The flavors that most people understand are Chocolate and Vanilla. Chocolate is dark and rich and Vanilla is lighter and soft(ish). Start there. Personally, I prefer Neapolitan.
Thank you! I have noticed the same phenomenon on invitations describing (not!) the appropriate attire for a gala/fundraiser/celebratory party. What the devil, to cite just the most recent example in my experience, is “comedy chic?” (For a gala/fundraiser featuring a wonderful, up-and-coming comic). “Semi-formal” I understand. Even “dressy casual” is something I can work with. But I finally obtained all the corroboration I needed for my own conclusion that “comedy chic” has no discernible meaning when I saw the gamut—many of us in oxford shirts and khakis, some with and others without blazers, but also jeans and sneakers and—get this—shorts and a t-shirt. That said, the guy in shorts and t-shirt did display notes of soulful intention.
Brava Lettie-- curated is so....annoyingly cloying a word. Here's the other 'nail on chalkboard word which drives me nuts, no doubt a generational thing: "orientated"! We orient ourselves towards something (or away from).sheesh!
In my experience taste is acquired with practice absent a squeemish reluctance (oysters). Learning to like wine and differentiating tastes takes practice. Practicing must take place over time to avoid the alcohol affect (I know from experience many years ago). The wine industry and its contributors need to recognize that the majority of readers are not experienced and possibly direct their reviews or recomendations toward food or occasions rather than some some snobish taste profile or nuanced comparison to a similar wine. If we don't attract the next generation the industry will continue to attropy. Fancy words won't do it.
I'm with you on all these words. Intention drives me nuts. And thanks for highlighting the others. I put in the word "Curated" in Google Trends and it has been trending higher worldwide for years, although it seemed to just hit a peak. We'll see if the slide continues. I hope so.
No wonder wine is mysterious and unapproachable. I may use those words to describe my experience with a bottle of wine, but never the wine. Just as challenging are the “fun” labels used to attract the eye of younger consumers. I recently bought a bottle of wine with a label of young people running around in their underwear. The wine was called “Tightv Whitey” 🤷♀️
I bought it because it actually won a gold medal in Wine competition. The winery is extremely successful and popular. This wine is an off-dry Pinot Grigio/Chenin Blanc blend. Youthful, fruity, a bit zesty. Not a gold in my mind but maybe younger people don’t care.
I, too, despise the pretentious words wine snobs use to describe wines. I think they run off new wine drinkers are they are undecipherable to most. One of the most infuriating descriptors of a wine I ever read was, "It was reminiscent of under ripe lingonberry's." Who the hell eats under ripe lingonberry's?
OK…regarding the ‘words’…I’m mostly with you…but I totally understand why the word curated has dropped into our earholes so dramatically. It’s simply cuz there ARE so damned many ‘curated’ lists these days! Lists that just drip of hipster self-importance. Lists that show off their hyper-preciousness with zero irony. Lists that are so obscure it can make a non-wine-geek feel like they have to reach for Google Translate the minute it’s placed on the table. I’m not saying beverage directors shouldn’t go outta their way to put forth interesting options for their clientele, but nobody needs, wants or asked for an entire section of skin-contact natural soda pop, or ‘unique’ selections from Uzbekistan, Romania, the Czech Republic or Turkey!
As for your Rosé recommendation, we’ve had this convo before, but I just don’t ‘get’ Rosé. Never have, probably never will. As a summer quaffer, I’d still rather have just about any cold, crisp white (excluding, of course, Pinot Grigio) over even ‘the best’ Rosé. But you can try to prove me wrong if you bring one next time I see you…🤷♂️
Lettie, I agree with you assessment of those five words.
There are many more words used in wine reviews that I find unhelpful. Years ago, I drank a lot of wine with two men from the United Kingdom. One of them had two very useful phrases that he used to describe the wine we were drinking.
The most memorable was “light in the loafers”. He didn’t like thin wines.
George really likes wine so you can’t see through.
Those he described as “real teeth stainers”. Think Cahors
You raise good points. I too have used vague terms to describe wine, but I refuse to use one new and popular term often deployed by winemakers: "tension." Look at the descriptors provided in tasting sheets and by winemakers and you'll find more abuse than in wine columns.
For the past 30 or 40 years, the wine industry, including critics, sommeliers, and merchants (maybe not producers) has used (and even codified) the words presented by Anne Noble from U. C. Davis in her very clever wine wheel. She invented this to help people describe wine with reference to fruits, vegetables, tar, tobacco and other familiar things we ingest or smell in one way or another. It was useful when it was invented and achieved its goal to provide words for people to share their impressions of wine but now it is played out and tired.
The best experience of wine is more emotional and if we are going to use comparisons and metaphors, why don't we describe wines as if they were people or other animals. For instance, "that St Emilion drinks like an evening with John Paul Sartre, cranky and opinionated and fascinating."
Or, "drinking that California Chardonnay is like having someone's golden retriever puppy jump all over you and lick your face."
I think this kind of description would go much farther than aromas of rotten plums or sweaty saddles.
A provocative article, Lettie. Thanks. I tend to struggle with a lot of words used in wine reviews. (I need to read your book!) In any event, I did what I increasingly do with things, which is inquire about the words using ChatGPT. Here is my query: "One of my farvorite wine columnists--Lettie Teague--has written on the low information content of five words: focused, intentional, soulful, driven, and curated. None of these seem to be about taste. Are there any commonalities among them? If it isn't taste, what are they getting at as a group?" (I know I interepreted your words a bit and may not have accurately represented them.) I found the reply interesting. Most interesting to me of the points made is that these words shift attention from the wine to the maker of the wine. I could go on, but it would probably be best for others to make their own queries.
Lettie,
The flavors that most people understand are Chocolate and Vanilla. Chocolate is dark and rich and Vanilla is lighter and soft(ish). Start there. Personally, I prefer Neapolitan.
Me too Marc!
Thank you! I have noticed the same phenomenon on invitations describing (not!) the appropriate attire for a gala/fundraiser/celebratory party. What the devil, to cite just the most recent example in my experience, is “comedy chic?” (For a gala/fundraiser featuring a wonderful, up-and-coming comic). “Semi-formal” I understand. Even “dressy casual” is something I can work with. But I finally obtained all the corroboration I needed for my own conclusion that “comedy chic” has no discernible meaning when I saw the gamut—many of us in oxford shirts and khakis, some with and others without blazers, but also jeans and sneakers and—get this—shorts and a t-shirt. That said, the guy in shorts and t-shirt did display notes of soulful intention.
Wow! Comedy chic! I love that! Thanks for sharing!
I have no idea.
Brava Lettie-- curated is so....annoyingly cloying a word. Here's the other 'nail on chalkboard word which drives me nuts, no doubt a generational thing: "orientated"! We orient ourselves towards something (or away from).sheesh!
I haven't seen that word applied to a wine but I would certainly be oriented to dislike it! Thanks!
In my experience taste is acquired with practice absent a squeemish reluctance (oysters). Learning to like wine and differentiating tastes takes practice. Practicing must take place over time to avoid the alcohol affect (I know from experience many years ago). The wine industry and its contributors need to recognize that the majority of readers are not experienced and possibly direct their reviews or recomendations toward food or occasions rather than some some snobish taste profile or nuanced comparison to a similar wine. If we don't attract the next generation the industry will continue to attropy. Fancy words won't do it.
Thanks for weighing in Richard! I am still squeamish over oysters (and snobbery!)
Understood Lettie, practice oysters with a nice glass of chilled Muscadet, two at a time.
100 points on this post! Words is your best! McD
Thanks TIm!
I'm with you on all these words. Intention drives me nuts. And thanks for highlighting the others. I put in the word "Curated" in Google Trends and it has been trending higher worldwide for years, although it seemed to just hit a peak. We'll see if the slide continues. I hope so.
Oh I sure hope it has peaked and is sliding every downward David!
Google Trends confirms a recent peak in the usage of the word in searches
No wonder wine is mysterious and unapproachable. I may use those words to describe my experience with a bottle of wine, but never the wine. Just as challenging are the “fun” labels used to attract the eye of younger consumers. I recently bought a bottle of wine with a label of young people running around in their underwear. The wine was called “Tightv Whitey” 🤷♀️
Oh dear- well, kudos to you for being brave enough to buy such a wine... and how did it taste?
I bought it because it actually won a gold medal in Wine competition. The winery is extremely successful and popular. This wine is an off-dry Pinot Grigio/Chenin Blanc blend. Youthful, fruity, a bit zesty. Not a gold in my mind but maybe younger people don’t care.
I, too, despise the pretentious words wine snobs use to describe wines. I think they run off new wine drinkers are they are undecipherable to most. One of the most infuriating descriptors of a wine I ever read was, "It was reminiscent of under ripe lingonberry's." Who the hell eats under ripe lingonberry's?
Is a lingonberry like a gooseberry?
ha! not me!
thanks for the note!
OK…regarding the ‘words’…I’m mostly with you…but I totally understand why the word curated has dropped into our earholes so dramatically. It’s simply cuz there ARE so damned many ‘curated’ lists these days! Lists that just drip of hipster self-importance. Lists that show off their hyper-preciousness with zero irony. Lists that are so obscure it can make a non-wine-geek feel like they have to reach for Google Translate the minute it’s placed on the table. I’m not saying beverage directors shouldn’t go outta their way to put forth interesting options for their clientele, but nobody needs, wants or asked for an entire section of skin-contact natural soda pop, or ‘unique’ selections from Uzbekistan, Romania, the Czech Republic or Turkey!
As for your Rosé recommendation, we’ve had this convo before, but I just don’t ‘get’ Rosé. Never have, probably never will. As a summer quaffer, I’d still rather have just about any cold, crisp white (excluding, of course, Pinot Grigio) over even ‘the best’ Rosé. But you can try to prove me wrong if you bring one next time I see you…🤷♂️
No no just say no to “curation” Brad!
Lettie, I agree with you assessment of those five words.
There are many more words used in wine reviews that I find unhelpful. Years ago, I drank a lot of wine with two men from the United Kingdom. One of them had two very useful phrases that he used to describe the wine we were drinking.
The most memorable was “light in the loafers”. He didn’t like thin wines.
George really likes wine so you can’t see through.
Those he described as “real teeth stainers”. Think Cahors
Keep researching and writing
Thanks so much Paul! I am not a big fan of teeth stainers but I like the term!
You raise good points. I too have used vague terms to describe wine, but I refuse to use one new and popular term often deployed by winemakers: "tension." Look at the descriptors provided in tasting sheets and by winemakers and you'll find more abuse than in wine columns.
Thanks Tom I like “tension” actually!
For the past 30 or 40 years, the wine industry, including critics, sommeliers, and merchants (maybe not producers) has used (and even codified) the words presented by Anne Noble from U. C. Davis in her very clever wine wheel. She invented this to help people describe wine with reference to fruits, vegetables, tar, tobacco and other familiar things we ingest or smell in one way or another. It was useful when it was invented and achieved its goal to provide words for people to share their impressions of wine but now it is played out and tired.
The best experience of wine is more emotional and if we are going to use comparisons and metaphors, why don't we describe wines as if they were people or other animals. For instance, "that St Emilion drinks like an evening with John Paul Sartre, cranky and opinionated and fascinating."
Or, "drinking that California Chardonnay is like having someone's golden retriever puppy jump all over you and lick your face."
I think this kind of description would go much farther than aromas of rotten plums or sweaty saddles.
Thanks for the intel Louisa - that certainly seems a lot more useful!
A provocative article, Lettie. Thanks. I tend to struggle with a lot of words used in wine reviews. (I need to read your book!) In any event, I did what I increasingly do with things, which is inquire about the words using ChatGPT. Here is my query: "One of my farvorite wine columnists--Lettie Teague--has written on the low information content of five words: focused, intentional, soulful, driven, and curated. None of these seem to be about taste. Are there any commonalities among them? If it isn't taste, what are they getting at as a group?" (I know I interepreted your words a bit and may not have accurately represented them.) I found the reply interesting. Most interesting to me of the points made is that these words shift attention from the wine to the maker of the wine. I could go on, but it would probably be best for others to make their own queries.
Thanks Bruce- I love that you put the question to ChatGPT (I think) And yes I think you need to read my book too! Cheers!