Spoofulated or Artisanal?

[David M. Bueker]

I've been awayfrom this thread for a while and had time to ponder. I'm left with the thought that a producer who allows the grapes to hang for maximum ripeness, uses new oak barrels and puts the wine in a 7 lb. bottle is absolutely no different from a producer who picks at the moment of phenolic ripeness, uses old oak (or no oak) and bottles in the age old standard sizes. They are choices in the winemaking process, and each of them is some sort of expression of what can be done with grapes in their area.

Oak integrates or doesn't. Bright acidity softens or doesn't. It's all a matter of personal taste. None of us knows what wine from a given region is "supposed" to taste like. We only work with what we have experienced and our personal prefernces. If anyone can stand up and say that they know what God intended to come from La Tache or the Rutherford Bench then they have insight beyond that of mortal men. Once some vines are planted all bets are off.

Resurrecting an old thread ....

How would you split the principal components of most wines:

My split would be

vinification 80%
grape 10%
terroir 10%

It seems given appropriate vinification techniques pretty much any combination of grapes can be managed to produce the desired end product.

I don’t know Warren; the quality of the fruit at harvest should dictate to the winemaker what can be done to them.

Salute

I think problems occur when statements on these topics are seen as more than just an opinion or preference.

One of the things that makes wine interesting is its diversity, and the way that this diversity has the ability to reflect a sense of place.

Even inexpensive wines can taste of where they come from, although 'terroir' (whatever that is...) is a concept that's probably more applicable to higher-end wines.

Once you've been won over by the diversity and interest of wine, then it's a little upsetting to see wines that taste tricked-up and manipulated, sort of as if you are seeing a somewhat plain but honestly attractive person wearing heavy make-up. I don't think there's any need for this. It seems dishonest at a fundamental level, and the association between place and wine is lost where wines are souped up to try to make them taste like more expensive wines from better sites.

But then there's another level to the whole debate: technology can be harnessed to make wines taste more like 'they should'; to make them truer to their terroir. Is that such a bad thing? Isn't the whole issue with technology the way it is used? The motivation behind it? Aren't great winemakers better able to produce wines which more clearly speak of their origin?

Jamie, we have not seen you here in quite a long time. It is good to see you, and I for one hope to see more of you i n the near future.

Bob H, Jamie is in land of Oz right now! Now I wonder......Marsanne?!!