Critiquing Wine

   In the past I've mentioned that you should be careful of wine criticism whether from a professional, maybe a wine writer or wine judge, or from an amateur like the rest of us. We all have our prejudices. Let's look at a couple of those preconceptions.

   Professionals, certainly those that go through standard wine training like a sommelier, know more about the wines of the world than you or I will ever know. Having access to their knowledge is a great help in choosing wines.

    One issue I find is with professionals, whether somms, wine judges, critics, is they are trained to understand wine norms. That is, a Pinot Noir from Burgundy should taste a certain way, a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley floor will also taste a certain way. Those Napa cabs seem to have fallen into a fruity, soft, a bit sweet style of concentrated fruit. Obviously many people love these wines. For someone in Napa who goes for a style that's firmer, maybe more tannic they won't get judged well even though the same wine from Bordeaux would. Because these trained professionals know how wines from different regions taste and why they taste that way. These folks often aren't great with wines that don't fit the norm.

    Our local Sonoma County Harvest does a judging of wines grown in the county. It's pretty obvious to me that to win a gold medal for Zinfandel it had better be in the fruit forward style where alcohols are pretty much going to be at least 15%. The judges pick these wines because they've been told to by the people running the competition. IMO there are a lot of great wines that aren't fruit bombs, but not only will they usually not win, but wineries sometimes don't even enter as they know their style of wines have little chance of winning.

    Us amateur critics have our own prejudices in what kinds and styles of wines we like. Some folks just don't like Chardonnay or Pinot Noir or dry wines or sweet wines, or wines from California, etc. Sometimes the best comment you'll get out of someone is, "This isn't bad for a Chardonnay" as many of us have general knowledge as to what a chard is supposed to taste like. However, it can be difficult to remove that personal prejudice. That's why it's best to determine why you like or don't like a particular wine. So when you may recommend a wine to someone you can say something like, "I loved this Merlot because it's not soft and thin, but has the body almost of a Cabernet." Someone looking for a soft, easy drinking might not like your choice for the same reasons you like it. Likewise, if you're looking for Chardonnay recommendations ask from someone who drinks Chard.

   So keep this all in mind when you Google "Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir," "Best Sonoma County Cabernet" or whatever. Internet democracy is nice, but that doesn't mean it's correct (for you).