A Connoisseur's Guide to Wine Collecting
Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:16 pm
Nestled in a recent issue of Wine Spectator is this pull-out gem that promises to help you "build your dream cellar, one bottle at a time". Ostensibly it's a pull-out because you'll need to refer to it until it's tattered, or even give it to a friend, although you don't have to part with your copy. "If you'd like to share...with a friend, it can be found on the Web at http://www.winespectator.com/collecting" along with ohter "useful tools to compare and shop for wine", like the "Wine Spectator Dealer Locator". Not that you'll need to find your own dealer, since they next handily recommend "one convenient source" and offer the web address.
Anyway, so you get the picture: this is a Wine Spectator publication. The cover promises these featurettes: Five Winning Cellar Strategies, Auction Ins and Outs, How to Store Wine, Tips for the Investor, and 36 Wines to Buy Now (7-8 for each of the strategies). On the face of it, there is nothing that indicates it's actually a total shill for (mostly, or maybe all) Beringer Wolf Blass. But witness:
Strategy No. 1: The Balanced Cellar. Brace yourself for this bit of news: "...it might be said that there are only two types of wine: those that are ready to drink and those that are not." Five paragraphs of stating the obvious lead to "Our balanced cellar suggestions: This mix of age-woorthy and ready-to-drink wines is a great starting pint for your cellar." Here they are, conveniently minus vintage information: Beringer Knights Valley Cab, Greg Norman Chardonnay, Stags Leap Merlot, Chateau St. Jean Pinot, Beringer PR Chard, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz, St. Clement Oroppas, Gabbiano Chianti Classico.
Nine more Beringer labels get recommended in the next four strategies, and Etude, Ch. St. Jean, Stags Leap Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Greg Norman and Rosemount get multiple nods, too. No other American producers are mentioned, and I presume the two or three singletons, which are all Oz and one NZ are actually Wolf Blass products, too.
I remember when Harvey Steiman used to hang out in our forum and vigorously defended his magazine against any and all suggestions that advertising dollars played any role in ratings and recommendations.
I'd love to hear how he'd defend this piece of crap.
Anyway, so you get the picture: this is a Wine Spectator publication. The cover promises these featurettes: Five Winning Cellar Strategies, Auction Ins and Outs, How to Store Wine, Tips for the Investor, and 36 Wines to Buy Now (7-8 for each of the strategies). On the face of it, there is nothing that indicates it's actually a total shill for (mostly, or maybe all) Beringer Wolf Blass. But witness:
Strategy No. 1: The Balanced Cellar. Brace yourself for this bit of news: "...it might be said that there are only two types of wine: those that are ready to drink and those that are not." Five paragraphs of stating the obvious lead to "Our balanced cellar suggestions: This mix of age-woorthy and ready-to-drink wines is a great starting pint for your cellar." Here they are, conveniently minus vintage information: Beringer Knights Valley Cab, Greg Norman Chardonnay, Stags Leap Merlot, Chateau St. Jean Pinot, Beringer PR Chard, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz, St. Clement Oroppas, Gabbiano Chianti Classico.
Nine more Beringer labels get recommended in the next four strategies, and Etude, Ch. St. Jean, Stags Leap Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Greg Norman and Rosemount get multiple nods, too. No other American producers are mentioned, and I presume the two or three singletons, which are all Oz and one NZ are actually Wolf Blass products, too.
I remember when Harvey Steiman used to hang out in our forum and vigorously defended his magazine against any and all suggestions that advertising dollars played any role in ratings and recommendations.
I'd love to hear how he'd defend this piece of crap.