We have established that points are meaningless. They tell you nothing about what lies beneath the cork. Until you buy the wine and try it you never know if you would even like the 98 point must have that Parker or some other so called expert has just rated. Points are a system designed to keep you enslaved to the points. You will never be able to really learn about wine unless you free yourself from those shackles.
I will be the first to admit that the reason for this is as numerous as their are different palates and different taste buds. A lot of people do not appreciate the wine I enjoy and vice versa. The same goes for food, and coffee, and anything else that varies in taste and in the perception of said taste. This presents a very tough situation for the wine drinking novice and experienced taster as well. How do you sift through all of the selections that are presented to you and find what you really enjoy? Is there a way to truly understand wine?
I believe I have found the true path to understanding. It involves numbers, but not the kind we are used to. It involves the numbers that matter. Numbers that reveal the sugar content and also the acid levels of the infant wine as well as the finished product. I believe that these numbers as well as how many tons per acre harvested and the appelation or appelations the grapes were harvested from will tell you exactly what is inside the bottle and through trial and error you will begin to discover which wines you enjoy and which wines you do not. Granted their are other factors involved, but I believe that these are the core elements and by them you can learn as much as you need to know to tell you whether you would enjoy said bottle of wine before you ever try it.
I am very much in favor of ingredient labels on wine. I believe that the winemakers should have to tell you everything that they did to craft their wine. I also believe that the back of every wine label should include which vineyards the grapes were harvested from, what sugar level (brix) at which the grapes were picked, acid levels (ph and TA), finished alcohol as well as if wood chips were used, tannin powder added, water or acid added, and anything else that may have been added. I also believe that winemakers should have to state if they used technology to alter the wine in any way. Yeast selections and fermentation regimens should also be revealed.
That being said I have my doubts as to whether or not this will ever happen. Many winemakers and publications would be put out of a job and people would finally have the power to understand the myths and mysteries of terrior and their own palates. As consumers we should be fighting for this every step of the way. It is the only way to grow in knowledge and understanding.
Begin to ask these questions if the winemakers are not forthcoming. Ask the owners of the wine shops you buy from and tell them they should ask their wine reps and the winemakers they buy from. All you really have to do to find out is to send an email to a winemaker. If they are unwilling to be forthcoming it is probably because they are doing something to the wine they do not want you to know about.
That is the whole point Jerry. I have tasted thousands upon thousands of wines. Some of them I like and some of them I do not like. I grew really tired of dropping 50 dollars on a bottle of wine that in my opinion sucked. That is why I tried to find a way to understand what the wine would taste like before I bought it.
And yes you still must taste, but it is a breath of fresh air to finally figure out why you like some wines and why you do not like others. This leaves you the time to seek out the wines you enjoy. I do not want to waste money on something I will not enjoy and I have found that I can not trust other peoples recommendations.
Posted by: Adam | August 20, 2009 at 12:27 PM
"I believe I have found the true path to understanding. It involves numbers, but not the kind we are used to. It involves the numbers that matter. Numbers that reveal the sugar content and also the acid levels of the infant wine as well as the finished product. I believe that these numbers as well as how many tons per acre harvested and the appelation or appelations the grapes were harvested from will tell you exactly what is inside the bottle and through trial and error you will begin to discover which wines you enjoy and which wines you do not."
Couldn't you just taste the wine to figure out which ones you enjoy and which ones you don't?
Posted by: Jerry D. Murray | August 20, 2009 at 01:34 AM
Jerry, you are correct. The answer to this question lies in the farming. I will address that in a future post. The first step is full disclosure of information. Everything else will fall into place. People will lie, but facts never will.
Posted by: Adam | August 02, 2009 at 09:19 AM
I agree completely there, taste should be an individual endeavor. Just because Parker is famous doesn't mean that he's right and you're wrong! He hates Rutherford Hill, but my wife loves it. So why wouldn't we continue to buy it?
Posted by: Mark | July 23, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Brix and acid will only tell you so much. Another factor, the most important in how a wine will actually taste and feel, is phenolic development. How would you communicate that information?
Posted by: Jerry D. Murray | July 23, 2009 at 04:17 PM