WARNING: I’m on a cynical soapbox today

A couple days ago I read an entry on the AAWE blog  (that’s the American Association of Wine Economists…..yes, there really is an association for wine economists!) which tied in to conversations I’ve been having with customers here in the salesroom lately.  Click here for the actual post, if you’re interested in more detail.  But to sum it up as quickly as I’m capable of….A researcher made up a fake restaurant complete with a fake menu & fake wine list.  The thing to note is that he created mediocre wine list and a ‘reserve list’ for the restaurant which was made up almost entirely of wines that Wine Spectator Magazine had rated very badly in the past (the reserve list is really supposed to be the truly outstanding wines that the restaurant has to offer).  He then submitted this fake restaurant for consideration in the Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence.  The submission included all contact & location information (all fake of course) along with a $250 entry fee.

According to WS’s website, The Award of Excellence is “Our basic award, for lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style.”  Incredulously, the fake restaurant with the crappy wine list got an award of excellence in 2007.  It was printed in the magazine and on their website, but once the truth came out they took the listing off of their website.

Interesting.  I wonder what other wine-related ratings are for sale?

This is just another reason why I say to you all…TYOT!  Trust Your Own Taste! Just because a wine is rated highly by a magazine, publication, self-proclaimed expert or celebrity, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s gonna be good….or maybe I should say, it might not be a good value for the price, as prices often inflate quickly after good ratings from one of a handful of publications.

Not to say that all wines & restaurants that have been given the nod from WS (or other’s) aren’t worthy.  And I realize also that there are several wine reviewers out there with integrity; folks that would not allow commercial interests to influence their opinions.

But even with that being said….it’s so much better that you sample for yourself and see what you like.   You know your taste better than anyone else – no one is better than you at deciding what you like best.

TYOT!

Crush begins tomorrow, so I’ll be back with fun stuff in the next post.  Cheers!