A well known wine writer recently stated that the Orange region’s “most successful variety is undoubtedly chardonnay”. Now I’m all for opinion but this sort of authoritative announcement irks me. It doesn’t recognise the range of contrary opinions out there and it closes down dialogue. Wine Will Eat Itself is not here to hold your hand while you buy wine. It is not the only resource you will ever need to ease your insecurity as you wander retail aisles. It’s simply my thoughts as I taste wines – as is the case with every other writer. It is one viewpoint in a wider and more interesting conversation. And the truth of the matter is that all those who indulge in rhetoric to the contrary are pulling your leg.
This does not mean that writers and reviewers don’t have varying degrees of acumen and indeed experience. These things matter…a lot. The so called “democratisation” of wine writing has brought us all manner of vacuous attention seeking scavengers who would be better off spending more time attempting to expand their own education. But ultimately the worth of the commentator is up to the reader to judge. If we spent less time making grand pronouncements and opened ourselves up to questioning this whole endeavour would seem far more meaningful; at least to me. You may disagree.
Raspberry, spice and leaf, finishing on a note of olive tapenade. Not so much a profound wine. It wants for depth and length. But I believe it captures a lot of the attraction of this blend in a spritely, early drinking package. Pretty good and fun to drink. 88
Region: Orange
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $25
Tasted: February 2014
Hear, hear- although the thought of you holding peoples hands as they buy wine brings a certain smile to my face Jeremy…
I may be a provocateur Matt but I value intimacy as much as 99% of the population
Yay! Succinctly put.
Just stumbled upon this looking for reviews on the Isabelle and Jack… Well put Jeremy! Couldn’t agree more. ‘Regional Heroes’ are important and effective but so too is the willingness to explore and experiment. We are too young as a winemaking nation to truly understand our ultimate variety / region pairings. Especially in places such as Orange.
Madness Tom. And unfortunately far too indicative of the way a number of our wine “cognoscenti” carry themselves IMHO.