |
"... Wine Tastings & Events www.kobrandwines.com Kobrand Wine Events. Sign up for our newsletter for news and dates. Wine Tasting Directory WineMakingAndBeerBrewing.com Directory Of Wine Tasting Deals. Find Wine Tasting Quickly. oedressner/?1674"The Wine Importer Everyone in the wine trade takes themselves so seriously that I am trying to ... Blind tasting, deconstructing wine into fleeting aromatics and flavors was ... ..." |
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"... oedressner/?1674" target="_blank"Here's a bit more from the mercurial Dressner on wine tasting in general. In short: don't worry about specific aromas or flavors, except in using them to relate one wine to another. Concentrate on how the wi..." |
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"...oedressner/?1674" target="1" class="resultsLink" onmouseover='window.status="www.datamantic.com/joedressner/?1674";return true;' onmouseout='window.status="";return true;'The Wine ImporterAnd they've done that without charts, tasting wheels or tortur..." |
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"...To delve deeper into the wine mind of Joe Dressner take a look at this link. The picture on this page is not a picture of Joe. I dont know why. Dont miss this tasting. oedressner/?1674" target="_blank"Joe Dressner's BlogWarre's Port and Theo Chocolate~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thursday, May 11th 7 p.m.Warres Ports at Theo Chocolates $15 per personI am very honored to be hosting Dominic ..." |
"...Identifying flavors in wine is not the only way to go about this, and has indeed received oedressner/?1674" target="_blank"cogent criticism from expert parties. I don't work much on that basis--I try to think about structural components and food matching. Of course, it you have a B71-yeasted Duboeuf Beaujolais in your glass, it real..." |
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"... A oedressner/?1674" target="_blank"critique of tasting notes as a concept.I find the fruit salad unhelpful, am much more interested in the "more obvious acidity than the '94," or some such context around the producer ant the wine. Note t..." |
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"...New York Times. What else do you need to know? oedressner/"The Wine ImporterDressner's wit and wisdom, attracting wiseacres from all over TheWineBlog.net (it)Luk & Co. da Liguria Through The Grape Vine News from one of the best US wine regions Tigullio Blog di Filippo RoncoPo..." |
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"...Another examination of the same issue from one of my favorite importers: oedressner/?1674" target="_blank"Dressner on Blind Tasting. ..." |
"...sting event was conceived and hosted by the owners/winemakers of ... Jack’s Tasting Notes: 2002 Etude Heirloom Pinot Nose. Sweet. Nice. ... http://www.forkandbottle.com/events/mayacama/marcassin.htm - 46k - Cached - Similar pages oedressner/?1674"The Wine Importer Jun 8, 2005 ... Blind tasting, deconstructing wine into fleeting aromatics and flavors was now ... How boring the world of Points/Tasting notes has become! ... ..." |
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"... Enology navigation arrow Wine Tasting Wheel. Categories ... The Wine Tasting Wheel provides a comprehensive list of 120 terms that can be used ... http://bookstore.ucdavis.edu/Display.cfm?itemId=2555 - 30k - Cached - Similar pages oedressner/?1674"The Wine Importer Jun 8, 2005 ... Blind tasting, deconstructing wine into fleeting aromatics and flavors ... tasting wheels or tortured prose likening wine to 57 different ... ..." |
"... Tasting Wine, Oregon wine, Washington wine, Oregon wineries, ... Cheese also clouds the ability to judge wine; as wise old French wine merchants say, ... http://www.avalonwine.com/Tasting-Wine.php - 80k - Cached - Similar pages oedressner/?1674"The Wine Importer Jun 8, 2005 ... Blind tasting, deconstructing wine into fleeting aromatics and ... that the way to judge wine is through a reductionist search for "tasting" ... ..." |
"...is blog that this system of evaluation is no way to understand or appreciate wine. I want to offer a different way, a better way. No blind tasting, no scores, no frankenwines, no corporations...I am choosing to follow instead the suggestion of oedressner/?1674"Joe Dressner which is that we just sit down with one great bottle at a time and immerse ourselves in understanding and appreciation. To me the way Jancis suggest we taste is like having sex with several hundred hookers a week. You wo..." |
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"...hat, then you can taste wine.” Universally, young purveyors of wine see wine terminology as the thing that keeps ... http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/livewire/archived/winetasting_classes_reach_out/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pagesoedressner/?1674"The Wine Importer Jun 8, 2005 ... Wine Tasting I just finished reading a prepublication version of Elin ... So few people now are being trained to taste a wine in context, ... ..." |
"...nyc importer ,whom I admire and respect oedressner/?1674"once wrote, ..." |
"...Someone reminded yesterday of a wonderful critique of the modern system of wine tasting and evaluation. I hadn't read it for a long time, and it was refreshing to check it out again today. It is oedressner/?1674"Joe Dressner's astute take on the whole analytical approach to wine evaluation. He published it in 2005, and I must quote a passage that struck me as especially good:..." |
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