What a fabulous article and so true. I am the kind of person that errs on the side of only ever getting slightly tipsy, especially when tasting for Wine Cellar Fine Wine Merchants.
This part hit perfectly: 'Wine talk doesn’t seem so pretentious when you’ve had a few in like-minded company. And if you taste sober you miss the interplay between the intellectual pleasure of wine appreciation and the hedonistic side. You’re missing the whole point.'
Because I have had the best conversations about wine only when people are mildly tipsy and don't try to filter all of their thoughts. Intellectual conversations about wine are some of the most stimulating and leave you feeling so inspired. Like this article has.
Symposium literally means in Ancient Greek- drinking together.Usually after dinner drinking for pleasure and maybe music,dancing,poetry and conversation.The wine was always diluted at the start but became much less diluted later on.
The Romans decided that drinking before,during and after eating was much more fun.It was more of a convivium.Part of the frolics involved scantily clad flute girls singing ,dancing and playing the lyre-lyrics!
I think modern wine tasting has become too ascetic and lost some of those pleasures that were made more enjoyable by alcohol.
Excellent article as always, I think this is why I don’t think high end non alcoholic beverages will ever really kick in properly. Not sure what you think but if they could replicate the flavours of some of my favourite whiskies in a non alcoholic form, even if relatively in expensively priced, I can’t see me consuming much of it even though you literally could drink pints of the stuff.
So very true Henry, could not concur more. Its always the 'elephant in the room' actually talking about the effect of booze. I hate wine being seen as just some kind of intellectual proposition, its about enjoyment -smell, taste and affect. Nothing better in my opinion seeing people getting stuck into the wine you have sold them and even more if you have helped make the wine! Another bottle the biggest compliment (obviously a bit different if its DRC!!)
Though I do agree with the sentiment expressed here (and had a similar experience when attending a Haut Brion tasting, refusing to spit it all out), I also feel the need to point out that wine may have a leg up on other alcohols in the sense that it is still quite enjoyable without the buzz. (I don’t mean n/a wine, rather savoring a single glass of wine over an evening, or something along those lines.) And with the fight we are in for over the next several years about the dangers of alcohol, that may end up being a boon for the industry.
Agreed. If I go to a large tasting I do try and spit mostly and tend to drink the samples of a few wines that I really like (I am only a consumer and not in the business). However I once attended a (quite expensive) Champagne tasting at BBR and there was no way that I was spitting all of that away. Drinking more than a few of the samples set us up nicely for the dinner afterwards.
I agree, because I always want to get home in one piece! But when I do get home, I often feel as though I missed out on something, because I was "tasting" and not "enjoying" the wine.
I'd argue you also can't taste a wine without feeling how it goes down the throat! I can understand if you're going to try 100 wines, you might only swallow the ones you already like, but it feels like you're otherwise reviewing half of something.
So true. And sharing a bottle is a totally different experience than "wine appreciation." Certifications -- Society of Wine Educators, WSET, American Wine Society (professionally trained wine judges!), MS, MW -- emphasize analysis, pseudo-scientific, assessing faults more than virtues. Maybe this even gets into point scores and "quantifying" a wine's virtues. It just all seems to take to fun out of it!
Hugh Johnson wrote that wine has the power to "banish care." It does that when we're buzzed but not blitzed, as you describe.
I love this. I mainly spit when tasting- but only because I truly have a super low tolerance. I do not spit when it is the good stuff- even if it means I have to carry bread or rice cakes in my bag to make sure I can soak up the alcohol. I think balance is key and in the end we should do what we want.
What a fabulous article and so true. I am the kind of person that errs on the side of only ever getting slightly tipsy, especially when tasting for Wine Cellar Fine Wine Merchants.
This part hit perfectly: 'Wine talk doesn’t seem so pretentious when you’ve had a few in like-minded company. And if you taste sober you miss the interplay between the intellectual pleasure of wine appreciation and the hedonistic side. You’re missing the whole point.'
Because I have had the best conversations about wine only when people are mildly tipsy and don't try to filter all of their thoughts. Intellectual conversations about wine are some of the most stimulating and leave you feeling so inspired. Like this article has.
Anyway, love it.
Thank you Lauren!
Symposium literally means in Ancient Greek- drinking together.Usually after dinner drinking for pleasure and maybe music,dancing,poetry and conversation.The wine was always diluted at the start but became much less diluted later on.
The Romans decided that drinking before,during and after eating was much more fun.It was more of a convivium.Part of the frolics involved scantily clad flute girls singing ,dancing and playing the lyre-lyrics!
I think modern wine tasting has become too ascetic and lost some of those pleasures that were made more enjoyable by alcohol.
Bring back the flute players!
Excellent article as always, I think this is why I don’t think high end non alcoholic beverages will ever really kick in properly. Not sure what you think but if they could replicate the flavours of some of my favourite whiskies in a non alcoholic form, even if relatively in expensively priced, I can’t see me consuming much of it even though you literally could drink pints of the stuff.
Totally agree.
So very true Henry, could not concur more. Its always the 'elephant in the room' actually talking about the effect of booze. I hate wine being seen as just some kind of intellectual proposition, its about enjoyment -smell, taste and affect. Nothing better in my opinion seeing people getting stuck into the wine you have sold them and even more if you have helped make the wine! Another bottle the biggest compliment (obviously a bit different if its DRC!!)
Genius 🤩👌🏼
Though I do agree with the sentiment expressed here (and had a similar experience when attending a Haut Brion tasting, refusing to spit it all out), I also feel the need to point out that wine may have a leg up on other alcohols in the sense that it is still quite enjoyable without the buzz. (I don’t mean n/a wine, rather savoring a single glass of wine over an evening, or something along those lines.) And with the fight we are in for over the next several years about the dangers of alcohol, that may end up being a boon for the industry.
Agreed. If I go to a large tasting I do try and spit mostly and tend to drink the samples of a few wines that I really like (I am only a consumer and not in the business). However I once attended a (quite expensive) Champagne tasting at BBR and there was no way that I was spitting all of that away. Drinking more than a few of the samples set us up nicely for the dinner afterwards.
I think a little judicious spitting is often a good idea. And at huge trade tastings, I do spit about 90% of the wines.
I agree, because I always want to get home in one piece! But when I do get home, I often feel as though I missed out on something, because I was "tasting" and not "enjoying" the wine.
I'd argue you also can't taste a wine without feeling how it goes down the throat! I can understand if you're going to try 100 wines, you might only swallow the ones you already like, but it feels like you're otherwise reviewing half of something.
Exactly, I'd go further and say that you can't fully appreciate a wine until you've shared a bottle.
So true. And sharing a bottle is a totally different experience than "wine appreciation." Certifications -- Society of Wine Educators, WSET, American Wine Society (professionally trained wine judges!), MS, MW -- emphasize analysis, pseudo-scientific, assessing faults more than virtues. Maybe this even gets into point scores and "quantifying" a wine's virtues. It just all seems to take to fun out of it!
Hugh Johnson wrote that wine has the power to "banish care." It does that when we're buzzed but not blitzed, as you describe.
I love this. I mainly spit when tasting- but only because I truly have a super low tolerance. I do not spit when it is the good stuff- even if it means I have to carry bread or rice cakes in my bag to make sure I can soak up the alcohol. I think balance is key and in the end we should do what we want.
But I do enjoy the idea that if the aliens come, the first thing they will do is learn Earthling and read Decanter magazine 😂
Lovely !
What do you think of Jay McInerney’s wine writing?
Sometimes interesting when he's not being a willy waving wine bro.
Ha! There is a touch of that, for sure.
Have you seen Sour Grapes the documentary about Rudi Kurniawan, top wine forger? He and his cronies do not emerge from that sympathetically.
I have - but quite a few years ago now. A fascinating story, expertly told.