Vincent Vega wrote:

> I just read the "Official Guide to Wine Snobbery"
>
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...75134?v=glance

It sounds interesting and amusing.

>
>
> The book is a great read and reinforces my speculation about the wine
> industry and wine snobs. I have come to the conclusion that most (90% and
> above) wine snobs really don't know much about wine. These people simply
> repeat what it is they heard other people say about wine.

And how do you identify a wine snob? Do they bear some sigil upon their clothing that
provides for ready identification? Personally, I find it difficult in the extreme to
identify a snob upon casual encounter, as it is difficult to know the internal working
of their minds. No doubt you have cracked this conundrum...

>
> Meanwhile, Person "C" knows that no matter what he says about wine (within
> reason), Persons "B" and "A" will eventually consider fact. With this type
> of persuasion Person "C" is free to say or make up anything he/she wants.
> Person "C" eventually gets a job as a wine judge or wine columnist while his
> subjectiveness permeates the industry and "winemakers" shake their head in
> confusion. The winemakers are left to face the fact that subjectiveness,
> copycatting and creative writing will dictate the industry.

Tasting *is* subjective. Anyone who suggests otherwise has been asleep during all
their science and philosophy classes. The best that anyone can hope for from a wine
critic (or a film critic, or a music critic) is that the reviewer's tastes are fairly
similar to the reader's. Barring that, the reader can at least gain some appreciation
for how their own tastes differ from the reviewer's, which can also provide some measure
of guidance from their reviews.

>
>
> I never listen to wine TV shows and only read the wine spectator and such to
> keep up on industry trends. But I was flicking the channels the other day
> and I heard this wine connoisseur on the food network talking to a chef in
> California when she made the comment that "the Sauvignon Blanc they were
> drinking was clearly from the Northern Coast of California because it was
> high in acidity" LOL ROFLMAO. Now I know someone watching that program is
> going to repeat that, the next time they drink a white from Northern Cali.
> And they will convince people that they know a lot about wines for making
> such an observant statement. And that statement will get passed meanwhile
> building the credentials of whoever repeats the line.
>
> The only problem is that anyone who has a beginners knowledge of winemaking
> knows that acid additions are currently practiced by just about wine
> producing nation in the world,, even if they don't tell you.

Sorry, that just ain't so. Many important wine regions have explicit laws against
acidification. California doesn't because of lack of acidity that plagues many of its
wine regions; conversely, California has very strict laws about the addition of sugar
("chaptalization") that don't exist in parts of France where the grapes will often not
fully ripen. Bottom line: the regulations are typically self-serving for the region
involved; if we don't need to add acid, we'll outlaw the practice.

> The fact that
> a wine is high in acidity could not possibly indicate where it is from.

Tried a Savennieres recently? ;-)

> The more I am force to understand the marketing of this industry, the more I
> am convinced of its insanity. I think someday I will write a book that
> exposes the foolishness and symantics of the wine industry.

In my experience, most of the people who make the wines I like are down-to-earth,
striaghtforward and sensible about their craft and trade. Moreover, these same
winemakers share for the most part a genuine passion and enthusiasm for what they do.
Most will shake their heads about the various insanities and inanities perpetrated by
the more mendacious and pretentious of their colleagues. It sounds like you need to
hang out with a better crowd...

Mark Lipton