By Adrian Román
Every vintage is different some good and some are considered to be even perfect, and for that same reason I have been totally in love with wine for the past 15 years and its grand evolution.
Now if you ask me off the record? I think it is an evolution of human curiosity and the desire to broaden our palate to taste more than to have something to compare and critique to our own mental “data base”. So with that in mind, I have a huge problem with supermarket selections and all the promotions with so-called “awards” and the dreaded “100-point scale”. Let’s make this clear and hope you understand, I personally hate and professionally love this “point scale” Why you ask do I hate it personally? Well it’s very simple: wine tastes and profiles are completely personal! It is my palate with my thoughts alone that would make a wine great to amazing and not a person that I have never met at all or have even traveled with to tell me how it should taste, also what is considered 100 points? Is that a perfect wine? And on that same question what is a perfect wine in a so un-perfect world with so many different grapes and wine making techniques? And does this wine taste perfect or 100 points under any circumstances? I mean think about it, it could be one of those days and you all have had one, you could have been laid off from work or your partner for many years tells you “let’s just be friends” right before you finally was under the impression that it was time to “pop” the big question together with that special 100 point “perfect” bottle., and so you choose to open that bottle anyway to wash away instantly all your headaches of that day and since it’s a 100 points you are under the impression that it’s going to do exactly that and turn your not so perfect day around, and so you prepare your meal to accompany this lovely wine and you proceed to shine your “special” glass you even decant your bottle then serve yourself a small sample as you slowly swirl your wine in the glass and look at is color with precision and then you whiff the wine with a bit of fear that is doesn’t smell corky after everything you when thru for this “grand” moment……..cool this
smells nice , good fruit aromas that are layered on top of toasted notes that rap around the fruit like that favorite snuggle you use when its chilly out. Then you begin to think since its 100 points this is what a 100 point wine should looks and smells like….. Then you finally taste the wine, this rich bold fruit driven wine that finishes long but complex.
And then it happens, your brain starts an automatic data base search of all the wines you have sampled in the past and realize that that famous wine critic that you was under the impression is the best in the world turns out to score a wine a 100 points that in your personal palate doesn’t even break 90, and this is why I just don’t like that scale at all. With that said, why would I even like this same scale when it’s so clear why not to follow it at all? Sadly not everyone see my point of view and I am in the wine retail business, and from a business point of view when wine of the portfolio that I represent score over 90+ and if we are lucky (which hasn’t happened yet) score “100 points” forget about it! The wine literally sells itself. But we really don’t count on that, you do.
So I offer you this challenge…..taste and purchase wine that hopefully have no points from these so called expert tasters that give it a number to scale and go with new regions and varietals that interest you personally and taste them and judge them for yourself and yourself only., you may just be pleasantly surprised what the so called score is
And always remember that Benjamin Franklin said it best:
“Wine is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy”
Salud my friends
A
Adrian Roman is a certified Sommelier. He teaches wine appreciation with the Wine Squad and works with Vinos Selección.