My kind of wine writer - Wes Marshall in The Austin Chronicle
The Owl spends hours everyday reading items on the web from around the world. Most are about politics in one form or another but many touch on my love of wine.
Not that I learn much from most of those wine stories. Most are pathetic attempts to describe in words tastes and smells that mean nothing to most people because we all taste and smell differently. And a special dislike is the lazy way so many writers concentrate on giving a numerical rating to what they have drunk.
Which is shy I noticed the other week Wes Marshall who had this to say in his Austin Chronicle column:
"I have zero interest in giving numeric scores to wines. It is such a lazy way to review quality. That’s why in the 20 years I’ve been writing for the Chronicle, you’ve never seen one single numerical score from me.
When Robert Parker or the Wine Spectator give a high score to a wine, in my experience, there is almost a zero correlation to quality. One thing you can depend on is that a high score from one of them always equals higher prices. So, when Parker gave a 94 to a wine that runs $22, even if I can’t get excited that the high score equates to quality, I can still be impressed by the winery’s commitment to holding prices."
Not that I learn much from most of those wine stories. Most are pathetic attempts to describe in words tastes and smells that mean nothing to most people because we all taste and smell differently. And a special dislike is the lazy way so many writers concentrate on giving a numerical rating to what they have drunk.
Which is shy I noticed the other week Wes Marshall who had this to say in his Austin Chronicle column:
"I have zero interest in giving numeric scores to wines. It is such a lazy way to review quality. That’s why in the 20 years I’ve been writing for the Chronicle, you’ve never seen one single numerical score from me.
When Robert Parker or the Wine Spectator give a high score to a wine, in my experience, there is almost a zero correlation to quality. One thing you can depend on is that a high score from one of them always equals higher prices. So, when Parker gave a 94 to a wine that runs $22, even if I can’t get excited that the high score equates to quality, I can still be impressed by the winery’s commitment to holding prices."
That read like sense to me. As did his comment this week where he dared to break with the wine writing convention and recommend a cheaper wine over a dearer one:
"In case you have never tried a Frascati before, it is a light white wine with complex aromas and a light acidity that makes it go well with anything that contains olive oil. For a perfect pairing, try it with some long pasta, olive oil, lemon zest, flat parsley, and Gulf shrimp.
A regular sized bottle of the wine will run you about $9. For those of you who like your wine in mass quantities, Fontana Candida also comes in 1.5 liter bottles for about $13. At these prices, don’t expect to find it a tiny boutique wine shop. Look to the major sellers for these wines. Even then, you may have to order it. Trust me and take the trouble. This is one of the wine world’s great bargains."
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