tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post6679552376623976770..comments2024-03-18T04:47:16.199-07:00Comments on The Gray Report: Two arguments about typicity in wineW. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-22512447009764364922012-07-27T23:27:58.859-07:002012-07-27T23:27:58.859-07:00Typicity matters. If it is entered in the wrong cl...Typicity matters. If it is entered in the wrong class it gets a zero (unless the chairman wants to move it). So categorization is an important set up of the competition (why judge Santa Barbara Pinot Noirs against Niagara Pinot Noirs against Central Otago? Keep it apples to apples. A perfect Beaujolais should get a Gold, even if it is not as good as a Bronze Taurasi.<br /><br />Price does not Frederickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04304187435284090954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-56196088726839751962012-07-27T23:23:39.959-07:002012-07-27T23:23:39.959-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Frederickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04304187435284090954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-35400435132914034452012-07-26T07:45:32.498-07:002012-07-26T07:45:32.498-07:00Great fodder for discussion. As a former somm and ...Great fodder for discussion. As a former somm and now professional winemaker, I do my best to walk the line between typicity and distinctiveness. One of my professors at UCD said making wine is like an electron diagram with a circle drawn around the "cloud" of potential locations that includes 90% of those locations. The dots inside the circle represent varietally correct wines, with Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08608236548302198359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-80367476518001772172012-07-26T01:59:45.877-07:002012-07-26T01:59:45.877-07:00Tipicity is extremely important to me. I am a Somm...Tipicity is extremely important to me. I am a Somm, involved in blind tasting groups and although I admit that is frustrating to blind taste wines that don't reflect what they should, this is not the main reason. <br />Why do we do blind tastings anyway? This is not jiiust a game. If you are able to correctly identify a wine by appearance, nose ans taste only, then you must have a pretty goodDAPZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863208745641017208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-76855163777317702052012-07-25T21:32:39.998-07:002012-07-25T21:32:39.998-07:00I just recently joined a tasting group. These folk...I just recently joined a tasting group. These folks are very cool people; smart, funny, very welcoming to a newbie like me.<br /><br />But when it comes to wine, they are beyond hardcore, they are 100% core. It's funny just watching their body language and listening to their voice intonations between when we are gathering for our tasting evening, just setting stuff up, and when we jump into Douglas Trapassohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18348522207945522495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-84663228190375588272012-07-25T17:07:03.683-07:002012-07-25T17:07:03.683-07:00IMO, typicity is important as I want to know what ...IMO, typicity is important as I want to know what to expect when I buy a bottle of wine.<br />1.IE If Sancerre and Bordeaux Blanc were to be interchangeable, each would eventually lose its character as a region. You would then have "Cali Sauv blanc" syndrome - meaning you never know what it is until you pop the cork.<br />2. A real world example of this is playing out right now in Pinothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09172625634290412375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-68357312722900087312012-07-25T13:19:45.399-07:002012-07-25T13:19:45.399-07:00Key here is the diversity of the Judging Panel. I ...Key here is the diversity of the Judging Panel. I fall on the sommelier side for the first wine and the winemaker side for the second. The excessive herbal notes are considered a flaw by some very stringent winemakers.<br /><br />However on the typicity side I think with both a Sommelier and Wine Educator brain... 'cause a good Sommelier and Edu tries to help all consumers better understand McSnobbelierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13820928126030348910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-32136003736439496242012-07-25T11:04:54.014-07:002012-07-25T11:04:54.014-07:00Most people care if the wine itself is a good or g...Most people care if the wine itself is a good or great drinking experience, I think. I'm a geek, and I certainly care more about that than I do typicity!Joe Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12302860568125840279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-65097232787128760652012-07-25T09:33:26.148-07:002012-07-25T09:33:26.148-07:00Great subject for discussion. Varietal typicity se...Great subject for discussion. Varietal typicity seems to be a refuge for people who want to fit things into boxes. Zinfandel had no "typicity" for a long long time. And what counts as a "typical" CA Syrah?Patrick Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10144823620170293402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-915233724783321022012-07-25T09:27:34.209-07:002012-07-25T09:27:34.209-07:00Anal wine geeks would obviously be far more concer...Anal wine geeks would obviously be far more concerned with "typicity" than average consumers, and consumers are always more "right," Blake... thanks for standing your ground! RRandy Caparoso:https://www.blogger.com/profile/09592071993026270036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-28912599183601293792012-07-25T09:26:38.985-07:002012-07-25T09:26:38.985-07:00I have never fully understood those who maintain a...I have never fully understood those who maintain a rigid fidelity to wines of tipicity. I sometimes wonder if it’s a sommelier conspiracy to minimize the difficulty of the blind tasting portion of certification exams. What other motivation could explain a requirement that every wine contain characteristics considered typical of its varietal composition? What’s more, many take the typicity mandateAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12518530875317856476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-29104352055896794612012-07-25T09:23:40.949-07:002012-07-25T09:23:40.949-07:00Ernie: Sunset grouped European wines by region, an...Ernie: Sunset grouped European wines by region, and all other wines (New World) by grape variety. We got some Pinot Noirs on my panel but weren't told the region. We did know the vintages for everything.<br /><br />Another controversial non-grouping, different from what Sunset has done in the past, is that wines were not separated by price, and we had no idea what they cost. I can't W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-58713890463853105152012-07-25T09:14:10.237-07:002012-07-25T09:14:10.237-07:00Hi Blake,
I am curious if (or how) the concept of...Hi Blake,<br /><br />I am curious if (or how) the concept of the evaluating the growing region and vintage conditions ever come into play when judging wine in this type of venue? Or any other?<br /><br />Full disclosure: I grow Pinot Noir in Oregon.<br /><br />BTW: Nice tribute to Mr. Parker.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />ErnieAmalie Robert Estatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06581258604443446976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-52797609406074496942012-07-25T09:09:42.617-07:002012-07-25T09:09:42.617-07:00It's an interesting and frustrating discussion...It's an interesting and frustrating discussion, and one close to my heart...<br />One of the most important wine guides here in Italy has refrained from giving it's highest honor - to an admittedly spectacular wine - because the wine is considered so "atypical".<br />They actually admit the wine is fantastic, and if it weren't 100% Friulano, they'd consider the highest Waynegrapehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16856824255780948641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-82770268993790415772012-07-25T08:55:59.557-07:002012-07-25T08:55:59.557-07:00I would much rather drink an atypical but deliciou...I would much rather drink an atypical but delicious wine. I enjoy surprises!Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388407217932849765noreply@blogger.com