It occurred to me while I finishing Terry Theise’s book, Between the Wines, that I haven’t written much over the past few months. I am not one to care much about traffic on my site, but there might be more people visiting the Branch Dividian tribute page than The Wine Culture Project. Since I don’t make any money off of the site (and I am not trying too), the amount of hits I get on a daily basis is not important to me. What is important is that when people visit the site they enjoy and hopefully learn from what they read. And since I haven’t been writing much, many of you loyal readers haven’t been learning about my thoughts on wine’s sense of place. I apologize if you have been waiting, but here are a few reasons why I haven’t been writing much.
-John
I’ve been working.
Even though it’s the summer, I have been hitting the street very hard convincing retailers and sommeliers to purchase the wines I represent. Though the economy is still in the tank, the wine economy has been resilient, if not stronger than in 2010 and certainly 2009. Except for the past few weeks, this summer has been just as busy as the past winter and spring months. Lets hope this pace keeps up as there are still too many winemakers who are struggling to show us how articulate than can be at their craft.
Even though it’s the summer, I have been hitting the street very hard convincing retailers and sommeliers to purchase the wines I represent. Though the economy is still in the tank, the wine economy has been resilient, if not stronger than in 2010 and certainly 2009. Except for the past few weeks, this summer has been just as busy as the past winter and spring months. Lets hope this pace keeps up as there are still too many winemakers who are struggling to show us how articulate than can be at their craft.
It’s the summer.
When I haven’t been driving in circles hocking Beaujolais and California Zinfandel, I have spent much of my free time reading wine books such as the aforementioned Between the Vines, Angel’s Visits by David Darlington and re-reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History. Like many of my wine books, I understand with a second reading now what I missed in Zinn’s seminal work the first time around in college. His words, insight and ability to communicate the voices of the overlooked from history’s past is first rate. And as the luxury markets around the world continue to boom during one of the worst economic periods in history, Zinn's message has just as much meaning now as ever.
I’ve been relaxing.
And for the first time in a few years, I have allowed myself to relax this summer and not focus on taking wine too seriously, except for enlightening moments that have spewed out of a few profound bottles. I haven’t studied for any exams this summer and I haven’t taught any wine classes. Not studying, nor preparing has been wonderful as I have had more time to tend to my garden, enjoy wonderful wine with my wife and work on the NY Time crossword puzzle on a daily basis. In fact, instead of finishing this piece tonight, I am walking into New Brunswick to have some ice cream – perhaps a walk around Rutgers afterwards as well.
I'm Getting Tired - A Bonus Rant
Not of learning, writing and sharing – I will never grow tired of educating and inspiring, but I must admit, the wine blogosphere and Twitterverse is getting old. What’s boring me to tears is what seems to be the growing insistence of wine bloggers to convince the reading public (both novice and experienced) that there is a point to every region, winemaker, wine and components therein. What do I mean, you ask? It’s simple.
At the core of my love of wine is a sense of place – the what, where and why wines have a voice that speaks of their origin. However, though my tastes prefer traditionally made styles from wine regions around the world, I try not to convince people that I am right. There is no right in wine – tasting, evaluating and enjoying is pure subjective. When I give wine tastings, I frequently joke that if you smell blueberries in Chardonnay, you are wrong. And you would be. Aside from obvious misconceptions in aromas and flavors, tasting is not the work for science. Opinion is not only a right, but a necessity that enables us to engage in discussion, both friendly and heated.
A wine came my way this weekend. It’s from a Spanish region and is a blend of two grapes. It is bright, clean and is more modern than traditional in flavor profile. It seems that commercial yeasts were used and the resulting wine is incredibly juicy and technically precise. I would choose a few other wines from this region over this one if I saw them on a wine list or shelf, but that’s because my preferences lead me towards a wine with more traditional attributes. However, this wine is not bad nor is it a wine that I choose not to recommend – it’s perfect for both wine drinkers looking for a more modern approach to an Old World region or for wine drinkers looking for a juicy, bright and clean selection that is approachable and user-friendly. Where I would be crossing the line and doing both the wine and my audience injustice is if I panned the wine because it “wasn’t correct” or didn’t “represent its region well.” It speaks of its sense of place, but with a voice that has been auto-tuned a bit. And there is nothing wrong with that approach to producing and enjoying the wine by either the winemaker or the consumer.
I sometimes debate among friends about what I think the truest style of Chablis is or why it’s important to understand low alcohol, unsaturated Cabernet Sauvignon from California. It’s fun, necessary and often leads to tasting and enjoying wines that you might have otherwise overlooked because the wine blinders were on. But do I need to keep reading threads on message boards debating whether or not stems should be included by Burgundian winemakers? And how many bloggers need to tell their readers (no matter how few they actually have) what they should like? If I didn’t know any better, I would think that most wine bloggers were ascot-wearing boatsmen who are completely out of touch with the one fact that so many wine geeks overlook – most people have no idea what they hell we are talking about, so break it down for them and make wine approachable. After all, I am a wine geek through and through, but I think I understand the appropriate time and place for lectures and dogmatic opinion – sadly many wine bloggers do not.
And as for the ice cream last night – I went with coffee ice cream blended with brownie bits and graham crackers. Thomas Sweet's on Easton Avenue in New Brunswick is home to the world famous Blend-In and if you find yourself wandering the streets of Rutgers University, stop in and grab one - they are nothing short of top notch delicious.
Have a great Labor Day weekend and look out next week for a piece on an underappreciated sense of place – Chablis.
- John's blog
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