Why is wine difficult to approach
Wine has been kept as an exclusive item for too long, it is time that we break those barriers down
When we visit the doctor, he dumb things down so we can understand it. So does a software developer, an engineer or any other professional. So why are Sommeliers still using jargon and obscure terms to describe wine?
Few weeks ago I had a small shoulder injury, I went to see the doctor that referred me to a physiotherapist to get a check up to see if it was anything serious. My rotator cuffs were the problem. I had rotator cuff calcific tendonitis, which is an accumulation of calcium around one of the rotator cuff muscles. Calcium deposit forms in the tendon causing a build up of stress on the tendon, as well as causing irritation which leads to my shoulder pain. Exactly what causes this is not clear, but my physio suggested that it could be coming from aging of the tendon or a genetic defect in my blood supply around that area.
Lucky enough, my physician and my physiotherapist understood that I was a complete moron in medicine and explain me the concept using very simple terms, showing me on a model what my rotator cuffs look like (and what they are!!!), and used examples to explain me what the problem was. Honestly, that was the only way in which I could have understood it. And it worked, I walked out of the clinic confident I knew what I had and confident the physiotherapist had a precise diagnosis and a treatment plan. I am a big believer that you master something only if you can explain it well and your audience understands it.
I often find myself in similar situations when I am talking about subjects that fall outside my expertise and people can dumb the concept down so that I can understand them well, and it feels great because I feel the other person makes an honest effort to explain me something that is too technical to be understood using jargon.
There is however a profession that really pisses me off when it comes to dumb things down, and this leaves me so outraged. It is . It is like if they want to keep that feeling of an exclusive club and don’t grant me access, keep that circle a matter for few aristocrat and inaccessible to mere mortals. Accidentally you ask them about wine, and they throw at you a full range of terms that not even Google can help you understand. Indigenous yeast, malolatic fermentation, Kvevry (I kid you not, it is a real word), exposure and Brix.
The problem is that wine in itself is not so difficult, it is fermented grape. It is around 8,000 years we are drinking it, and arguably we now understand more of the chemistry behind it, the process has changed in form and level of innovation but it is the same old process of growing healthy grapes and have the required patience in the cellar for nature to perform its magic. But somehow, in the process, we forgot how to keep it accessible and simple and we elevate it to an exclusive product.
The way in which we describe wine has become more refined, the simple explanation provided by a farmer has become a word salad of technical terms thrown at us by some emblematic wine expert and we are left in the dark.
Let me use an example. I will use of the wine that I find mind blowing. I will now report few of the review that I find online.
‘… Cuvée of Grenache with sprinklings of other Rhone delights from the one and only Eric Pfifferling of L’Anglore. Always highly sought after, there are no shortcuts taken here: manual harvest, small boxes, whole-bunch maceration, minimal sulphur if any all. Translucent brick, with an almost-spirit like whiskey or cognac aroma alongside cherries, raspberries, cedar. Incomparable drinkability, complexity and length.’
Rhone delights what? Are we still talking about wine? Small boxes? Whole bunch fermentation? Where did they get the translucent brick from, and most importantly, what are translucent bricks?? This is too difficult, lets look for another review.
‘… From one of the most sought after, cult wine producers on Planet Unicorn. These obscure wines are made by Eric Pfifferling, from old vines, remarkable sites, and in styles that fly in the face of convention (most of his ‘reds’ resemble roses, aside his Tavel Rose which is benchmark stuff).’
Now I am seriously confused. Planet Unicorn? In the face of convention? I give up, it is too complicated and I cannot understand what they are talking about.
You see, writing like this is cool in the wine world. Everyone that has the slightest interest in natural/delicious/niche wine would know who Plifferling is, would have tried L’Anglore before and would hold this produce in high regard. This piece of writing is for people that have already an understanding of wine, not for us mere mortal.
But what about the other 99.99% of the population that simply want to have a good drink? I guess they would feel intimidated by that description and would feel as if the sommelier felt he/she was superior. The reality is that sommelier should learn a lot from other professional in my opinion and learn how to simplify things for customers. Make wine accessible, make it simple, make it interesting. More people would approach quality wine and we would all be happier.
To try to break this barrier down a bit in the next few weeks we will try to dumb things down a bit to make it simpler and more understandable for mere mortals. The way in which we will try to do it is by associating a personality to each wine, and draw similarities until we have a clear picture of who this wine is.
You can also choose to get your small vineyard and make your wine from the convenience of your computer and follow it step-by-step and get a real feeling and understanding of how wine is make, and understand how its character comes to be. Hopefully we will share this journey together and we will get you access to what has been kept as an exclusive circle so far.
Michele Percivati
