Lighten up - It’s only wine
This is just a random viticultural pet peeve…I’m sure we’ve all got those friends/relatives/colleagues that “love wine” and to show everyone just how much, they get together with other like-minded folks, usually at the new hot restaurant, and “do some serious damage” to the establishment’s cellar. They order the 19 so and so single-vineyard cult bla bla bla, and then a mag of ultra-rare mailing list only, owner’s 4 year old daughter cuvee`, followed by an imperial of a vintage, all Pinot Meunier grower Champagne just disgorged after 26 years by the arthritic fingers of the winemaker’s great grandfather who is rumored to be the grandson of the big guy (Bacchus in this case) himself, and then finish the meal with a 3 liter bottle of Chateau d’Yquem that carries the incontrovertible provenance of having been stored in Eva Braun’s underwear drawer for over two months…Now I know what you’re going to say - that this is a pretty clear case of oenophilic “name droppers” who simply like to brag to their wine-loving and non-wine-loving friends alike about all of the great bottles they’ve drunk (or at least say they have), and the money it takes to get the chance to do so. Now THESE people CERTAINLY exist, and in fair numbers too, but I don’t think that that’s the species in question here. In my experience, bragging rights are not what’s being accrued here - these types never miss an opportunity to talk about their 5000 bottle cellars, and that their number is on Peter Michael’s cell phone speed dial. These guys (and most of them are guys) are easy to spot and identify - the car that they drive is often the biggest giveaway…
No, this “overconsumer” is another (though perhaps related) animal. To me, this type is the one that doesn’t really enjoy and love wine, but rather just the IDEA of it. They delight in ratings, rarity for it’s own sake, and the cult of the superlative. They search for “perfection” in every bottle, and in not finding it, order the next one that will surely deliver. These are folks for whom wine is NOT a competitive sport (that’s the hallmark of the “name dropper” crowd) but rather a geeky, “anorak”, “trainspotter”, bottle-on-a-pedastal pursuit that feeds a lustful adulation of what a wine REPRESENTS rather than what a wine IS. These folks
drink wine because they think that that makes them the adult equivalent of “cool”, and the more bottles they drink, the cooler they become. They often drink more wine after the meal than during the course of it, and glibly swap stories about volatile acidity, brix vs. oechsle, and quintals per hectare yields espoused by their favorite celebrity winemaker…
Yes, in the end, were dealing with REAL “wine geeks”, but ones that have become perversely entwined with the “more is better”, unbridled consumerism that has swept through the world of wine in the last 20 or so years. Like it or not, wine is a luxury product that is a bit prone to this sort of trap, but for me, this is the very reason why those that really do love and understand wine to press upon those who just THINK that they do to approach wines like the nearly miraculous FOODS that they are rather than the porno mags that they wish that they were…
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1st !!!!
Comment by Jason M — November 30, 2006 @ 4:49 pm
Brandon-
Actually, one of them WAS indeed one long sentence…I can get a blabber on with the best of them, even in writing…so, as many psychologists like to ask, how does being “…a little of both of the type of wine person your talking about” make you feel? Do you like the person you see reflected in your Riedel Sommelier Series?
Comment by Tom Ciocco — November 30, 2006 @ 5:01 pm
Wanted to be the first comment…can’t wait to read all of your stuff!
Comment by Brandon M — November 30, 2006 @ 5:04 pm
Whew…that felt like one long sentence. I loved the post but, man, I’m a little tired after reading it. I don’t quite know how to take it as I probably am a little of both of the type of wine person you are talking about!
Comment by Brandon M — November 30, 2006 @ 5:19 pm
Hi Tom,
Just wanted to pop in & say hi. I’ll read the blog tonight & let you know what I think. Nice place you got here.
Comment by MichaelP — November 30, 2006 @ 5:31 pm
Nicely written, but, well, Tom, so what’s your point? Yeah, I plead guilty to wine geekdom. I don’t brag about my cellar, but I do sometimes drink wine before, after or without (but not in lieu of) dinner. As long as we don’t become alcoholics or incredible bores, a hobby is a good thing.
Comment by GeneV — November 30, 2006 @ 7:45 pm
Amen, brother, preach it! As Ronnie Wood & Rod Stewart sang, “Got a lot more money than sense”
Comment by johnm — November 30, 2006 @ 7:53 pm
Happy to see the new place to visit and get educated, Tom. I recall some of your previous e-mail recommendations, especially MESSAPICUS SALICE SALENTINO. I tried it on your recommendation and then re-ordered. You must be the guy up there that can put me onto the best Primitivo in the $15-25 range, if that doesn’t limit me too much. It seems like, locally, i find one I like, and then it disappears. Mother Zin and Rosa de golfo come to mind.
Since I favor Itlian reds, I’ll be a regular visitor to your blog.
Comment by elbowroom — November 30, 2006 @ 7:54 pm
Hey. You never told us what car “they” drive.
Comment by Brian S — November 30, 2006 @ 8:41 pm
Money buys a lot of good wine, but that Australian garbage- have fun with those (guys)Tom, you know where you stand,keep up the great work, it’s enlightning to read your work.
Comment by Terry peel wine buyer @ home liquors — November 30, 2006 @ 9:40 pm
Love the picture of a can of wine. I have had canned wine and enjoyed it. But I’ve also enjoyed good French Bordeaux. What does that make me?
Comment by Jaye — November 30, 2006 @ 11:23 pm
Tom, you certainly do like to “blabber on.” I also found it tiring to read and, to quote a phrase of GaryV often used to describe a wine, “disjointed.” Your writings on the earlier terroir site are much more cohesive and read better. And where would you put (the late) Steve Verlin when he drives up to Veritas in his “biggest giveaway” car, two cases of prized wine in the trunk, opens a 1982 Petrus and fawns poetic with Gino Diaferia over it. I think GaryV would think differently.
Comment by Julius — December 1, 2006 @ 10:27 am
GeneV-
In a snarky sort of way, I guess what I’m saying is something that Flava Flav once said perhaps better than I: “Don’t believe the hype”… that wine is not a competiton, and that what it IS about is community and culture and knowledge thereof - both yours (country, traditions, family, friends, etc.) as well as the place from which the wine comes. It’s about the things that you can LEARN from the culture from which the wine comes, as well as the people sitting around your table. That wine does not exist either in a vacuum of ratings and misplaced “bottle envy” nor in an all too common American proclivity for conspicuous comsumption, waste and gluttony…
Two thoughts that (may) encapsulate my point:
-Drinking alone,(and I’ve done it too)is always a little sad.
-To me, the only “100 point” wine there can EVER be is that one that pairs PERFECTLY with what I or my Aunt Tillie or my friend Kenichi prepared for dinner.
Hope this helps clarify my overall point.
Tom Ciocco
Comment by admin — December 1, 2006 @ 11:00 am
Terry-
Thanks for the kind words. Keep reading and commenting!
Tom Ciocco
Comment by admin — December 1, 2006 @ 11:11 am
Brian S-
“They” drive a few different types of vehicles, but many of them look like this:
http://www.inet.ba/~admado/cars/pig-car.jpg
Comment by admin — December 1, 2006 @ 11:31 am
Amen. Right on the nose. These are also the same guys that refuse to say “hi” or look you in the eye when me or one of my warehouse guys are loading their Bently w/ tens of thousands of dollars worth of wine.
Go Bears,
T
Comment by Tony S. — December 1, 2006 @ 1:40 pm
Julius-
Thanks for reading. The writing in the previous incarnation of this site was far more didactic in tone, but we later decided that the blog format was a bit more dynamic and allow us to create a real dialogue - I’ll still be doing some pieces like the Prosecco piece, but the overall approach is going to be more conversational and “off the cuff”…
As far as your Steve Verlin example goes, If he actually did something like that, and I was present, I’d think he was tool regardless of his reputation and would probably try to make him cry by “accidentally” knock the bottle out of his hand…and by the way, Gary and I disagree about lots of things (but probably agree about far more) What does Gary have to do with any of this anyway?
Tom Ciocco
Comment by admin — December 1, 2006 @ 3:59 pm
Tom,
Love the blog and response to comments. And the stream of consciousness writing.
Comment by Paul — December 2, 2006 @ 10:19 pm
I like your blog! Great writing and observations. I recognized many people from your “wine lover” categories that I’ve had the misfortune of running into at restaurants and tastings!
Comment by Suzanne — December 3, 2006 @ 7:28 pm
Love your terrior blog. Can’t help but comment here. I been working in restaurants for years and come across these types of winegeeks on a very regular basis, therefore I can completely connect with your comments. Trust me, they do it with food as well. It’s all this name dropping stuff. I usually amuse myself quietly with how hoSPITable I become in their presence. On the on the other hand, they keep my employers in business and my employers, in turn can keep me on their payroll. In my own restaurant someday, I will have a completely different style wine list, hopefully, to cater to a different mental palate. To me, wine is about food and company you enjoy it with and food is about wine and company you enjoy it with. The most fascinating part of all three is learning where they all come from and how they pair up (the wine, the food and the company).
Comment by Rebecca — December 5, 2006 @ 2:48 pm
Rebecca-
a BIG Amen to everything you write. Wine should be for EVERYBODY not just type A personality status mongers. And the wine “industry” must take a bit of the blame too by overselling the prestige and rarified taste angle that clearly feeds the snobbery in those who know just a little about wine, while subtly belittling those who know nothing by making them feel inadequate. If you drink wine every day like everyone should, these silly distinctions melt away.
TOM CIOCCO
Comment by admin — December 5, 2006 @ 5:59 pm
Great intro to the piece. If you’re willing to define yourself by how you consume, then you’re just a tool for the marketers. “Tool” carrying all the conotations you can think of.
Want to have fun - tell your wine friends you like the little wine cartons from Target. The Calif Cabernet/Shiraz is earthy, but not overly tanninc, the Pinot Grigio is fruity, but crisp. Watch’em stare or roll their eyes. ha ha ha
Comment by JimKay — December 8, 2006 @ 9:25 pm