Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker
jameyer wrote:So I just finished a wine class, and learned that Wine Spectator is not really respected throughout the industry anymore. I was told to look at either Parker or International Wine Cellar. So I'll put it to the assembled. Which do you recommend?
Also, does anyone have any good recommendations for free wine software for the palm?
Ian Sutton
Spanna in the works
2558
Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:10 pm
Norwich, UK
Florida Jim
Wine guru
1253
Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:27 pm
St. Pete., FL & Sonoma, CA
jameyer wrote:So I just finished a wine class, and learned that Wine Spectator is not really respected throughout the industry anymore. I was told to look at either Parker or International Wine Cellar. So I'll put it to the assembled. Which do you recommend?
Ian Sutton
Spanna in the works
2558
Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:10 pm
Norwich, UK
Ian Sutton wrote:Jamayer
Re: cellartracker - yes that's cool. If you have other stuff you want to put in, or want to really hack around the data, then go for home-grown. The great beauty of cellartracker is how it's created something simple out of something complex, but I work in IT, so can appreciate the desire to push the boundaries for personal satisfaction. Have fun doing so.
Re: the guidance, yes there's plenty out there, but it really is important not to see 95 points and think "Wow! that must be great". It really is no guarantee to enjoyment. It really is very easy to fall into that mindset though. Even Parker has moaned that people read the score and not the tasting note.
Drinking windows: I agree with you, though I do need some reassurance that the critic has a good knowledge of the wine in question and has a strong understanding of how it matures. Some magazines (decanter is very bad at this) publish plainly stupid drinking windows, often from blind tastings which is IMO as unreliable as it gets in assessing drinking windows.
regards
Ian
Cynthia Wenslow
Pizza Princess
5746
Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:32 pm
The Third Coast
James Roscoe
Chat Prince
11016
Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:43 pm
D.C. Metro Area - Maryland
Cynthia Wenslow wrote:Welcome.
Ian, Jim, and Thomas summed up nicely what I would have said as well. What you like is what ultimately matters.
It's also a good idea to hang out with a few people whose palate is not exactly like yours. You'll be introduced to some lovely wines you wouldn't have otherwise tried.
Also, I am hoping you subscribe to Robin's 30 Second Wine Advisor newsletter. You'll find it most informative and interesting.
(No, Robin didn't pay me to say that.....)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml
Florida Jim
Wine guru
1253
Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:27 pm
St. Pete., FL & Sonoma, CA
Thomas wrote:Here's my take, and I have been at this wine thing for, oh forget about that...
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42706
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
Ian Sutton
Spanna in the works
2558
Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:10 pm
Norwich, UK
Brian K Miller
Passionate Arboisphile
9340
Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:05 am
Northern California
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42706
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
.I tend to like finding the little, hidden, not cult, 1000-case places that rarely get reviewed in any of the big mags
Mike Filigenzi
Known for his fashionable hair
8187
Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:43 pm
Sacramento, CA
Florida Jim wrote:jameyer wrote:So I just finished a wine class, and learned that Wine Spectator is not really respected throughout the industry anymore. I was told to look at either Parker or International Wine Cellar. So I'll put it to the assembled. Which do you recommend?
None.
IMO, you will do better to not read any commercial publications. Some people think they are good guide books - I think they are misleading.
If you are reading this board, you will get ideas from others here. If you have a retailer you trust, you will get ideas there. If you taste wine regularly, whether with others or at organized events, you will get ideas there.
But, as sure as I am breathing, there is only one rule; drink what you like. Parker knows what he likes, Tanzer knows what he likes; they don't follow anybody else's taste, they follow their own.
I have been drinking fine wine for over 40 years and I am just barely beginning to learn about the wines that are available in the world and what they mean to me.
This isn't supposed to be easy or fast; its supposed to last a lifetime. Time is not "of the essence." So buy a mixed case of stuff you can't pronounce and never heard of before and try them, over dinner, one bottle a night. Repeat.
By doing this, you will not be tasting wine against other wine but rather over the period of your dinner in a setting where it is likely you will drink wine most often. This is not a competition (despite the scoring systems that intimate as much); rather its an opportunity to find your own way and in the setting where you will note a wine's place at your table.
Do not be seduced by scores, or prices or tales of grandeur; approach each bottle with a sense of wonder of joyous anticipation. Pour some for a friend. And when you have had enough, recork the bottle and try it again another time.
Wine is food. It is alive. And it is fun.
And no critic can ever tell you how to live or have fun or what you like.
Best, Jim
Thomas wrote:I joined a wine club too--Les Amis du Vin (now defunct). The point of the club was to attend tastings, numerous, numerous tastings.
Glenn Mackles wrote:The really hard part is stuff that needs to be aged.... big reds mostly. The conundrum is that you have to buy it now (when it is available) and generally age it for 3-5 years (or more) and by the time you finally know if you really like it, you can't buy it any more even if you wanted to. I am afraid that I have no real answer to that problem other than I generally stick with buying wines to age from producers I have enjoyed in the past. But I am sure I miss out on a lot of real bargains that way. And that is exactly why I read what goes on in here.
Ian Sutton
Spanna in the works
2558
Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:10 pm
Norwich, UK
Thomas wrote:Ian, we aren't far apart. But I believe that the last thing a person new to wine should do is rely on critics AT ALL. As Jenise points out, they often stifle exploration by what they omit.
I certainly don't see anything wrong with reading up on wines. For that I recommend wine writers who are in the business of informing rather than wine critics who are in the business of proclaiming.
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