Which individuals in the wine industry possess the greatest influence over the wines you drink?
The answer depends on numerous factors, as well as what limitations you place upon that answer. For example, are you restricting your answer to only the United States, or do you include the entire world? How do you determine which individuals are influential? Is influence measured solely by how many bottles of wine are sold? This is a complex area, yet numerous people and companies have taken a stance on trying to answer the initial question.
Decanter Magazine has offered their own answers in the latest edition of their Power List. This list, which comes out every two years, is in its fifth edition. They select the "50 most important people who influence what’s in your glass today" and claims that the "list is as objective as it is possible to be." Can such a list truly be objective? It would seem the complexity of the question would have to interject a good measure of subjectivity into the answers.
You can check out the people listed in The Decanter Power List 2013 and many of those names probably won't be much of a surprise. I am sure there are individuals on the list you will disagree with, and you probably believe deserving people were omitted. The significant number of individuals with connections to China and the rest of Asia seems to indicate the growing importance of this region. However, what intrigued me more were the people who were not on the list.
In their last list, The Decanter Power List 2011, the Amateur Wine Blogger was ranked at #16 yet they did not even make the 2013 list. Why is that the case? Is the influence of wine bloggers decreasing? If so, why? Or is it merely the perception that wine bloggers have lost much of their influence over the last couple years?
In the 2011 list, there were six women and in the 2013 list, the number of women remained the same. Four of those women, including Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Gina Gallo, Jancis Robinson, and Annette Alvarez Peters, were on both lists. Why aren't there more women on this list? You might expect to see at least a couple more women added each edition, but that wasn't the case with the latest 2013 edition.
The 2011 list also presented seven names of people to watch for in 2013, who could end up on the Power List for "reflecting the trends seen in the main list, and expected to proliferate over the next two years." These individuals included Ian Harris, Eric Asimov, Simon Tam, Debra Meiburg MW, Ryan Anderson Opaz, Bill Foley and Bruno Paillard. Not one of those seven people though actually made it on the 2013 list. Why is that the case? Have they not proliferated sufficiently? Has their influence actually decreased during the last two years? I should also not that none of these people even made the 2013 list of people to watch.
In 2013, they selected five people to watch for in 2015, and that includes Antonio Galloni, Daniel Johnnes, Edouard Moueix, Patricio Tapia and Alejandro Vigil. Will any of them actually make it on the 2015 list, or will they fade away like the people to watch of 2011?
What are your thoughts on the Decanter Power List?
Showing posts with label wine personality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine personality. Show all posts
Friday, July 19, 2013
Monday, September 6, 2010
Rant: Do You Enjoy "Explosions & Car Crashes" In Your Wine?
"Old World Wines ask you to dance with them; New World wines push you prone onto a chair and give you a lap dance, no touching."
--Reading Between the Wines by Terry Thiese, p.10
I found this book to be quite fascinating, an opinionated look at the realm of wine, touching on various hot topics and presenting Thiese's unvarnished thoughts. Even if you don't always agree with him, you must respect his passion and conviction. I highly recommend all wine lovers read this book. Now on to the topic at hand.
Thiese is unabashedly an ardent fan of wines of the Old World. "All things being equal, it is more artisanl, more intimately scaled, humbler, and less likely to be blown about by the ephemeral breezes of fashion." (p.9) He later says, ".., Old World wines ....have about them a certain reserve. They're not aloof, but neither are they extravagant, gregarious, life-of-the-party wines. They don't play at loud volume, and they can seem inscrutable to people with short attention spans. They are, however, kinetic; they draw you in, they make you a participant in the dance. They engage you. They won't let you be passive, unless you choose to ignore them--in which case, why buy them?" (p.10)
On the other hand, "..., New World wines are marked are marked by a kind of effusiveness that turns the drinker from a participant into an onlooker. These big, emphatic wines put on quite a show: explosions and car chases in every glass. If you're new to wine, this can be reassuring. You get it. You needn't worry there are subtleties you don't grasp." (p.10) I should note as well that these are only generalizations and that Thiesse fully understands that exceptions do exist.
In the U.S., about 72% of the wine we consume is domestic, New World wines. The percentage is a bit higher for California wine drinkers, and a bit lower for East Coast wine drinkers. So it would seem most U.S. wine drinkers prefer "lap dances" to "dancing" with another, or to put it another way, they want "explosions and car chases" in their wine. As a corollary, it seems that West Coast wine bloggers often concentrate on West Coast wines (California, Washington & Oregon), while East Coast wine bloggers often write about many European wines.
There have often been discussions about the differences between Old and New World wines, though Thiesse is far more poetic in his characterizations. What are your thoughts on Old World vs New? Do you generally agree or not with Thiesse's opinions in these areas? If you prefer New World wines, why do you like them over Old World wines? If you prefer Old World wines, why do you like them over New World wines?
My own wine cellar has more Old World wines than New World, though I do have a fair share of California wines. I also generally agree with Thiesse, finding many Old World wines to be more subtle, more low-key, yet rewarding in their own ways. California wines can be quite big and bold, and sometimes overpowering. They are not shrinking violets or wallflowers. They make sure you know what you have in your glass, doing much of the work for you. If you are used to drinking such wines, an Old World wine can seem very thin and bland.
As I have said before, wine lovers need to expand their palates, and drink wines from outside their comfort zone. They should experience all of the wines the world has to offer, and not discriminate against region, grape or style. And when you taste these different wines, take the time to appreciate them, to "dance" with them and savor all they have to offer. Rather than limit yourself to "explosions and car chases" why not try a "psychological thriller" or a "complex drama."
--Reading Between the Wines by Terry Thiese, p.10
I found this book to be quite fascinating, an opinionated look at the realm of wine, touching on various hot topics and presenting Thiese's unvarnished thoughts. Even if you don't always agree with him, you must respect his passion and conviction. I highly recommend all wine lovers read this book. Now on to the topic at hand.
Thiese is unabashedly an ardent fan of wines of the Old World. "All things being equal, it is more artisanl, more intimately scaled, humbler, and less likely to be blown about by the ephemeral breezes of fashion." (p.9) He later says, ".., Old World wines ....have about them a certain reserve. They're not aloof, but neither are they extravagant, gregarious, life-of-the-party wines. They don't play at loud volume, and they can seem inscrutable to people with short attention spans. They are, however, kinetic; they draw you in, they make you a participant in the dance. They engage you. They won't let you be passive, unless you choose to ignore them--in which case, why buy them?" (p.10)
On the other hand, "..., New World wines are marked are marked by a kind of effusiveness that turns the drinker from a participant into an onlooker. These big, emphatic wines put on quite a show: explosions and car chases in every glass. If you're new to wine, this can be reassuring. You get it. You needn't worry there are subtleties you don't grasp." (p.10) I should note as well that these are only generalizations and that Thiesse fully understands that exceptions do exist.
In the U.S., about 72% of the wine we consume is domestic, New World wines. The percentage is a bit higher for California wine drinkers, and a bit lower for East Coast wine drinkers. So it would seem most U.S. wine drinkers prefer "lap dances" to "dancing" with another, or to put it another way, they want "explosions and car chases" in their wine. As a corollary, it seems that West Coast wine bloggers often concentrate on West Coast wines (California, Washington & Oregon), while East Coast wine bloggers often write about many European wines.
There have often been discussions about the differences between Old and New World wines, though Thiesse is far more poetic in his characterizations. What are your thoughts on Old World vs New? Do you generally agree or not with Thiesse's opinions in these areas? If you prefer New World wines, why do you like them over Old World wines? If you prefer Old World wines, why do you like them over New World wines?
My own wine cellar has more Old World wines than New World, though I do have a fair share of California wines. I also generally agree with Thiesse, finding many Old World wines to be more subtle, more low-key, yet rewarding in their own ways. California wines can be quite big and bold, and sometimes overpowering. They are not shrinking violets or wallflowers. They make sure you know what you have in your glass, doing much of the work for you. If you are used to drinking such wines, an Old World wine can seem very thin and bland.
As I have said before, wine lovers need to expand their palates, and drink wines from outside their comfort zone. They should experience all of the wines the world has to offer, and not discriminate against region, grape or style. And when you taste these different wines, take the time to appreciate them, to "dance" with them and savor all they have to offer. Rather than limit yourself to "explosions and car chases" why not try a "psychological thriller" or a "complex drama."
Friday, March 27, 2009
Robert Parker Interview at Bitter Lawyer
Robert Parker remains a controverisal and powerful individual in the wine world. I always find it intriguing to learn more about him, especially through interviews. So when I learned of a new interview with him, I was pleased to check it out and I would recommend it to others too.
The new interview with Robert Parker can be found over at Bitter Lawyer, a site that states: "Our singular goal is to create an engaging, insightful entertainment destination for lawyers." This is not the usual place you might visit seeking wine information but there is a clear connection as Parker began as an attorney. The interview delves into his life with wine, but also touches on his life as an attorney.
I think you might learn some new things about Parker from this Q&A as I certainly did. For example, Parker's 100 point wine rating system was used at the University of Maryland Law School. You'll learn what wine Parker drank when celebrating leaving his law job. Parker also presents some general recommendations for economical wines.
And one of Parker's last statements in the interview really resonates with me. "But if you pursue your greatest passion, chances are you will not only become very good at whatever that passion is, but by being good, you will also love what you are doing, and probably make a sufficient amount of money to live very comfortably."
It is all about passion.
The new interview with Robert Parker can be found over at Bitter Lawyer, a site that states: "Our singular goal is to create an engaging, insightful entertainment destination for lawyers." This is not the usual place you might visit seeking wine information but there is a clear connection as Parker began as an attorney. The interview delves into his life with wine, but also touches on his life as an attorney.
I think you might learn some new things about Parker from this Q&A as I certainly did. For example, Parker's 100 point wine rating system was used at the University of Maryland Law School. You'll learn what wine Parker drank when celebrating leaving his law job. Parker also presents some general recommendations for economical wines.
And one of Parker's last statements in the interview really resonates with me. "But if you pursue your greatest passion, chances are you will not only become very good at whatever that passion is, but by being good, you will also love what you are doing, and probably make a sufficient amount of money to live very comfortably."
It is all about passion.
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