Different Tongues - Power of Suggestion

[Randy Caparoso]

Which is why there is such a thing as wines "made for show," and perfectly good, decent drinking wines which would never "show." Don't get me wrong, Curmudgeon, I think the shows are a great way for word to get out on wines that deserve consumers' attention. But the process itself is flawed in that:

1. The percentages of placing high are against wines that taste better on the palate than other wines, but which aren't as showy in the nose.

2. Especially since (and I'm sure even you'll agree) it's more important for wines to have better balance on the palate when it comes to food (ergo, the shows aren't highlighting the most food worthy wines, which is everyone's ticket to making wine more popular with the common man).

3. Common man does NOT taste wine like wine judges, which is the way cats eat food. I don't know about you, but if my wife catches me sniffing, snorting, and gargling at the table (which I do plenty of at work), I get slapped upside the head. Wine (AND food) is meant to be "taken by mouth" (as my blood pressure prescription instructs); not dribbled, scribbled, weeded and seeded, blah, blah.

For further evidence, one need look no further than the wines of Europe, and the wines of Australia. Everyone knows that the great wines of, say, France just aren't meant to be "rated" the way American wines are. In blind tasting after tasting -- Margaux vs. Mondavi Reserve Cab, Chateau Montelena Chard vs. Martray Corton Charlemagne, etc. -- American style wines invariably "win." But is Margaux and Bonneau du Martray thought of any less amongst us wine geeks? Of course not!

Conversely, in showings involving big, blustery Australian wines against, say, American and European wines, it's the Australians which invariably "come out on top." Does this mean Australia makes the greatest wines of the world? I don't even want to get into that.

But as I said, this is not meant to be critical of any judging process per se. These things serve their purpose -- especially in terms of publicizing specific wines and whole industries, which deserve such publicity. All I'm doing is pointing out the drawbacks of systems that favor nose over palate impressions; which, of course, can be balanced out by merchants and, God forbid, writers who can see it in their good heart to recommend stuff the competitions might not uncover.

Defense rests... with a glass of Pinot.