THE FRUGAL OENOPHILE Wine Appreciation through Education email newsletter: january-february 2006

Knowing the Score

If you pay even token attention to the wine press, you are no doubt aware of Robert M. Parker Jr. and the impact he's had on the wine industry. Publisher of The Wine Advocate, Parker is also a major force behind the 100-point wine scoring system, and is credited with making scores a near religion for those who simply must have the best of the best. But wine scoring systems have been criticized for a number of legitimate reasons.

How they work
The 100-point scale, the most widely recognized system, is used by various wine magazines -- The Wine Spectator, Wine Access, etc. -- and the scores you'll see in these reviews will range from about 85 to perhaps 95. (Scores over 95 are rare and the wines rarer still). Wines usually fall into a "good, better, best" pattern, with the good wines scoring in the high 80s, the better wines in the low 90s, and the best will score 93 and above.

What most people don't realize about a 100-point system is that it's almost always a 30-point scale that runs from 70 to 100, and a score of 50% (15 out of 30, or 85) is a pass. This means that you'll never see a wine scoring 68 or 74; it's always 85, 89, 91, etc. A wine that scores less than 85 usually won't make the cut, so a score of 82 is nearly as good as a score of zero.

The entire idea of a 100-point scale is also somewhat misleading. A 90-point wine did not score 90 on some carefully devised 100-point checklist. It scored 20 out of 30 on a reviewer's mental checklist, or possibly 10 out of 20 in the opinion of a reviewer who thinks only in terms of 80 and above.

Are they accurate? Consistent?
Most wine professionals go through a rigorous training program designed to imprint aromas, styles and various faults on their sensory systems and memories. Tasters will practice with aroma samples, blind aroma samples, "triangulation" tests (two samples of one wine and one sample of a similar wine), and exercises consisting of the same wine with increasing levels of acid, tannin, sugar, etc. For the most part, the training gets the job done. And when it fails, it fails for an interesting reason -- the student just can't do it. Sometimes, despite hours of practice, a person just can't get a handle on the concepts or the aromas or whatever. Moreover, you'll never know who these people are; some even go on to be wine writers and consultants. (One famous wine writer lost his sense of smell in his later years, but continued to write elaborate -- and well respected -- wine reviews.) So presumably a well-trained noser should able to do the job consistently, with some exceptions.

One argument in defence of numeric systems is that a competent reviewer can rate the same wine within 3 points of a previous assessment. Sounds pretty good, but that means the wine could score 91 one day and 88 the next. Or on a third trial, the wine might be elevated to a 94! Not too scientific.

Wine Judging Systems
A qualified wine judge will have done the necessary training to be able to accurately assess a wide variety of wines. Judges usually assess wines on a standardized score sheet, scoring wines out of 20 or 30. The evaluation forms they use cover the standard 5 aspects of wine: appearance, aroma, flavour, body and length. Wine judges are usually very consistent, however each wine judge tends to mark in a certain way -- consistently low, consistently high, or in the middle. This is an important consideration, because it means that the score any one judge gives to a wine is influenced by a number of personal -- and therefore subjective -- factors. Wine judges will also freely admit that their ability to judge accurately varies depending on time of day, mood, amount of sleep, and so on. It's therefore logical to assume that anyone who recommends or writes about wine will have good days and bad days as well.

Alternatives
In an effort to get away from either the arbitrariness or the ubiquity of point systems, some writers use modified scoring systems. Many will use a five-point scale, assigning half marks as needed. The buyer can then choose whether to get the 4-point wine for $30 or the 4 1/2 point wine for $25. (One writer I know will rate an exceptional wine at 68. I have no idea what his criteria are).

Replacing numbers with symbols doesn't change the nature of this game. A wine that receives 4 1/2 stars or 4 1/2 bottles or 4 1/2 happy faces is still being measured on a 5-point scale. Nor does changing the scale have any real effect, although a 4-point scale is a bit more difficult to interpret than a 10-point scale.

Tipsy Bottle Systems
You may have seen wine reviews that include images of bottles at various angles. These can be helpful, as their purpose is to give you some idea of the wine's maturity and/or ageing potential. A bottle standing straight up is ready for the table. Lying down means it's one for the cellar, and in between means open or save, depending on your mood or preference.

Should you buy into it?
Scoring systems can be quite useful. They take an extremely difficult and rather subjective topic -- wine quality -- and distill it into a simple number. A 90-point wine is probably better than an 85-point wine; four stars is most likely better then three stars.

Aside from leading people to believe that a score is an objective measure of a wine's value, it also hides the author's preferences and prejudices from the innocent wine fan. Parker's fondness for rich and somewhat jammy wines, for example, has had a visible effect on the wine industry, and many winemakers are changing their wines to suit Mr. Parker's palate. In some cases they're throwing away generations of winemaking knowledge and refinement and making obvious, "fruit-forward" wines. And because people believe that a wine with the Parker stamp of approval is the "chosen one", they are being systematically lead away from elegance and subtlety.

By all means, check the published scores. Compare the 88s to the 91s, and buy whatever fits your tastes and your budget. But you should always try to approach each wine on the basis of what it is rather than what some wine writer says it is. And if a reviewer consistently pushes wine that you don't like, it's easy enough to find another reviewer to follow.

I heard a story (now 3rd or even 4th hand; possibly true, possibly not) about a woman who went into a wine store and demanded a certain bottle of wine that had scored 95 points according to some wine writer. The very next day the women came back to the wine shop, practically threw the wine bottle at the clerk, and spat out "This wine is WHITE!"

In Other News...

Rich Drunk; Poor Drunk
According to a recent study, there is a significant difference in the drinking patterns and life-affecting results between the haves and the have-nots. The report states that wealthier drinkers tend to drink almost daily, simply because they can afford such things as wine clubs, wine cellars and good scotch. Those with less disposable income, on the other hand, tend to binge when they have some cash and abstain when they don't.

Now here's the interesting thing: Well-heeled drinkers tend to suffer from the problems attributed to chronic alcohol use or abuse - liver disease, etc. The rest tend to be involved in episodic mishaps such as car crashes and violence.

Relax, have a glass of wine, and TURN OFF THAT %!$# CELL PHONE!
(I realize this isn't wine related, but I so rarely get a chance to vent about my pet peeves.)

Something I've long suspected is that, rather than improving the quality of life, cell phones are making a lot of people unhappy. And it's not just the quiet folks who have the misfortune to be sitting close to some meat head who's carrying on an agitated conversation with an unseen "cell mate". No, it's the cell phone users themselves who are suffering.

According to research done at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, cell phones and pagers have blurred and even eradicated the lines between work and home. Cell phones and pagers make people available 24/7, and that means work can follow you home. It also means that home life can follow you to work, or anywhere else. The result is an increase in stress and increased dissatisfaction with home life. And it affects both men and women, although women seems to get hit a little worse.

Let the Cork Breathe
There's been a long drawn out argument over whether natural corks allow wine in the bottle to "breathe". Now the University of Bordeaux has proven that, yes, corks breathe. The U of B's study showed that solid natural corks had a transpiration rate of between .24 and .5 mg. of oxygen per liter per month. It's not a lot, but perhaps enough to make a difference in wine quality over time.

And what of alternative closures? Agglomerated cork and "twin top" corks allowed in far less air, whereas plastic corks let in far more, enough to cause wine to oxidize prematurely. Screw caps were not tested, but there are plans to test them in the future.

Make Mine User-friendly
In yet another study, researchers found that British consumers are less than thrilled with wine labels. While buyers admitted to being attracted to nice labels and bottles, they had much to say about labeling practices. First of all, they like labels to be clearly written. The majority (65%) prefer varietal labeling because it's much easier to understand. More than half of the respondents felt that labels were often misleading, and a quarter of them thought that labels contained too much useless information. But the best news is that about a third would be quite willing to try new wines, if the labels would only help them to do so.

Try to Keep Up

The very latest trend in internet communication is PodCasting. In simple terms, a PodCast is an audio file that is referenced in an RSS(*) feed. What that means is that if you have an RSS reader, you can subscribe to a Podcast (or any other news feed), and once you've subscribed, your RSS software will check for updates to the Podcast and automatically download them to your computer or MP3 player.

I recently launched a wine Podcast called "It's About Wine". You can subscribe by visiting my Podcast Page. You can also listen online by clicking on the broadcast title. My purpose in creating the podcast is to bring you topics and material that just aren't doable in printed format. As one subscriber put it:

"It would take a long time to write up a 23-minute interview in your newsletter so it is, clearly, more time effective. For those of us with iPods this is an interesting way to go."

(* For practical purposes, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication)

Poor, Misunderstood Epicurus

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 01, 2006 is:

epicure \EP-ih-kyur\ noun: one with sensitive and discriminating tastes especially in food or wine

Epicurus, a Greek philosopher who lived from 341-270 B.C., believed that the best life was one of simple pleasures in which a person lived with a tranquil mind and freedom from pain (emphasis added). When "epicure" entered English in the 16th century, it referred to someone who followed the philosophy of Epicurus. But over time people came to believe that the philosopher actually encouraged his followers to pursue material and sensual gratification, so the term was soon applied to anyone devoted to materialistic self-indulgence; it later came to be used for one who loves good food and wine.

A Sweetie for Your Sweetie Valentine's day is just around the corner, and I can't think of a more appropriate wine to mark the event than Pillitteri's Sparkling Riesling Icewine. I sampled the 2004 and was swept away by every aspect of the wine. The robe is a deep amber gold, with a wonderfully fine mousse. The nose is classic Old World, with an eruption of deep, captivating aromas of dried peach, mango, buckwheat honey,dried grass and cooked sugar. The palate was sweet and unctuous, made wonderfully delicate by a crisp acidity and vibrant mousse. Of course you don't need to hold off until Valentine's day, but if your goal is to make a statement, this classy wine will do it for you with room to spare.

From "The Frugal Oenophile's Lexicon of Wine Tasting Terms"

Aerate/Aeration

The process of exposing wine to air. Can be beneficial during fermentation and racking. Also achieved by decanting a bottled wine or swirling in the glass. Some air is necessary but too much can kill the wine

You can buy my Wine Lexicon and other items at my Online Store

Inspirational Quote

"Both The Wine Spec and Parker have one scale for evaluating wine and that is intensity. This is a bit like evaluating a musical composition based on how loud it was played" - An anonymous winemaker as quoted on weimax.com