WB 'Wine Rules' To Consider

[larry schaffer]

Someone recently posted an article from a few years ago where the author pondered 'wine rules' that were okay to break - and it made me wonder if the members of this Board were to write a similar article, what they might include in it that are a bit more 'geeky' but still may be considered 'conventional wisdoms' by many.

Here's a few to consider:

Unfiltered wines are better or 'more reflective of terroir' than filtered wines

Wines made in a more 'natural' way are 'truer expressions' of the wines than those that are manipulated

A high scoring wine is one that should continue to evolve over many many years, not one that gives 'immediate gratification'

Wines over XX% alcohol cannot be 'balanced'

Pinot Noir is the toughest grape to grow

Wines bottled under screwcap do not 'breathe' and therefore never evolve

Have fun, all!

Cheers

[R. Frankel]

Manipulation of wine is to be abhorred as an overly modern way to make the wine something it is not, obliterating terroir, typicity, vintage interest. My favored producers’ wine making activities are not manipulation but entirely normal/required steps in the wine making process.

[TomHill]

Someone recently posted an article from a few years ago where the author pondered 'wine rules' that were okay to break - and it made me wonder if the members of this Board were to write a similar article, what they might include in it that are a bit more 'geeky' but still may be considered 'conventional wisdoms' by many.

Here's a few to consider:

Unfiltered wines are better or 'more reflective of terroir' than filtered wines

Wines made in a more 'natural' way are 'truer expressions' of the wines than those that are manipulated

A high scoring wine is one that should continue to evolve over many many years, not one that gives 'immediate gratification'

Wines over XX% alcohol cannot be 'balanced'

Pinot Noir is the toughest grape to grow

Wines bottled under screwcap do not 'breathe' and therefore never evolve

Have fun, all!

Cheers

We going to a little here, Larry???
I'll play...
Rombauer Chard is nothing but low-class Couger Juice!!
Tom

[John Glas]

Rombauer Chard is nothing but low-class Couger Juice!!

Then what is Caymus for men?

[larry schaffer]

Manipulation of wine is to be abhorred as an overly modern way to make the wine something it is not, obliterating terroir, typicity, vintage interest. My favored producers’ wine making activities are not manipulation but entirely normal/required steps in the wine making process.

Rich,

I hear you - but define 'manipulation'? And who are your favored producers and who do you think 'manipulates' more?

Cheers.

[larry schaffer]

Someone recently posted an article from a few years ago where the author pondered 'wine rules' that were okay to break - and it made me wonder if the members of this Board were to write a similar article, what they might include in it that are a bit more 'geeky' but still may be considered 'conventional wisdoms' by many.

Here's a few to consider:

Unfiltered wines are better or 'more reflective of terroir' than filtered wines

Wines made in a more 'natural' way are 'truer expressions' of the wines than those that are manipulated

A high scoring wine is one that should continue to evolve over many many years, not one that gives 'immediate gratification'

Wines over XX% alcohol cannot be 'balanced'

Pinot Noir is the toughest grape to grow

Wines bottled under screwcap do not 'breathe' and therefore never evolve

Have fun, all!

Cheers

We going to a little here, Larry???
I'll play...
Rombauer Chard is nothing but low-class Couger Juice!!
Tom

Au contraire, my friend - at nearl $40 a bottle, it is NOT low-class. Not Butter on the other hand . . .

[R. Frankel]

Manipulation of wine is to be abhorred as an overly modern way to make the wine something it is not, obliterating terroir, typicity, vintage interest. My favored producers’ wine making activities are not manipulation but entirely normal/required steps in the wine making process.

Rich,

I hear you - but define 'manipulation'? And who are your favored producers and who do you think 'manipulates' more?

Cheers.

I should have added a - I meant this with tongue very much in cheek.

[Rodrigo B]

If we're , here's a few:

-Lots of new oak ruins a wine
-Only Champagne knows how to do sparkling wines properly
-[Insert whatever curmudgeon rant you want about high ABV]
-Burgundy makes the best Pinot Noir

[Paul Miller]

All wines should use Bordeaux bottles, and no wax, no foil.

[Michael Martin]

Wines not from CA, OR or WA can’t be good.

[Kris Patten]

My favorite that I see people post on is "drinking corked wine is okay, and you can sense the quality thru the TCA."

I have never once found that to be the case.

[Kris Patten]

Wines not from CA, OR or WA can’t be good.

Is that a double negative....so a positive?

[Michael Martin]

Wines not from CA, OR or WA can’t be good.

Is that a double negative....so a positive?

[Jason T]

If we're , here's a few:

-Lots of new oak ruins a wine
-Only Champagne knows how to do sparkling wines properly
-[Insert whatever curmudgeon rant you want about high ABV]
-Burgundy makes the best Pinot Noir

Nice ones Rodrigo. I’m sensitive to oak flavours and very much don’t prefer them in reds, can tolerate a bit more in whites.

When I first got into wine and I’d open wines too young, I’d get really turned off by the oak and in many cases get rid of any remaining bottles of that wine. Over time I came to understand that lots of new oak CAN be bad, but if the winemaker is using the oak in proportion with what the wine can take, it may make sense. And then of course oak can integrate over time.

Luckily I didn’t dump too many bottles over this. A learning experience no doubt that helped me better understand how wine evolves and how that aligns (or doesn’t) with my palate preferences.

[Matt N]

All wines should use Bordeaux bottles, and no wax, no foil.

"Second!" Having inherited a 100% diamond bin cellar, this would be delightful...

[Marcus Goodfellow]

Someone recently posted an article from a few years ago where the author pondered 'wine rules' that were okay to break - and it made me wonder if the members of this Board were to write a similar article, what they might include in it that are a bit more 'geeky' but still may be considered 'conventional wisdoms' by many.

Here's a few to consider:

Unfiltered wines are better or 'more reflective of terroir' than filtered wines

Germany says, No!

Wines made in a more 'natural' way are 'truer expressions' of the wines than those that are manipulated
”Natural” wines...the first pandemic.

A high scoring wine is one that should continue to evolve over many many years, not one that gives 'immediate gratification'
For the points chaser does the purchase of a high scoring wine not give immediate gratification, regardless of drinking window? The hunt is enjoyed as much as the meal.

Wines over XX% alcohol cannot be 'balanced'
After drinking wines over XX%, I cannot be balanced.

Pinot Noir is the toughest grape to grow
Oh, it’s easy enough to grow the grape...it’s getting it to be shi**y that is the hard part.

Wines bottled under screwcap do not 'breathe' and therefore never evolve
similar to “intelligent design”

Have fun, all!

Cheers

Back at you!

[Alex N]

"Don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink."

I only buy wine I would drink but not because of how the food will taste. If something calls for like, 1/2 bottle I'll buy a $8-15 bottle that I'm familiar with. The end result being, I wouldn't buy a shitty bottle of wine for cooking because most of the time, most of the bottle would go to waste. With the decent drinkable one, 100% of it gets used for cooking and consumption.

[Marcus Goodfellow]

Wines not from CA, OR or WA can’t be good.

I thought it was the other way around?

[Marcus Goodfellow]

If we're , here's a few:

-Lots of new oak ruins a wine
-Only Champagne knows how to do sparkling wines properly
-[Insert whatever curmudgeon rant you want about high ABV]
-Burgundy makes the best Pinot Noir

Mmm...and yet your first postulate and your last seem to contradict each other.

[Rodrigo B]

If we're , here's a few:

-Lots of new oak ruins a wine
-Only Champagne knows how to do sparkling wines properly
-[Insert whatever curmudgeon rant you want about high ABV]
-Burgundy makes the best Pinot Noir

Mmm...and yet your first postulate and your last seem to contradict each other.

How else am I going to maximise the number of berserkers I trigger?

[larry schaffer]

Here's another one:

It's always worth it to purchase a $100 wine for only $18 - and I can always justify why . . .

[Rodrigo B]

Here's another one:

It's always worth it to purchase a $100 wine for only $18 - and I can always justify why . . .

It's only worth it if it's by the case!

[PeterH]

"A wine is worth whatever a knowledgeable (important qualifier) buyer is willing to pay."

I invite dissension.

"Wine is much too important to allocate on the basis of ability to pay. It should be reserved only for those able to to appreciate it fully."

[Nate M]

"A wine is worth whatever a knowledgeable (important qualifier) buyer is willing to pay."

I invite dissension.

"Wine is much too important to allocate on the basis of ability to pay. It should be reserved only for those able to to appreciate it fully."

Good Rule...too bad it can't be so.

[Paul @bbott]

“Insert name of critic here “ has been a malignant influence on wine and has distorted markets with their mediocre palette.

[Tomás Costa]

Young wine consumers today are a bunch of poor sods, because they won't get to afford the wines I was buying 40 years ago from the only wine regions which were not cottage industries.