A wine by any other price will smell even sweeter? Eric Asimov, writer and wine blogger for the New York Times, wrote a piece this week (“Wine’s Pleasures: Are they all in your head?”) outlining the variables that contribute to enjoying a wine, as well as the functionality and utility of tasting notes. He addressed the issue that has been the focus of recent research; that many people like or dislike a wine based on price or rating, rather than actual taste. Overall, Asimov’s article is a good read, summarizing a few recent studies that have the same basic conclusion: many people (non experts) seem to prefer less expensive wines.

In his article, Asimov stated that he feels that “consumers face an impenetrable swamp of winespeak.” At this point, he referenced a tasting note written by Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth: “Dark and rich, with lots of fig bread, mocha, ganache, prune and loam notes. Stays fine-grained on the finish, with lingering sage and toast hints.” (Moleworth responded in his blog, acknowledging Asimov’s professionalism yet pointing out that Asimov himself often uses similar writing descriptors when evaluating a wine. Molesworth also contends that as long as the reader understands the terms, they are quite useful). This got me to thinking: have tasting notes gone too far? Are they no longer useful and if anything, an antagonist in the “wine can be informal and fun” movement? I don’t think this is the case at all.

Wine is art. Let’s face it- a great wine is a work of art. A mature Bordeaux, hand picked from the best of a vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon in 1961, then blended with other hand picked grapes, fermented and oaked for the perfect amount of time, delicately bottled and put away to be enjoyed 50 years later (or more) is a thing of beauty. The wine embodies the passion and personality of its maker, the nuances of the terroir and the attitude and character of the estate as a whole. Salvador Dali said “… I am painting pictures which make me die for joy, I am creating with an absolute naturalness, without the slightest aesthetic concern, I am making things that inspire me with a profound emotion and I am trying to paint them honestly.” Substitute this for winemaking, and I believe you’ve grasped the passion and love that a great winemaker puts into his or her work. Just as you wouldn’t describe Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory” as “neat colors, a melting clock, beach landscape”, for the same reasons you wouldn’t describe a 1961 Lafite as being “a good, old wine with nice, unique flavors.”

Creative writing is not only fun to read when it comes to these wines, it’s almost expected. You wouldn’t walk into a museum and say “wow, that Dali guy liked elephants.” I do realize some wine reviews are over the top, uninformative and frankly, pointless when it comes to reviewing a wine. But consider them for their artistic nature. Many wine critics become attached to the wines they taste. Olfaction and taste are intimately linked with ones mood, memory and overall behavior. Many people become moved by a wine thus using their tasting note as a way to convey the wine as more than just a bunch of flavors, but rather an experience. This isn’t a bad thing.

The point is that as with any form of expressing oneself, wine tasting notes do not have to be limited to straightforward descriptors of a wines components and value. Sure these are what a lot of consumers want, but as someone who is passionate about wine, I enjoy reading the creativity and passion that goes into many tasting notes.

Do all wine ratings really have to help every consumer? Let’s face it, there is a broad spectrum of wine consumers, from the novice “I drink wine at a party” to the expert who spends hours researching wines and tracking his or her collection with sophisticated software. With a large variety in “level” of wine consumer, is it really necessary (or even feasible) for a critic or publication to appeal to each and every one’s individual level of experience and interest? An easy analogy here is science and health. Articles and reviews on science and health range from an excerpt in Men’s Health Magazine (20 ways to stay young, Why fish oil is good for you, etc) to journal publications and textbooks targeting researchers and other experts that explain the biochemical basis of aging or the physiological mechanisms of omega fatty acid hydrolysis. The point here is that in other fields of interest, not all critics, experts or texts are required to convey the same message to the same group of readers. So why should we wine consumers expect the same?

Perhaps an easy solution is to have two separate notes on a wine. The first, evaluating the components:

“Aromas of ripe fruits and leather. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, spice. Medium tannins, long finish. Very good.”

The second may convey the experience:

“Brilliant ruby color in the glass that hints at forthcoming explosions of ripe fruits. Leather and ripe fruits reach out from the glass, escorting you to your seat as the symphony is about to begin. The palate is powered by intense dark fruits, cherry, and freshly ground pepper. The attack is gripping, a conductor controlling his orchestra. Lovely texture and mouth-feel, transitioning to a beautiful performance of tannins and acidity. A long finish that needs no encore, yet with time the show continues with rolling notes of cherry and spice. Quite a success!”

Either note conveys the message that the wine is recommended; while the first note is easy to approach and figure out what is being said, the second allows the more advanced reader to become connected to the whole experience the wine provided. And when it comes to bottles of fermented grape juice that we are willing to pay $25, $100 or even more, there is every reason in the world to enjoy and appreciate it on a level or two beyond taste and smell.

The Wine Critics Caveat: It is, of course, important to remember that in either case, the descriptor is only as good as one’s knowledge of the reviewer’s palate and preferences. What I may think tastes like blackberries, you may think tastes like prunes or blueberries. We’re both correct in our assessment and as long as we know where each other stand, then we can use our own tasting experiences to identify wines that the other may enjoy.

(image: used from www.wikipedia.org)