The Taste3 conference got officially underway today in Napa with a series of provocative presentations grouped loosely under three of our favorite subjects around here - food, wine and art.
From the wine perspective, I was struck most by the comments of Leo McCloskey, Ph.D., the president and co-founder of Enologix, Inc. in Sonoma, who proposed a consumer-based ratings system for wine.
McCloskey's expertise is in fine wine analytical chemistry, a mouthful in more ways than one; his company consults to dozens and dozens of wineries, on how they can make better wines - well, perhaps at least in the eyes of the all-powerful wine critics, namely Robert Parker and The Wine Spectator. A profile in the New York Times Magazine last August simply termed what McCloskey's Enologix does as "The Chemistry of a 90 (plus) Wine."
But ultimately McCloskey thinks the current ratings system we have in this country should be reconsidered altogether.
Instead, McCloskey proposed we develop a ratings system that is industry-sanctioned, regulated and maintained, using what was done in Bordeaux decades ago as a model. There, growers got together and came up with their own tiered system, deciding amongst themselves who measured up as a first-growth, second-growth and so on. He thinks the same sort of system could work here, particularly in such established wine regions as the Napa Valley, where local vintners know the lay of the land, literally, and each other's winery practices.
Indeed, Enologix is trying such a system itself, through a buyers' guide it puts out quarterly called Global Vintage. In the guide are provided average tasting scores by the nation's leading critics, as well as a score provided by a panel of regional winemakers who have been involved in separate tastings. But then also, given Enologix's chemistry bent, a score is given based on the chemical analysis of a wine's color, flavor and fragrance (the GV500 score), said to be the most objective.
It's pretty interesting. See how it works by visiting the Enologix web site, www.enologix.com, then selecting the section called "Magazine," and playing with the search tool. I selected "cabernet sauvignon" as my varietal, for instance, then "Napa" as my appellation and chose to see the scores for Joseph Phelps, a highly regarded producer which typically pulls in big ratings.
They did here, too, with a regional winemakers' score of 96.11 (out of 100); and a GV500 that wasn't too far off at 95.7. But the selected wine, a 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, had scored slightly lower when put to the critics' test - 91. A score of 91 might seem respectable, and it is. But in a competitive marketplace, the difference between a 91 and a 96 is big enough to matter.
Which all just begs the question of what kind of ratings system might serve us best. Should it be left to the palates of a few? Or do we need radical change?
Tim Hanni, a master of wine who spoke later in the day, advocated the latter. "The consumer is left out of the equation," he told the audience, adding that when it comes to matters of taste, which are "random and unpredictable," when it comes to food and wine - "Don't believe what you think."
Comments | Add Comment
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Comment: i didnt know about wine, and this article helps me...
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Comment: Good artical.
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:)
Posted By: ביטוח רכב (11/11/2009 2:54:11 AM)
Comment: Good artical.
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:)
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Comment: תר "כרויות ב-י ם
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Comment: GO ON SALTY
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Comment: like it///
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Posted By: תאורה (25/07/2009 6:37:59 AM)
Comment:
-ברת 'יל טייכמן מספקת שירותי תור" עבור -ברות ו'ופים עסקיים
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Comment: <a href="http://www.noamwohl.com">שיר" עברית</a>
Posted By: מלונות באילת (21/07/2009 5:43:29 AM)
Comment: ין כמו מלו ות ילת ל ופש לכל 'יל ולכל "ורש
Posted By: רופא שיניים (20/07/2009 5:01:45 AM)
Comment: רפות שי יים טוב" מוש'ת ממכלול ת-ומים "מרכיבים ת ישיותו של רופ "שי יים
Posted By: ספורט אקסטרים (16/07/2009 4:18:34 AM)
Comment: לק"ילות לפי ע פי ספורט קסטרים, מקום מפ'ש ושיתוף של תמו ות, וי"ו, תר'ילים וטריקים, טיולים, כתבות בלו' ועו".
Posted By: Yariv (16/07/2009 4:15:07 AM)
Comment: לק"ילות לפי ע פי ספורט קסטרים, מקום מפ'ש ושיתוף של תמו ות, וי"ו, תר'ילים וטריקים, טיולים, כתבות בלו' ועו".
Posted By: איקאה (25/05/2009 6:11:02 AM)
Comment: hreat job
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Comment: very nice work
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Primer lugar:
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Tienda informatica
</a>
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Tienda Informatica
</a>
<a href="http://http://www.compugali.com">
compugali
</a>
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Tienda informatica barata
</a>
<a href="http://www.tiendainformaticabarata.com">
tienda online
</a>
pues eso, los precios mas baratos de hardware y software.
Por último y aunque no tenga que ver mucho con la informatica el otro dia he ido a una
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Farmacia
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y me han dicho que tambien vendian por internet por si me era más comodo o no me apetecia ir allí es una
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Parafarmacia Farmacia
</a>.
Pues eso ahí quedan mis recomendaciones y mis consejos, juzguen ustedes mis mos. Un Saludo a Todos.
Posted By: בגדי תינוקות (10/05/2009 10:29:46 AM)
Comment: i like it!
Posted By: רהיטים (06/03/2009 1:47:19 PM)
Comment: I'm the last guy to refuse a good wine tasting event, but i believe you have some of the facts wrong.
Posted By: שיש (29/12/2008 4:59:46 AM)
Comment: big head
Posted By: בגדי תינוקות (29/12/2008 4:50:10 AM)
Comment: for my babies
Posted By: Counter Surveillance Equipment (29/12/2008 4:49:02 AM)
Comment: have u read it before?? very good
Posted By: cellular jammer (29/12/2008 4:47:34 AM)
Comment: i read this and its lovely
Posted By: bomb jammer (29/12/2008 4:46:22 AM)
Comment: you say such a smart thing
Posted By: jammer (29/12/2008 4:44:33 AM)
Comment: good article
Posted By: ביטוח רכב (01/11/2008 5:56:00 AM)
Comment: I agree with every word u say dear
Posted By: jammer (01/11/2008 5:53:22 AM)
Comment: Love the stuff u wrote here
Posted By: יעקב אטרקצ'י (14/09/2008 8:28:48 AM)
Comment: great post.
Posted By: הפקות אירועים (14/09/2008 8:27:30 AM)
Comment: thank you!
Posted By: מקרנים להשכרה (30/07/2008 2:55:29 PM)
Comment: great post!
Posted By: jaw (26/08/2007 2:17:01 AM)
Comment: I'm with Tim Hanni.
Posted By: Jobs (28/07/2007 9:44:13 PM)
Comment: www.enologix.com, is one of the best sits that I know.
Posted By: Leo McCloskey (02/03/2007 6:07:10 PM)
Comment: Taste3 at Copia, American Center for Art, Food, Wine, scheduled for May provides a forum for extending the discussion of ratings. What we know today is that the combination of American wine and rating form a highly competitive California winery. The question, "Are ratings bad?" is never asked by consumers. Consumer ask, "Is a given wine bad or good?" Our challenge is to create the first producer based rating system using an independent but grower supported organization. This will be the topic of my presentation at Taste3 this May. Warm regards, Leo McCloskey.
Posted By: ביטוח רכב (14/10/2006 4:16:21 AM)
Comment: www.enologix.com, is one of the best sits that I know.
Posted By: Johnson (04/08/2006 6:14:15 PM)
Comment: San Diego, CA-If McCloskey is saying critics' ratings are really a form of consumer ratings he is on to something. Every American product is sold with ratings, especially when the product is not a commodity. The time has come for the California winemakers to sanction a consumer ratings system. The problem is that will tell the consumer that some wines are not worth the money. A real consumer rating system would clean up the hype, and separate the Temecula's down here from the better wines. Why not?
Posted By: Jack (17/07/2006 11:39:53 PM)
Comment: How about leaving it to the palates of the many? Why not encourage consumers to trust their own tastes? Afterall, most people can judge if they like a book or a meal...why can't they judge wines on their own, too?
Oh, and the result of "regional winemakers's score(s)" will be the elevation of bland, "safe" wines to the top.
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