When I first started enjoying wine, I struggled with knowing which ones were good and whether I should like them or not.
I stressed out at tasting that I should know more than I did, and I had a hard time identifying characteristics. “Really? Fruit leather and tanning hide? I’m not getting that.”
Looking back, I realize I shouldn’t have worried about any of it. There is no such things as: “Should like a particular wine.” You do or you don’t. It fits your palate or it doesn’t. And calling out characteristics of a wine takes practice but again, there is no right and wrong answer.
Science might just be stepping up to back me up here and let us all off the hook. A number of studies have shown inconsistencies in judge’s ratings of wines. For example, a judge might be given the same wine in a blind tasting three times over the course of one sitting and he or she will give it three different ratings.
Or, in another study, tasters were influenced by the label in which the wine was poured. Say if it were a Grand Cru vs. a table wine, it would get judged accordingly with the Grand Cru always getting better ranking, even if it was filled with a table wine. Oops.
What does it mean for the self-proclaimed novice wine drinker?
It means we can stop worrying about what others think before we say anything about a wine. We all have different palates and we all took a bite or a sip of something just prior which influences our taste. The wine might be cold; it might be warm. You could be in love, irritated, binge drinking – there are so many factors that affect our wine drinking experience. Enjoy and decide what you think, not worrying if you will be judged for giving the “wrong answer.”
If you taste apricots and citrus, then you taste apricots and citrus! It would be absurd for someone to tell you you don’t. I don’t like jammy, fruity merlots – there are very highly rated and expensive merlots I don’t care for. That doesn’t make me a neophyte. It makes me turn to the Malbec.
A grapefruity New Zealand sauvignon blanc sounds fantastic in the heat of the summer, at which time I would never ask for a hearty Argentinian Malbec that I’ll reach for tonight.
You know what else this means, don’t you?
While judge’s ratings are very important to wines, and believe us, we’ll be submitting our wines to competitions, it also means it isn’t the end all be all for the winery. As a consumer, it doesn’t mean just because Robert Parker rated a particular wine well that you will love it. As in most things in life, it depends.
Don’t get us wrong – we watch those ratings and make purchase decisions based on them. We have the utmost respect for their opinions. But it doesn’t mean we always agree. We like to pay attention to which wines we like most from which judges. You might find yourself aligning with the tastes and preferences of one over another.
But remember, sometimes it’s nice to find a gem on your own; your own little discovery. Like happening upon that wonderful restaurant in the French countryside, there is something to be said for the little discoveries we make all on our own.
What do you think?
