Michael Scarpitti wrote:
> How many bottles of a given producer does it take to get a good idea
> of their quality? I have tried several bottles of Vietti wines
> (Piedmont, Italy), and, despite the high ratings often given to them,
> I have not found them all that exciting for their types (Dolcetto,
> Barolo, Barbera, etc.). Several bottles were in fact poor. Could this
> be a shipping/storage problem?

Certainly could be. Next time this happens, you might
seek out a second opinion on the wine. It might be that
you simply prefer these wines made in a different style
than that which garners high ratings. If this happens
consistently over several vintages and you're certain
that the wine is handled by more than importer, then that
pretty much rules out shipping/storage damage.

It might also be that you're not letting these wines
breathe a bit before passing judgement ;-)

Dana