by Jeff Miller of Artisan Family of Wines (Seven Artisans, Sly Dog Cellars, Red Côte Rosé)
When I say “you”, I’m not talking about other winemakers, but about wine consumers. 5 points is a big increase in a wine’s score, but three things, when given proper attention, can do it.
- Temperature. Make sure the wine is served at a proper temperature. Amazingly, this rule is more honored in the breach than the observance. Red wines should rarely be served over 65 degrees, but usually are. Chill down the wine to 65, and you might well find that flabby, unfocused, hot wine really isn’t that bad after all.
- Glass. I’m constantly seeing wine tasted using the least appropriate glassware imaginable. Many retailers taste wines out of a tiny plastic cup. They seem to think they can, through practice, learn to discern the wine’s qualities in this tiny vessel. Funny-I don’t know one winemaker who tastes the wines he making using these thimble-sized cups. Yet this practice among retailers continues. While the little plastic cup is the extreme example, the use of substandard glassware is way too common. Someone will spend $30 on a fine bottle of wine, and then drink it from a glass that cost $1.50 at Walmart. Try tasting the same wine side by side with that Walmart glass and with a really good one (one that costs only about $10, which you can probably also find at Walmart). You’ll be blown away by the difference. Everyone has their preference when it comes to glasses. I like the Riedel syrah glass. But any glass should be clear, uncolored, with a decent size bowl which narrows at the top to focus the flavors, and has a thin lip (which means it’s crystal, not glass).
- Food. I’m not one that thinks food and wine pairing is that complex a subject. There’s really only one main rule-the wine and food should balance each other. If the wine is big, the food needs to be big as well. And vice versa. No cabs with white fish. No Rieslings with ribs.
Some winemaker went to a lot of hard work to produce a wine that he wanted you to enjoy. You can defeat all his efforts by drinking his wine too warm in a poor glass with the wrong food. It’s way cheaper to observe these three rules than it is to shell out the extra money for a wine Mr. Parker rated 5 points higher, and the net result will be the same.
As a long-time participant in amateur and professional tasting panels, I wish all tasting organizers would review your points 1 and 2. As to 3, I think I know what you mean by “cabs” and “Rieslings,” though it wouldn’t be difficult to find a low-extract low-Brix or rose example of the former to accompany delicate fish, and some Rhine and Mosel wines are classic accompaniments to robust meat entrees. In any event, sensory evaluation of course gets dramatically different results with and without food, and in the former case, with good or bad matching.
my recommendation for an extra few points. Pull more leaves, get airflow through the canopy (which’ll force you to spray less chemicals), drop the shoulder clusters at verasion and pick the grapes on time, disallowing shrivel to occur.
Basically, improve the enviornment in which the wine is served improves the wine’s image. wine is a sensual thing based on your perceptions. The wine must be presented in the most flattering way to score high. Food presentation is similiar to wine presentation. If you present it in the right light, then a dog of a wine makes a good show. Since you have a limited amount of time to judge a wine like a woman, that first impression means a lot. After that first impression, comes your perceptions of the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” That’s when a long term relationship comes into being. There are a few wines I am married to and remain loyal because of our compatablity. By the way, this WINE WALKER is ahppily married for 36 years and found his perfect match. The same is true for wines!
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