I Can Guess That WIne in Three Notes of Vanilla, Cassis and Pepper

Image via WikipediaIf you have ever checked out the YouTube channel "WineAlign" and their series of videos "So You Think You Know Wine" then you have probably been impressed with the ability of wine experts to accurately determine the origins, grape varietals, vintages and even price of various wines; and equally alarmed at how often they get them wrong.  So what is going on?  Are they just guessing, or do they really know wine that well?  I think the answer to the last question is yes.

Do you have a favourite band? Can you tell the difference between their earlier works and their later works?  More than likely you can because you have immersed yourself in their body of work and know what albums came first and what individual songs were on each album. Could you tell what period in their history a previously unknown work was first written if you came across one? Maybe.  Do you like music from a certain period of time, say the 70's?  Can you tell it from music made in the 50's or 80's?  Again, I think probably.   The same can be said for literature, its different genres and eras can also be distinguished and categorized if you study enough.  I believe the same holds true for the fine arts, as well.  To recognize them requires a familiarity with their characteristics, the regions they were created in, the intent of the artist and the experiences of the culture.

So why would wine be any different?  The very best experts have tasted a lot of wine and have to think long and hard about what they drink.  Most have a favourite style, region and even vintage.  I think that what we see when someone like John Szabo - who is extremely accurate in many of the videos - tastes wine, is a mind full of experiences trying to recall each of those experiences and then giving his best recollection of that experience.  There is a little bit of guessing going on, but there is in any of the aforementioned disciplines as well and we have no problem allowing those experts to pass judgement on the legitimacy of our favourite works.  And, the less familiar we are with any given work of music, literature or art, the less accurate we would tend to be.  When an expert gives an educated guess on a wine, they are looking for characteristics that their experiences have taught them to expect: what is the best region to grow a grape, what are the results of techniques used by regional wineries, how does acid and tannin balance change from region to region.

So what is happening when they are so far off?  One of two things, I believe: either they have not experienced a particular grape or region enough or they have experienced too much of that region and grape.  Information overload can be as much a block of recollection as lack of information.  Wine is made in almost every country of the world.  The are new wineries and new wines starting up every day and it would be impossible to have a database of knowledge within one mind to be able to distinguish between so many.  Even when these experts get the wine wrong I am amazed how often they mention the correct region before dismissing it, or how close to a region they can get while still choosing a neighbouring one;  there is quite a bit of similarity between northern Italian wines and southern French wines, as well as Ontario and German, BC and New Zealand, Australian and South African and the list goes on.  A Cabernet grape is a Cabernet grape, but the minerals it grows in are far reaching and picking out those mineral tendencies can be tricky.  Can anyone in Ontario tell the difference between Ontario strawberries and those from out of province.  I bet they can when they are in season.  Can you tell the similarities between your favourite band and bands from within the same genre, country or era?

I do believe that the experts can have enough experience to tell the difference between wines, this is their business and their passion, after all.  But, where I believe the experts try to exert too much sway is when they express an opinion on which is a better wine.  Despite their many experiences with wine, despite their encyclopedic knowledge of past vintages, they are still just one set of taste buds and olfactory systems experiencing the wine.  Their tastes and preferences have been influenced, throughout their lives, by their place of birth, their genetic makeup and their exposure to tastes and flavours at an earlier age.  We have all had our own experiences that affect our tastes and preferences, just as they have influenced our taste in music they will affect our taste in wine.  This is why I like to encourage people to try different wines, especially for different occasions, and explore the whole world of wine, and the best place to start is right in your own backyard.  For me that is Ontario.

If the argument is that some wines are better than others than it would hold that one is the best.  If that is so, why are there so many varieties from so many regions made in so many different styles?  Wine is a food product and like all food products people enjoy it in its many different styles and combinations.  As part of human culture, like all art, it is subjective and requires a receptive audience open minded enough to appreciate the experience.  I am not saying there is no such thing as bad wine; I just don't think it is anyone's place to tell you what you like is bad.  But, just as with music, literature or painting, I would hope you would try to appreciate a wider variety and remain open to new experiences.  There is a wine for everyone and some have more depth and complexity and, just as we expect to move from Dr. Seuss to Dr. Zhivago in our reading are appreciation for wine will grow and we might move from Mateus to Bordeaux.  This does not mean we can't appreciate a little Green Eggs and Ham occasionally, maybe with a little Champagne and orange juice.