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Source: http://www.insideiwm.com/2010/01/21/all-the-flavors-of-the-rainbow/

By: Tom Powers of Italian Wine Merchants, January 21, 2010

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but there are a million ways to describe a wine. Some people grow ebullient at the prospect, while others are terrified and go silent. Some people like to use creative descriptors and liken wines to mythical beasts, cavorting nymphs and rushing streams; however, others are very analytical, empirical and mathematical. Some people use their knowledge as a weapon, but others use it to inspire their tasting partners. There are certainly those we wish would never be allowed to speak at all, and there are those from whom we cannot hear enough.  As with most people who enjoy observing complex disciplines, I have noticed that people who ask a lot of questions have more thoughtful opinions than those who offer unsolicited opinions.

This descriptive phenomenon isn’t limited to average wine-drinking Joes. Even among professionals there are totally different approaches, many of which are very surprising given their espousers’ positions. For example, I remember a Chicago tasting with a group of great sommeliers that included Fred Dame, head of the American Court of Master Sommeliers. I was expecting a soft, very scholarly approach from this gentleman famous for his subtle reverence for fine wine producing regions. And yet, Dame was bold, humorous and deliciously opinionated. On the other hand, I went to hear the prolific writer and respected Burgundian authority Clive Coates lead a tasting of some of Becky Wasserman’s Burgundies. Mr. Coates showed a scientific, almost laser-like precision in breaking down the wines. He spoke only about the amount of acididty, the presence of wood, and the earthly components. He never used relative descriptors—only permanent ones. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where was the personality? Where was the hyperbole?” This was Burgundy, not a crime scene.

I have come to realize that the manner in which we speak about wine is very telling of who we are as people. Perhaps the best example of this connection between descriptors and personhood is my old friend Jim Clendenen from Au Bon Climat. Jim has long blonde hair and has a fondness for comfortable surfer shirts.  His laid-back demeanor and dress communicate one idea. Then he starts to describe a wine, and it immediately becomes self evident that he is brilliant. Jim has a gift of explaining technical subjects in a manner that is friendly and informative, never condescending. He blind tastes as well as any MS or MW I have sat with, yet he still conveys a pure joy about the experience, like a novice sitting at their first Old Barolo tasting.  I suspect this joy is much the manner with which Jim approaches each day.

The ways we describe wine—whether clinical, prosaic, poetic or hyperbolic—may not be the window to our souls, but these words might  show others how self confident, how secure and how kind we are. The wine-words we use show what we value, what we enjoy, and how we translate that purely ineffably physical experience into terms that may resonate with other people. And that, as far as I see it, is the whole point of trying to talk about wine at all.

Author:

About Tom

Tom Powers

Tom Powers joined IWM in March 2009 as the Director of Sales, a role that keeps him busy developing new clients around the US. Before joining IWM, Tom worked for two years with Moet Hennessy, but he spent bulk of his professional career in the restaurant industry in Chicago. He opened the Marche in 1993 serving as General Manager, and in 1997 he opened his own restaurant Harvest on Huron, which earned Best New Restaurant from the Chicago Tribune, 20/20 from WBBM, and had a feature article from John Mariani in Wine Spectator. Tom also has had a consulting business for years, has served as the on-camera Wine Expert for WGN TV, has published several wine articles and has become a respected lecturer on service and the wine industry. Tom currently lives in Chicago with his fiancée Kara Kelly, son Michael Alexander, and golden retrievers Remi and Simon, a brand new puppy. In addition to being passionate about wine, Tom loves scuba diving, attending live music and enjoying epic meals with friends and family.