arête wine project

Terry Theise Manifesto

Inspiration is hard to come by right now, and I am suffering a major bout of writers block as I am dealing with many day to day work and life issues. I do not want to just disappear as that would be a disservice to those of you coming back for more. Forgive my lack of writing. There will be more to come.

Beauty is more important than impact.

Harmony is more important than intensity.

The whole of any wine must always be more than the sum of its parts.

Distinctiveness is more important than conventional prettiness.

Soul is more important than anything, and soul is expressed as a trinity of family, soil, and artisanality.

Lots of wines, many of them good wines let you taste the noise, but only the best let you taste the silence.

                                                                                                      -Terry Theise

Mark Twain on Wine

"There are no standards of taste in wine, cigars, poetry, prose, etc. Each man's own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard."  -Mark Twain

I believe this to be true and desperately want to see people set free from the shackles of points as their guide to understanding wine. You must trust your own palate and you must learn to enjoy wine for yourself. This is why I put such an emphasis on what is being done to the wine we drink. The reason there is so much confusion among consumers, and the reason no one can learn which wines they prefer is because nothing is as it should be. When I was first learning about wine 10 years ago there was a standard I was taught. Cabernet should have a certain flavor profile. Syrah should have a certain flavor profile. Sauvignon Blanc should have a certain flavor profile. Chardonnay should have a certain flavor profile. This is what we call varietal correctness.

It is my belief that this varietal correctness has gone out the window the last few years. With all the things that are being done to wine it is impossible anymore to buy a Cabernet from a certain region and expect it to taste a certain way. The same is true for any varietal and any appelation. This, in turn, is causing mass confusion to the consumer and leading to the reliance of points. It is also taking the fun and enjoyment out of learning about wine. Please, for the sake of consumer sanity and for the sake of future generations of wine lovers be true to your wine. Pick at balanced levels of sugar and acid and just let the wine be what it is. Strive to make it better in the vineyard, not in the laboratory or winery.

Wisdom From Kermit Lynch

First I want to say that Kermit is the man! Of any one in the wine trade, past or present, there is no one I strive to be like more than him. This is a little insight from his book Adventures on the Wine Route, which if you have never read, I implore you to buy a copy today. This is just a taste of what I am trying to convey when I talk about the way we view wine and how it needs to change from chasing scores to truly enjoying and understanding wine. Kermit has a keen understanding and grasp on this truth and his book is filled with interesting tidbits on wine and winemakers as well as much wisdom. The following is in reference to the 1982 Gautiere's vin de pays wine from the Southern Rhone that retailed for $2.50.

What Good is Experience? (The Greatest Salseman in the World)

I was given the book, The Greatest Salesman in the World written by, Og Mandino , when I took on my first management position 4 years ago. My boss said it was one of the greatest books he had ever read, and I have come to reach the same mindset. Over the course of the last 4 years I have read it several times and every time I read it I find some new nugget of wisdom. The story is great and the book is not very long at all. Although an easy read, the treasures you will find are priceless and it has given me much inspiration and fortitude to continue down the road even when it seems there is no one following.

My favorite quote in the book appears when the young salesman is just beginning his journey. He had received a treasure chest filled with scrolls of wisdom which were to help him become the Greatest Salesman in the World. The first scroll he opened has been very influential to me and is a source of comfort when I begin to question my own direction in life. This excerpt is taken from Chapter 8...