The other day a journalist became the first person to ask me the very simple, and to-the-point, question: "What do you consider Wine BS?" Great question!
Wine BS can come in many forms and everyone will have their own spin on its meaning. It could be the gentleman who turned up, rather late, to a French wine tasting event I was at a few months ago wearing a navy blazer with brass buttons with a silk handkerchief sprouting out of the pocket. And, dressed in the bodacious manner of a yacht-owning millionaire, picked up his wine glass, sniffed it and pompously looked around the room clearly thinking himself superior because of his presumed knowledge about the appellation his Bordeaux was grown in!
However, to me the real Wine BS is the vast amount of tasting notes and wine literature which is so far beyond the realm of being helpful to consumers that it alienates the vast majority of them. And while some basic information on wine labels is understandable, you only need to look through some of the posts on this site to read classic examples of true Wine BS – descriptions like "forest floor and horse stable undertones" or "is youthfully self-confident"….I mean, really???
With no disrespect to the time, effort and money that winemakers put into their craft, in nearly all cases they do it for commercial purposes. That is, they want to make a product for sale. And yet the vast majority of consumers have average-at-best palates and consume the product for sheer enjoyment, while taking little-to-no notice of the “hidden spices on the nose” or the fact that new French oak was used instead of barrels made in the US
.
Aside from the points systems and star ratings used by notable wine journalists and catalogues to quickly sum up the taster's feeling about the wine, which are helpful in some ways and troublesome in others – and I am not here to debate these methods – I think most people (not all) who purchase and consume wine would rather read a note saying: "Beautiful aroma with great flavour and colour, highly recommended. $20 at XYZ liquor store"
Rather than: "Hints of cut grass, coconut and cigar box on the nose, sunset hues in the glass that transform into dark clouds. Great mouth feel with ripe tannins that linger for what seems days. 95 points"
Do you get what I am saying? Cut the crap and I reckon you'd sell more product!
