California WIne Down the Drain? How could you!

Recently, I reviewed Alice Feirings new book, the shortly titled "The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization".

If you want to get a real flavor for the book, read her latest opinion/editorial article entitled California Wine? Down the drain.

Controversial? To be sure. Trying to make a point? Definitely. I want to ask Alice Feiring what she thought of the drop in sales in Merlot that resulted from Miles comment in the movie Sideways where he says that he'll leave if they are drinking Merlot?

Because, ultimately, that is the kind of comment that Alice Feiring is making. It's lucky she doesn't have the exposure that the movie sideways had.

Alice Feiring bashes Robert Parker for being so polarized and for influencing the wine world with his matter of fact wine reviews, at the same time she makes the same kind of comments.

In fact, in her book she is frustrated that Robert Parker doesn't like wines from the Loire Valley, that in 16 years, he only found a few that he liked. Isn't it hypocritical of her to make the same kind of comment about California wine?

I'm not debating that she shouldn't like California wine, I feel pretty strongly that saying that all California wine isn't good sends the wrong message and will unfairly impact the whole regions

It's almost like we need a metacritic for wine reviews so that we can avoid a situation where a few people's palates can influence the success of a wine, a winery or a whole wine region.

I love a lot of California wine even though I'm not a big fan of hot alcoholic wines. I don't know and don't taste whether it has a custom yeast or went through micro-oxygenation. I'm not as educated or experienced in wine as Alice Feiring but how sad would it be if I didn't even taste the amazing wines I've had from California because of an article of one person's opinion?

Also see Jim Gordon's post. His opinion rang true to me.

The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization

Just read Alice Feiring's book entitled "The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization".

Essentially, the book describes how many new technologies such as reverse osmosis, custom yeasts, custom tannin, micro-oxygenation, cold soaking, late harvests and such are being used to make wines that no longer reflect their terroir.

One of my favorite quotes from the book goes like this:

I just don't see Big Wine allowing labels on wine reading something like this: This wine was de-alcoholized by reverse osmosis and smoothed out with micro-oxygenation. Ingredients: Water, alcohol, grapes, chestnut tannin, oak extract, oak dust, genetically modified yeast, urea, enzymes, grape juice, tartaric acid, bentonite, and Vecorin.

On a naturally made wine, the ingredient list would read simply: Grapes and minimal sulfure (100 parts per million or lower).

To me, the first part of the book is the most interesting as it discusses the technology. The rest of the book basically describes how she goes to this region then that region and talks to the wine makers and complains about how all the wines are becoming Parkerized. Less interesting but still readable.

If you are a wine geek, I recommend this book, it's well written and easy to read... you'll find it interesting as well, you just may not get through the whole book.