What is Arête?

More than just a word, Arête is a philosophical ideal. In ancient Greece Arête meant a fulfillment of purpose or living up to ones potential. It also meant the excellence of something; the Arête of man or in this case the Arête of wine. Another interpretation suggests diligence in the pursuit of perfection. I am looking for wines possessing all of these traits. A truly great wine is one that expresses the soul of the vine from whence it came, not only the clone, the soil, the climate, but the growing environment as a whole. These are the wines that move me. I am seeking passionate wine makers and growers who are allowing vineyard sites and vines live up to their true potential. When crafting the wine they allow it to choose its own course, carefully watching, but never interfering, diligently pursuing perfection.

What exactly is a perfect wine? I am not talking about the latest 100 pointer from Parker or Wine Speculator. A perfect wine does more than show huge amounts of concentrated fruit octane (something that can be created in a lab with no grapes present at all). A perfect wine is one that expresses the nuances of where it came. We all carry stamps or traits passed down to us from generation to generation. These include the genes that we are all born with, but also the impact of our individual environments as well. Just as these stamps and traits make us unique so it is with wine. Not just the soil, but the clone, the rootstock, the weather, the trellising, the pruning, the irrigation, crop management, yeast selection...they all play a part. This is the essence of terroir…the confluence of environmental surroundings and upbringing colliding with the vines inherent traits creating something that can not be duplicated any where in the world. A wine with soul, a wine that is true to its heritage and true to where it is grown.

When I begin looking out at the vast sea of wines available to be purchased I become increasingly aware that there are very few wines of excellence any more. Sure certain magazines and writers would like us to think there are (just look at the latest press release and the gaudy number of highly rated must buys) but if you sit down and spend some time with most of these wines there is something lacking. I want to drink a wine of substance, a wine that will dance and sing to me for hours. I want to become lost in the nuances that a mindful grower has helped coax from the vine by watching and loving and patiently caring for the grapes that year and that season. I want to smell the flowers and fruit and land that the yeasts have created as they convert the sugar to alcohol. I want to taste and listen to the struggle for the vines to find water deep beneath the earth. I want a wine with Arête.

The wine pushed on us today is the antithesis of that. Most of them are overblown, spoofulated, frakenwines that have little to offer once you get past the fluff. It sounds like a dire situation, but all is not yet lost. There are still growers and winemakers who share my passion and vision of wine. Who want to see the rest of the wine world to be freed from the shackles of a useless point system (how would you like your existence reduced to a mere point). It is time for us to make a stand against the tyrannical leaders of the wine world. Join me on a quest for wines that have soul, substance, and Arete, instead of shallow wines that are simply a number. Let us sit for hours and let the wine speak. Let it speak of the soil, the weather, and the journey it has made to this point in time.

Comments

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These include genes that we are all born with, but also the impact of our individual environments. As these stamps and features make us unique, so it is with wine.

Posted by: יין ישראלי | September 29, 2011 at 02:53 PM

I lost in the nuances that a producer who has helped convince the vineyard, and looking for love and attention to patient.

Posted by: שתלים | September 27, 2011 at 02:25 PM

I like your post regarding making of wine. I take wine every Saturday night on weekend. Thanks for sharing such nice blog.

Posted by: עבודה לצעירים | September 22, 2011 at 08:08 AM

Marry Christmas!! A perfect wine is one that expresses all the nuances of their origin. All stamps or traits passed from generation to generation.

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Posted by: RamonGustav | August 23, 2010 at 09:18 AM

a very informatiove blog. excellent analysis on wine. i did not knew that even the soil, the rootstock, the weather, the pruning, the irrigation ....they all play a part.

Posted by: irrigation systems | July 14, 2010 at 06:29 AM