How Do You Like It - Bold or Blah?

We came across an interesting article yesterday by Dan Berger, a well known local wine writer, regarding what he calls “The Blanding of American Wine.”

Dan decries what many of us in the wine industry see as a move towards making wines that “fit” a formulaic style that seems geared towards a mass-produced “flavor” profile of high alcohol, highly-extracted massive wines with little sense of place or individuality. Many previously great wines have become caricatures of their former selves, and seem aimed at garnering scores and press-driven marketing hoopla rather than being authentic expressions of terroir, varietal, clone and winemaker.

We tend to agree somewhat with Dan’s position. After tasting thousands of wines each year for our customers’ benefit (research is SO difficult), we have seen our share of over-the-top, amorphous juice that all seems to taste pretty much the same after a while. That’s why we are always on the lookout for something new, different, and, above all, great tasting wines that deliver value-per-dollar.

But, we also recognize that sometimes some folks will chase wines based on press and what they are told they SHOULD like. And, in this final point, we agree with Dan Berger: “About matters of taste there is no debate.”

What do you think?