Twitter #Fail at Fine Wine 2010: The Real Context Behind Jay Miller's Response

Written by ryan opaz April 30, 2010

Ryan asked, “When I started to learn about wine, I was taught that you needed to be able to tell if a wine was good even if it was a style or type you did not like [Whereby you're judging the wine, not the individual palate] You [Jay Miller] said that you rate wines that you prefer over 85 points. Can you rate a wine highly that you personally do not like?”

Jay’s response summarized, “I tend to like all the wines I rate over 85 points, though I don’t have to like the wine to rate it highly.”

Ryan’s critique: This points to a fact that so far all we can say about Jay’s scores is that if he doesn’t like the wine (style), your wines will not be rated over 85 points. Therefore, producers who want the “points” must tailor their wines to his palate. Something, he says, producers should not do.

The question Ryan wanted to follow up with was whether he had ever rated wines he did not know or had only tried a few times….maybe next time! :)

Discuss

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  • http://intensedebate.com/profiles/montaudesadurni Barbara Siemianiuk

    This is a good example that proves that the point model is incoherent and illogical. I don’t understand why we need opinion leaders in the first place especially on such individualized subject matter like wine.
    I do comprehend that there is people who studied sommelier etc. and are therefore better skilled to taste wines however these people don’t represent the average consumer who is not interested in tannins and complex structures, textures etc.

    The point model works and helps selling but only on the short term as I have explained on my blog. If you get rated 87 and next year only 83 or not rated at all you are prejudiced in the eyes of the retailer. He will ask you why your wine got a lower rating and you will answer: well because the opinion leader didn’t like it as much as the year before. Consequently the retailer will hesitate and probably not buy it again from you. I think the point system, as helpful as it might be for some people, is loosing ground. A tasting depends on so many factors, from wine correctness to the taster’s mood which is making it so complicated to give an objective statement.