What Makes a Good Wine….Good? #wine

The past few days, I’ve realized that 2020 is shaping out to be a year that will go down in our history books. Coronavirus pandemic, high unemployment, racial inequality, revolutionary riots. Do I dare wonder what’s next?

Strong women like Ms. Julia Coney, wine writer, educator, speaker at Julia Coney have paved the path to openly address the elephant in the room – inequality in the wine industry. It’s racism that runs way beyond the color of our skin. Discrimination rears its ugly head in many forms – a subject I will be discussing in an upcoming, brutally candid chronicle.

Today I am here to discuss another highly controversial topic, one which will in all probability outrage both my professional and personal circle. But heck, the time to introspect is over. 2020 is the year of change, one which starts now.

What is your definition of a “good” wine? And how much are you willing to pay for a good or great bottle of wine?

While fashion, marketing, real estate, popularity, scarcity all equals high prices. It necessarily doesn’t make it a good wine. All a $1,000 bottle of wine accomplishes is bragging rights or entrance to the rich or not so rich white boy’s club. Whether you are a female or a male. Working class or the elite. Young or old. There is a wine, a good quality wine with your name on it.

Don’t get me wrong. I have tasted my share of heavy hitters. To be honest I too am guilty of purchasing more than a few when the wine bug first bit me. I am here to discuss the under dog and ask the uncomfortable question – why does one judge a wine based solely on it’s price? When there is a wealth of incredibly delicious, ready to drink, good quality, table wines that are not only wallet friendly, they exemplify terroir, complexity, and elegance.  

Before we explore quality in wine, let’s familiarize ourselves with the different wine categories and their pricing, as illustrated by Wine Folly.

To clarify, we are discussing retail prices here in America. On premise – restaurants, bars, hotels, have individual business models. And if we compare this price structure to the wine industry’s most prestigious list – Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2019. What we find is:

• Majority of the wines –  30% is attributed to wines in the $20-30 range.
• 25% of wines fall in the luxury category – $50-100.
• 14% are ultra-premium ($30-50).
• 13% of wineries fall in the super luxury ($100-200).
• 12% or 12 wines are sold in the premium range – $15-20.
• 6% are popular – $10-15.
• While both Value ($4-10) and Icon ($200+) wines did not earn a spot on this influential list.  

Dry or sweet, still or sparkling, young or aged, low alcohol or fortified – could they all be good? In our humble opinion – Yes! Whether it is a $10 bottle or a super premium wine that sells for 10 times more, a good quality wine should have certain measurable attributes.

To further elaborate, “fine wine” and “luxury” mean different things to different cultures or countries. In Europe, wine is a social experience. It’s for sharing, for drinking with friends and family over a meal. Yes, there are special occasions and celebratory bottles, but drinking wine is a daily affair.

In fact, all alcohol beverages are symbols of national identity. Guinness for the Irish, tequila for Mexicans, whisky for Scots. A person’s cultural identity can be revealed by the food and drinks they consume. Riesling is Germany’s national grape. Italy screams Sangiovese. Australia has Shiraz. In America Cabernet Sauvignon is king. Argentina and Malbec go hand in hand.

What’s the secret of a good wine?

As per my Alma Mater WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust), assuming the wine is free of flaws (corked, cooked, brett, oxidized, VA, sulfur, etc). A ‘good’ wine has well balanced fruit, sugar, acid and tannin. It shows complexity and concentration, as well as expressing something of its grape variety/(ies) or region of origin.

Wine professionals can certainly identify not only the grape variety, but also the country, the region, the climate, the patch of soil it grows on, the vintage or birth year etc, all with a sip. But that takes years of dedicated discipline, training, and experience. And it certainly takes the joy out of drinking. After all drinking is about daily pleasure. Here are some tips to tackle quality in wine. Which in turn translates to greater appreciation of wine.

Varietal Purity: Like Truffles that should smell and taste like truffles. Grapes, especially single varietal wines should taste and smell like it’s typical character. According to Wine Grapes (by MW Jancis Robinson, MW Julia Harding, and Dr. Jose Vouillamoz), there are 1,368 grape varieties. Each of them have distinct personalities.

It is also a significant contributing factor in deducing wines during blind tasting. What kind of fruit? Citrus (lemon, grapefruit), Green (apple, pear), Stone fruit (peach, apricot), Red (cherry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry), Black (blackberry, blueberry), Tropical (pineapple, lychee, banana). Does it smell of spices – black pepper, liquorice, ginger. What about herbs – mint, fennel, eucalyptus.

Intensity/Concentration/Finish: How expressive is the wine when you first swirl and sniff. Are the aromas jumping off the glass or they are muted? How does it taste? The fruit can be fresh, dried to jammy but should not be austere or neutral. You shouldn’t be struggling to figure out whether it is a grape or not? In red wines the tannin should be well integrated. It’s texture should be velvety, silky, or ripe. Not drying, coarse, or bitter. The acid should be refreshing or lively not sour or tart that it hurts the enamel of your teeth. How long does the flavor last after one sip? Does it have a long finish or it quickly disappeared.

Complexity: is the development of flavors. Broadly speaking aromas and flavors are described in three categories.

• Primary: aromas and flavors are contributed by the grape and/or fermentation process. For example, Moscato’s floral nose – roses, orange blossoms. Cabernet Sauvignon’s quintessential bell pepperiness. Beajulois and its tell-tale aromas of carbonic maceration – bubble gum, pear drop.
• Secondary: aromas and flavors are associated with ageing and treatment after wine has completed its alcoholic fermentation. Napa Valley chardonnay’s buttery flavor is derived from MLF (malolactic fermentation). Bordeaux and California Cabernet’s are aged in new oak barrels – vanilla, cinnamon, smoke. Champagne and Sherry’s pastry, bready aromas comes from yeast.
• Tertiary: aromas and flavors that are a result of long ageing. Wines aged in the presence of oxygen (oxidation) like oak barrels may exhibit chocolate, coconut, roasted nuts. While wines that mature in the bottle (without oxygen) demonstrate petrol, honey, mushroom such as Mosel Riesling or a White Burgundy.

Ideally wines which are complex in nature should reveal a diversity of flavors. An aged Red Burgundy or Barolo dances in the glass with primary, secondary, and tertiary flavors.

Sense of Place or Terroir: Like one can distinguish artichokes from California, avocados from Mexico, pine nuts from Sicily. A good wine too speaks of its birthplace. Climat is a term used in Burgundy for a single-vineyard site. To understand the way climat is used, let’s understand terroir first. Terroir is a French term that translates loosely into ‘sense of place’, suggesting how the the cumulative effect of soil, slope, orientation, climate, fog, sunlight hours, etc shape a wine’s characteristics. Given that terroir refers to this concept, then climat refers to an actual site that is inimitable because of its geographic characteristics or terroir. In other words a good wine should be able to convey the patch of dirt it came from. Pinot Noir from it’s hallowed ground Burgundy has an earthiness to it. Italian wines in general portray high acidity (some of the best food partners). Australian Cabernet Sauvignon reminds me of mint. Syrah from northern Rhone has this smoky, bacon-ish aroma. The list goes on.

Balance: Like the five taste elements in cooking – sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, a good quality wine should be balanced, in harmony with all it’s structural components – fruit/sweetness vs acidity, tannin, and alcohol.  Too much salt or sugar can overwhelm your palate and ruin the experience. Similarly, Too much alcohol leads to a burning sensation. Less acid can result in a flabby mouthfeel. The absence of fruit character or neutral fruit can make the wine seem thin or worse characterless.

Good quality wines are honest, swaggering focused fruit, layered with energetic acidity and lingering smooth finish. They can be as delicate and light on its feet as a ballerina (Mosel Riesling) or be demanding, precise, intricate like Tango (Barolo). They are the best food partners that range from bone dry to luscious decadence. These are soulful wines, every day affordable luxury that deliver pleasure way beyond there price tag.

Think of it as a 5 point scale. Give the wine one point for each category – varietal character, acid, finish, balance/integration, and sense of place. This way you are the ultimate decision maker and not dependent on other people’s palate to decide what the wine is worth to you. One needs an open mind. Remember wine is not like a fancy piece of clothing, expensive car, or a big house, where bigger is better. In wine, low price does not imply low quality and high price does not automatically equal high quality.

After all it is not just delicious grape juice. It is history as old as civilization (in 7000 BC, wine was being made with fermented rice and honey in yellow river valley of China). It’s 10,000 years of history battling the tides of climate and fashion. It’s 10,000 years of struggle, perseverance, and hope that you taste in a good glass of wine.

What’s My Sweet Spot?

As a certified wine professional (DipWSET, Certified Sommelier, Italian Wine Ambassador), I admit that the discovery of a reasonably priced wine that fits my criteria of a good or fine wine, especially from an unfamiliar or lesser known grape or region is far more thrilling than touting an ultra-premium wine ($100+).

If I were seeking predictable, I would have stayed in the popular grapes camp (no offense Cabernet and Chardonnay). I want to be surprised and seduced. The thrill of the unexpected – is the magic of wine.

Its having an intense full blown love affair on your very first date. Where the first sip seals the second date and by the last drop, you are basking in the immense joy and thrill of emotions and enchantment, from butterfly in your belly, capturing your undivided attention to the point of obsession. So what’s my sweet spot? It’s anywhere from $30-75. It can be a $30 bottle of energetic Grillo from Sicily, ravishing Verdicchio from Marche, sensual Shiraz like Sidewood Estate Adelaide Hills or Howard Park Flint Rock – Australia. Grower champagne Voirin Jumel NV cuvee 555 to the sophisticated Asti Seco from Piemonte. Versatile German Riesling or the salinity kissed Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay from Babcock Winery – Santa Barbara. The list of wines that are good if not great in this range are inexhaustible.

So if spending $1,000 on one bottle makes you happy, go for it. The bottom line – it is a matter of personal taste.

In conclusion we can all agree to disagree – what makes a good wine – good, and how much would you pay for your daily dose of happiness, is ultimately partly objective and a whole lot of personal preference.

Credits: Wine & Spirits Education Trust. Jancis Robinson. Wine Spectator. Wine Folly. Areni Global. Guild Somm. Skurnik Wines.

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