Actually the evidence is on Charles' side. Practiced wine-tasters can identify many different characteristics of wine with high statistical significance.
This is not to say it isn't a major outlet for snobbery. -T On Nov 10, 2011 4:36 AM, "Charles Haynes" <charles.hay...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 9:24 PM, ss <cybers...@gmail.com> wrote: > > On Thursday 10 Nov 2011 2:17:14 pm Deepa Mohan wrote: > >> I don't see anything wrong with liking the cheapest and most plonky > wine in > >> the supermarket. > >> > > Deepa wine appreciation is pure snobbery nothing else. > > Certainly there are wine drinkers who are purely snobs and nothing > else, but I assure you that I learned to taste wines in a rather > stricter, more structured way. > > A friend of mine used to conduct semi-weekly wine tastings, usually > 5-6 bottles either of a single varietal from a single producer over > multiple years (a "vertical" tasting) or 5-6 bottles of a single > varietal from multiple producers in the same region in a single year > (a "horizontal" tasting). Both vertical tastings and horizontal > tastings usually had one or two "ringers" - wines that were either > from a different producer (in the case of a vertical) or from a > different grape, region, or year in the case of a horizontal. The > wines were put in opaque bags by one person, and given random letter > labels by a different person. We then poured a measured portion of > each wine into our separate lettered glasses. > > The tasting itself was relatively structured, each person evaluating > each wine indepenently of everyone else, writing down observations > about color, aroma and taste along multiple dimensions and at > different times. Each person then rated the wines by letter, and the > ratings were collected. > > The scores were aggregated and the wines were then revealed from > lowest to highest. > > From this, over time, we learned how to identify grape varietals, > producers, styles, various kinds of defects, and how to distinguish > and describe different wines. Because the tastings were double blind, > we were not influenced by brand or price. It was in the course of > years of these kinds of tastings that I determined my own preferences > in wine style and varietals (I tend to prefer reds in a traditional > burgundian style - usually pure pinot noir - and I dislike big > extracted wines, or whites with a lot of oak for example.) I am a big > fan of traditional champagnes, and at one point I could tell if a > champagne from a producer I was unfamiliar with was from Marne, Reims, > or Cote de Blancs, blind. > > We also did what's called a "components" tasting, where we would start > with 5-6 identical bottles and add specific components (like tannin, > oak, malic acid, lactic acid, sweetness, and ketones) would be added > in small amounts to the wine to let us learn what those flavors were > like in wines. > > Anyway, I'm just trying to say that no actually, real wine > appreciation is a learned skill that can be used for snobbery or not > as suits the inclination of the individual. I find that it enhances my > enjoyment of wine to have a discerning palate, but it also means I do > not get as much enjoyment out of boxed wine as I did when I was > younger. I'm willing to make that sacrifice. > > -- Charles > >
