Anders Källberg wrote:When I read "a well made wine" and, in fact, often when I use it to describe a wine myself too, I get a slightly negative feeling, as if expecting it to be followed by something like: "but lacking much interest". That association is even stronger if the word "technically" is added before the expression. Again, this might reflect my personal interests in wines with individuality and character. Of course also very good wines can be technically very well made, but I don't tend to use such an expression for those wines.
Cheers,
Anders
Anders,
Understood. But that is a personal way of approaching both wine and how to refer to it. I think what Robin is saying is that while he may not like a wine, if he perceives its technical merits, as a wine writer, he feels an obligation to point that out to the readers, some of whom may not agree with his personal likes or dislikes.
To me, a lot of wine consumers take the product so personal that they can't imagine someone could like what they do not, or the other way around. That attitude says absolutely nothing about a wine meeting or not meeting established parameter for that variety and for the product in general.
I thought of my own analogy while walking my dog.
If I had to write about my impression of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday (the jazz singers) this is what I would say:
Ella had a decent voice range and she knew how to use it. She also displayed a near faultless sense of tonality and timing. Plus, on stage, she was an engaging performer. When I listen to her recordings, I am drawn to the orchestral arrangements rather than to Ella's singing--she almost comes off to my ears as part of the brass section.
Billie had a tight, even limited range, which she sometimes did not use wisely. Her sense of tonality and timing were not fully developed. On stage, she wasn't engaging so much as she was a presence. When I listen to her recordings, I am drawn directly to her singing, and often wish the orchestration would shut up--she doesn't seem part of the band but rather a force on its own trajectory, leading straight into my insides.
Musically, Ella Fitzgerald was technically superior, but I'd rather listen to Billie Holiday sing.