Poll: Do you believe Wine Spectator bases its ratings solely on blind tasting?

I made a one-off comment earlier this week that stirred up some readers, about whether or not people believe Wine Spectator bases its ratings solely on blind tasting.

So let's find out with a poll. What do people believe? Do you think Wine Spectator bases its ratings solely on blind tasting, or do you believe adjustments are made to the results?

On the Yes side, Wine Spectator conducts blind tastings, lots of them. Plus, the magazine's published statements consistently state that the ratings are based solely on blind tastings.

On the No side, James Suckling, who worked for Wine Spectator at the time, told the director of "Mondovino" with the camera rolling that he ensured 90-point ratings for his landlord in Italy. Suckling doesn't work there anymore. And maybe he was kidding.

This is not a referendum on the quality or usability of Wine Spectator's ratings. People disagree with  critics' tastes; that's not what we're asking here.

The vote is completely anonymous, and is supposed to stay open through 2 p.m. on September 5.




I'll announce the results as soon as I'm able (I'll be in France next week with limited Internet access). Thanks for voting!

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Harvest starts in California and it looks "normal" again

Hugh Chappelle

Harvest is underway in California, and 2012 appears to be a more "normal" year than the last two.

Quivira winemaker Hugh Chappelle kicked off his harvest by bringing in some Sauvignon Blanc from the winery's estate vineyard in Dry Creek Valley on Monday. I was glad to hear it, because I'm a fan of Quivira's Sauvignon Blanc, which has the vibrancy of California fruit with the restraint of the Loire.

Chappelle spoke with me yesterday about the 2012 vintage so far.

Are you the first to pick in your area?
We're among the very first to pick for still wine. Some people pick early for sparkling for J and Piper Sonoma. I've heard rumors of people pulling off some Dijon Clone Chardonnay on the borders of Russian River Valley. It seems to be just starting to trickle in. 

I know it's early, but how would you characterize the 2012 vintage so far?
There's a huge amount of excitement in the winemaking community over this vintage. The last two have been pretty darn challenging. 2010 had a lot of sunburn and desiccation. 2011 had so much mildew.
This has been an almost ideal growing season. Despite the rainfall being a little low and the water being a little low, the fruit is sizing up very well. I think the wines are shaping up to be very classic.

Blind tasting vs. aristocracy

Let's talk about aristocracy.

New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov gave me an hour of his time for a Q&A recently. One of his most provocative opinions is his opposition to blind tasting, even though the Times uses it.

Asimov: "I think it's infantilizing. It gives consumers the illusion of a level playing ground. I think we're all very open to the idea that because we're Americans and we're democrats with a small d, aristocracy is a fiction and if everybody is given the same opportunity, then everybody can shine equally ... I think that's a dumbed down way of looking at wine.
I think for evaluating wine, there's a great deal to be learned by knowing what you're dealing with, the history, past performance, past experiences. It seems silly to me that only wine critics are asked to shut their eyes to that."

Asimov strikes at the heart of the modern system of wine evaluation, both the method -- blind tasting -- and the motivation.

Why do we taste blind? Three reasons. One: To discover good wines that we might have otherwise ignored or dismissed. Two: To evaluate wines we have tasted in the past without preconceptions.

Three: Because it's fair.

New fermentation system: closed tank that stores and reuses CO2

The organic vineyards at Salcheto in Montepulciano. The photo's here because tank photos, even of unique tanks, are ugly.

Now that this has been named Best Industry Blog, I guess I'd better earn it.

Salcheto Winery in Montepulciano, Italy has an interesting new fermentation system that co-owner and winemaker Michele Manelli says was developed specifically for them. The goal is softer tannins and more extraction.

Take a look at the tank at right. The two holes lead to separate chambers. On top is a normal closed-tank fermentation system: grapes go in, and as the yeast converts sugar into alcohol, CO2 is created as a byproduct.

What this new system does is collect the CO2 at the top of the tank and pump it to the smaller chamber below, where it is stored until Manelli decides it's time to break up the "cap" of floating grapeskins. Then he releases the CO2 from valves into the main tank, where it bubbles up gently through the cap.

Thanks to reader Joel DeGonia to pointing out that this system has been on sale in Italy for a while. Here's a brochure. Note the industrial size of the tanks in the brochure. The one I saw at Salcheto was probably about 20 feet high. So is this megawinery-designed technology scaled down?

The reuse of CO2 fits neatly with the environmental/technical philosophy of Salcheto, a 15,000 case winery that seems concerned with high-tech sustainability at every step. The vineyards are certified organic. Every part of the winery, even the basement, is lit by natural light brought from the surface through a system of pipes with mirrors in them. There's a thriving green wall of plants on one side of the winery to reduce heating costs. It's an impressive place.

As for the new technique itself, I'm sure there are California wineries that would be interested in a visit. I think it's too early to tell how it will affect the wines. I found the winery's 2009 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano too tannic, which the new system is designed to address. The 2006 "Salco Evoluzione" is quite ripe and seems targeted for fans of big Super Tuscans, but also was held back by oppressive tannins. Presumably this system will advance its, er, evoluzione.

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The Gray Report wins Best Industry Blog

When this blog was first nominated last year at the Wine Blog Awards for Best Industry Blog, I thought it was a mistake.

I'm not in the industry, I thought. I'm not Wine Business Insider. I'm a generalist. For serious wine business people, I'm a diversion, like Angry Birds without the potential sense of accomplishment.

Yet from the first time Adam Lee and Larry Brooks came here to prove me wrong about something in the comments section, I have always had lots of industry readers.

That's a strength and a weakness.

Eric Asimov Q&A, part II

Eric Asimov. Nice spectacles. Too bad they aren't red.

This is Part II of a Q&A with New York Times Wine Critic Eric Asimov. Part I is here.

You were a New York Times guy before you were a wine guy. Does the Times culture affect how you think about wine?

That's a hard question to answer. I've been at the Times more than half of my lifetime, so I've absorbed most of its culture. Of course, its culture has changed a lot in the last 10 years, more than in the previous few decades.

As a Times person, you have to be aware of the reach of the newspaper and of being a representative of that paper. We have very well thought-out rules about ethics and about proper rules for journalism. You have to adhere to those rules. I think I can do that instinctively. But we're all constantly reminded of them.
I believe in the Times' rules and I think they give us a lot of credibility.

What are the Times' rules?

We don't accept free rides. Any restaurant we go to, I pay the bill. I buy the wine that I taste for our wine panel. Every trip that we take, we pay for.

In one sense, I miss out because I'm never going to go on the junkets to Georgia. I haven't been to Australia and Georgia and Chile because I need to come up with a journalistic rationale that fits in our budget and I haven't done it yet.

More than that, you can't just say things that have no basis in fact. I see a lot of blogs with no responsibility to back up what they're saying. At the Times, we're bound to.

Wine list idea: Distance from restaurant

Check out this wine list from Red Feather Lounge in Boise, Idaho. Each wine lists the distance between the winery and the restaurant.

It's easy to get this information from Google Directions in a couple of clicks. Many restaurants brag about how local their produce is, but then present a list of wines from halfway around the world. Yet isn't wine the apex of agriculture?

Incidentally, I loved the Split Rail Mourvedre, the best wine I had at Red Feather and one of the best I had in the state. The Snake River Chardonnay and Koenig Syrah were also good. I didn't drink anything at this restaurant from further than 31 miles away.

What do you think: Is this information you want?

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