How many ways are there to skin a cat?
Just in case there weren't enough wine publications in this country running on at the mouth about this and that, I now have one more to ignore.
American Gold Medal Wines Directory Debuts
As the name might imply, this is a directory based not on numerical ratings, stars (and half stars), or even on the merits of the wine itself. No, this one organizes the wines according to "the highest-ranking medal winning American wines from the country's 20 most influential wine competitions." Of course, I am not exactly sure which 20 wine competitions are the most influential or why. And this press release does very little to shed any light on that. I have a sneaking suspicion that having a 'wine competition' is becoming more akin to hosting a 'film festival'. Every wide spot in the road is having one these days.
And how much would such an essential tool for buying your next bottle set you back?
BTW, a quick glance at the namesake's website yielded this little nugget of wisdom:
Case in point: The wines of Movia and Vila Marija from Slovenia. Wine Spectator just about lost it when reviewing these wines. They proclaimed the Movia Pinot Grigio 'Brda' and "the greatest Pinot Grigio ever". I have had this and other wines from this property and I have sold them as well. First off, the idea that it could be the 'greatest ever' is a little silly and somewhat arrogant. Second, it's the 'greatest Pinot Grigio' because it doesn't taste like Pinot Grigio. It drinks more akin to a Chardonnay than anything else. And while this may be impressive, it does not make it necessarily 'correct'. While I enjoy the wine very much, it is not what I would expect were I ordering a glass of Pinot in a restaurant.
How about this for an idea. Instead of trying guess your way through the labyrinth that is most wine shops, why not try establishing a relationship with somebody who is truly invested in the world of wine. And I don't mean some jack-hole who dropped $500 K on a bunch of bottles, I mean somebody who has an interest in helping you find the appropriate bottle for the occasion and budget you have. I trust that the doctor taking the tumor out of some poor child knows what he's doing. More importantly, his reputation is on the line. Wouldn't it be fair to assume that the same goes for your local independent shop.
American Gold Medal Wines Directory Debuts
As the name might imply, this is a directory based not on numerical ratings, stars (and half stars), or even on the merits of the wine itself. No, this one organizes the wines according to "the highest-ranking medal winning American wines from the country's 20 most influential wine competitions." Of course, I am not exactly sure which 20 wine competitions are the most influential or why. And this press release does very little to shed any light on that. I have a sneaking suspicion that having a 'wine competition' is becoming more akin to hosting a 'film festival'. Every wide spot in the road is having one these days.
And how much would such an essential tool for buying your next bottle set you back?
American Gold Medal Wines has a suggested retail price of $11.95 and is available nationwide in bookstores and online at www.AmericanGoldMedalWines.com. An additionalJust in case you were thinking about getting me something for Christmas, don't bother. Just roll down the window and throw the $36 out. Some dude on the side of the highway could then use the money to go buy a bottle or two that won some medal somewhere. He'll be better off than me.
three-year subscription is available for just $24.
BTW, a quick glance at the namesake's website yielded this little nugget of wisdom:
"Commercial wine competitions are the key to success when it comes to identifying top quality American wine."This is arguably one of the dumbest things I have read recently. 'Commercial wine competitions' are precisely that...Commercial. And as far as being some sort of 'key', I would argue that a gold medal from the Missouri Straight Shooter/Morning Gazette wine fair would be more of an indication of a wine to avoid than to buy. And finally, what does a wines' performance in a 'competition' actually say about the wine. In my experience, it indicates that the wine 'shows' well, but more often than not it isn't exactly 'correct' or 'true to form'.
Case in point: The wines of Movia and Vila Marija from Slovenia. Wine Spectator just about lost it when reviewing these wines. They proclaimed the Movia Pinot Grigio 'Brda' and "the greatest Pinot Grigio ever". I have had this and other wines from this property and I have sold them as well. First off, the idea that it could be the 'greatest ever' is a little silly and somewhat arrogant. Second, it's the 'greatest Pinot Grigio' because it doesn't taste like Pinot Grigio. It drinks more akin to a Chardonnay than anything else. And while this may be impressive, it does not make it necessarily 'correct'. While I enjoy the wine very much, it is not what I would expect were I ordering a glass of Pinot in a restaurant.
How about this for an idea. Instead of trying guess your way through the labyrinth that is most wine shops, why not try establishing a relationship with somebody who is truly invested in the world of wine. And I don't mean some jack-hole who dropped $500 K on a bunch of bottles, I mean somebody who has an interest in helping you find the appropriate bottle for the occasion and budget you have. I trust that the doctor taking the tumor out of some poor child knows what he's doing. More importantly, his reputation is on the line. Wouldn't it be fair to assume that the same goes for your local independent shop.
1 Comments:
Christian:
Interesting Post. In large part I can agree with you that there are many wine competitions that are not run well, reward wines that are primarily big, and often have little impact.
That said, there are in fact a number of wine competitions that are run with extraordinary care by individuals who are well aware of the pitfallss of competitions. To name a few: Dallas Morning News Wine Competition and Dan Berger's Riverside Wine Competition.
From a marketing standpoint I can tell you that medals, particularly gold medals, are very valuable in tasting rooms as a way to promote particular wines. They are also valuable in promoting wines on store shelves via shelf talkers. They generally have no value when promoting a wine to the trade...for reasons Im sure you can imagine.
But here is the interesting question...What can be said for those wines that happen to always do well in competitions? There are wines that take home gold at a NUMBER of different competitions where the wine is tasted by different judges and under different circumstances.
Very interesting post!
Tom...
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