Because another wine food and travel blog was way too long.
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The Wine Review: Is it All Just Smoke and Mirrors?
A few nights ago I was at a dinner commemorating my brother’s year of recovery since his heart attack. It should have been a joyous occasion, but it was a bit weird for me. Why? Because I was sitting across from my brother’s ex-wife and his new girlfriend. It was extremely uncomfortable. My former sister-in-law is the mother of my niece and she’s family. She has been for years. But she and my brother have parted ways as a couple, and each have moved on as far as their relationship is concerned. When I first arrived the word was that the girlfriend had canceled. Then while I was comfortably chatting with my niece’s mother, in waltzes the new girlfriend with her child in tow. And they sat across from me as well, while my brother chatted with folks on the other end of the table as well as said child of the girlfriend. I had ordered a glass of Chianti to pair with my spaghetti and meatballs. And it was a Chianti I’d had enjoyed before. But this time I didn’t. Luckily the kids had to be in early, so the eating and drinking did not continue into the night. When I arrived home, Joe allowed me to vent about the weirdness of the dinner. Then we decided to open a bottle of wine we had received for review. Joe raved about the wine; a Meritage from Sonoma County. To me it was so-so. In fact none of the subtleties Joe noticed were there for me. So I got to thinking — could it be that my difficult evening was affecting my ability to appreciate the wine? And is it just me, or does how you feel at the time affect your perception of food and wine? Love in the Tasting Room People sometimes complain that they’ve enjoyed a wine tremendously at a tasting room, only to be disappointed when they return home with their case and the wine just isn’t the same. We’ve even shared a laugh with some other wine bloggers over the great sales techniques of a particular California winery. This winery employs great looking people in a wonderfully regal venue. They treat every visitor as if he or she is about to purchase an entire barrel of their wine. And then one guy has a cool little trick of laying the wine glass on its side and rolling it back and forth under his palm to “swirl” and aerate; showing the wine’s “legs” — all without spilling a drop. This seems to especially appeal to women, who then convince their significant other to sign up for the most expensive level in the winery’s club. After two or three shipments the more frugal wine drinker has “lost that lovin’ feelin’.” Not because the wine isn’t good; but because it was priced a little high for the quality and the wine lover’s budget. Or as my late father would have said of the winery, “Boy, they’re really proud of that stuff aren’t they!” It’s All in Her Mind Many have written about the affect of hormones on a woman’s perception of food and wine. The folks about at redwinebuzz.com have a great post that deals with this subject.
But I’d argue this isn’t just a “woman thing.” It’s a Man’s World, Too I know of a particular gentleman who is really, really into football. The win or loss of his team can affect the rest of his day — sometimes even his week. In his hometown there is an especially bitter rivalry between two teams: one at the north end of the freeway and the other just 30 miles south. If said southern team put a whippin’ on the northern, the gentleman was not fit to live with. That is, most of the time. The gentleman was suffering a particularly miserable year that included the end of a long relationship. He had recently met someone, albeit virtually, that had piqued his interest. But he, now jaded and cynical, held no naive romantic notions. The evening before “The Big Game” he met the woman for the first time, face-to-face, and sparks flew — the kind of sparks that “make an old man wish for younger days,” as the song says.* The next day his team lost its bitter rivalry on the field — but the man didn’t care, because his emotions were on high from the night before. And I would venture to guess that even Mad Dog paired with Vienna Sausages would have been delightful that day. Does this mean we’re all victims of our emotions? Does it mean that wine and food critics are completely full of it and you shouldn’t trust anything we say? Because I’ll guarantee if the restaurant or wine bar knows there is a critic in the house — the critic will be fawned over like the Jonas Brothers in a room full of 14-year old girls. I’ll admit we are quite often full-of-it but there is something more to consider. Just because something tastes fabulous the first time you try it doesn’t always mean it’s nectar to the gods. Conversely just because you don’t like something the first time you try it doesn’t mean it’s bad or not worth the price. Don’t write off something just because it doesn’t meet your expectations the first time. Try it again, under different circumstances. Because what you don’t like today, may just become a favorite tomorrow. Cheers! The WineWonkette *Rob Zombie’s version of The Commodores’ Brick House is my favorite! 
View Comments to “The Wine Review: Is it All Just Smoke and Mirrors?”
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February 1st, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Great perspective – and all good points for why wine can sometimes taste different depending on circumstances and surroundings. It's not a perfect science with data points that can be charted and measured. But I agree that if you are willing to try and try again you'll get the complete picture. That's asking a lot of consumers though because they are trained to walk away and not return if there's anything whatsoever not to their liking. Most people do not have the money, time or patience.
February 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Very good point about consumer behavior.
I think it even goes back to our childhood. We try something and our little kid palates say “yuck” and it might take years or even never that we'll try it again (I'm trying to get over that, especially with things like liver pate).
And for the consumer if something is presented in a new way many people are willing to give it another chance. But I think it's up to the company or winery to get the consumer to rethink his first taste.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:39 am
I totally agree with this! I believe that your mood does effect your food and any other situation!
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Thanks for commenting, and reading our blog!
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Wow, I always thought it was just me. I often bring home wines tasted at a winery only to find out that it's not what I tasted there. Alway's believed it was maybe the best of two or three that I tasted, when in fact, their was no best, they were all bad.
I also found that if I have a glass or two of a really good or favorite wine and then open a bottle of wine that is not as good, but one that may be a favorite, it somehow looses it's appeal.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I think sometimes it actually might be a bad bottle. Or we need to give the wine time to open up and breathe too. Especially if it's tasting room vs. home. Because we've had a number of really GREAT wines in tasting rooms that taste just as good at home as they do there. But there have been other times when we decided to buy an entire case, just based on one taste — and it turned out we should have tasted several times before making such a big commitment!
February 6th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
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