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How well do you know different wines, and slight nuances of differing varieties?
I just saw this short educational comedy clip which asserts that there are some "wine snobs" who are merely pretending when they describe the differences between wines. While there are certainly distinct different flavors & preferences & palate compatabilities, apparently like with any foods, wine taste is subjective, and there are no definitive absolutes when sensing nuances of flavors.
While it's comedy, and good comedy at that, it's not totally accurate. There ARE people who can discern, with training, between varietals and apellations. My sister, an assistant winemaker in California, is getting pretty good, batting about .500, but she admits that's probably her limit, and is based on a narrow apellation selection; she can't differentiate between two vintners. She has been to tasting parties with coworkers and co-vintners, and two years ago included a wine I sent her, a 2010 Texas Hills Kick Butt Cab, a $15 cabernet sauvignon that holds its own against pretentious cabs ten times its price. Everyone was puzzled by the wine... no one could identify it, but one winemaker declared accurately "It's definitely not California, it's not France, it's not Southern Hemisphere... WTF is it?" And they all liked it. Still, it's more about identifying the tastes and aromas in the wines, the sweetness or dryness levels, the acidity, than identifying the orientation of the vineyard and whether the workers were pruning with gloves on or not. Knowing the nuances of wine is what makes tasting fun.
My sister likes Bota Box wines. She says anyone who thinks she's nuts, well, she'll Rochambeau them.
The takeaway from the video is drink what you like. My wife's tastes are both sophisticated and fun; a deep Napa cab makes her happy, but so does a $6 bottle of Arkansas or Tennessee muscadine. Like the guy in the video, I'll sneak a white zin every once in a while.
Location: St Thomas, USVI - Seattle, WA - Gulf Coast, TX
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First, I love these "Adam Ruins Everything" videos! So funny!
Next, yes, though this is obviously presented in dramatic hyperbole to be funny, there is some obscurity and OF COURSE subjectivity to wine-tasting. That said, just like any food or drink, people are more likely to notice the same things and taste the same things than to disagree. It also doesn't surprise me that the psychology of "fancy" vs. "cheap" bottles in taste-testing would have an impact on people who feel that their reputation might be on the line (that's where wine snobbery really does get so silly... cheap, expensive, fancy, simple: who cares. It should just taste good to us. In fairness, the taste-test should have been blind, not mislabeled, in order to make it truly accurate. Our brains are funny things...). BUT, I absolutely know that the human palate is capable of discerning nuances in wines. Just like anything that we get intimately, more and more familiar with, we do gain more keen senses in detecting and appreciating little differences. I LOVE that about wine-tasting, love how I've personally grown to taste and appreciate wines over the years, love the complexities and nuances that I KNOW are there, and I don't think that anyone can argue that a meal can be truly elevated by a smart wine-pairing. That part is real.
All in all, I think the main message from this video is perfect:
"Forget the snobs, take risks, and drink what tastes good to you!"
Just like SluggoF16 says, I have been totally crazy about hyped, highly-rated, highly-priced wines that turned out to be delicious and really special, AND I've been totally crazy about cheap-o stuff that turned out to be delicious and special as well.
We can be passionate about wine and wine-tasting without being snobby or absolutist about it. It's supposed to be fun and delicious, not pretentious.
First, I love these "Adam Ruins Everything" videos! So funny!
Next, yes, though this is obviously presented in dramatic hyperbole to be funny, there is some obscurity and OF COURSE subjectivity to wine-tasting. That said, just like any food or drink, people are more likely to notice the same things and taste the same things than to disagree. It also doesn't surprise me that the psychology of "fancy" vs. "cheap" bottles in taste-testing would have an impact on people who feel that their reputation might be on the line (that's where wine snobbery really does get so silly... cheap, expensive, fancy, simple: who cares. It should just taste good to us. In fairness, the taste-test should have been blind, not mislabeled, in order to make it truly accurate. Our brains are funny things...). BUT, I absolutely know that the human palate is capable of discerning nuances in wines. Just like anything that we get intimately, more and more familiar with, we do gain more keen senses in detecting and appreciating little differences. I LOVE that about wine-tasting, love how I've personally grown to taste and appreciate wines over the years, love the complexities and nuances that I KNOW are there, and I don't think that anyone can argue that a meal can be truly elevated by a smart wine-pairing. That part is real.
All in all, I think the main message from this video is perfect:
"Forget the snobs, take risks, and drink what tastes good to you!"
Just like SluggoF16 says, I have been totally crazy about hyped, highly-rated, highly-priced wines that turned out to be delicious and really special, AND I've been totally crazy about cheap-o stuff that turned out to be delicious and special as well.
We can be passionate about wine and wine-tasting without being snobby or absolutist about it. It's supposed to be fun and delicious, not pretentious.
A couple years ago the Grand Champion at Pacific Rim wasn't a Napa cab or an Aussie shiraz or a Bordeaux blend from Bordeaux. It wasn't a pinot noir from Carneros or Willamette Valley or Burgundy, or an overoaked chardonnay or a Canadian icewine. It was a 2012 screwcap Albariño from the High Plains AVA of Lubbock, Texas, McPherson Cellars. That year I bought a bottle at the winery for $14. Wish I'd kept it, but instead drank it, like you're supposed to. It was a truly outstanding vintage.
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