"It's Just a Drink"
I notched up my 500th post on this site with a review of a rather fine Merlot/ Cabernet Franc from Tapanappa. On that significant milestone I sat, seemingly paralysed; cursed with a respiratory infection that saw me bedridden for a period, unable and unwilling to taste.
A comment on that post: "but a 95 for a merlot blend, and the price?" and some discussion in the twittersphere about how "out of touch from the majority of consumers some wine writers are" had me thinking.
"It's just a drink". It's something you often hear said about wine. Offered both as a criticism, and in support of, commentary about wine.
And it is. But perhaps tell that to the fifty-two thousand1 employed in the industry and quite possibly - again as both a criticism, and in support - they'll agree with you or possibly launch angrily into how it's their livelihood, the dinner on the table for their families, their opportunity to escape a desk job or the pursuit of a passion they could (ill?) afford to indulge. Or they might agree with you, hand you a glass and urge you to drink up. I don't know, I don't work in the industry so maybe I shouldn't be venturing an opinion on something that I have no first hand knowledge of. Unlike some.
What I do know is the industry is recognised as contributing 4.3 billion2 to the Australian economy and $1.85 billion3 in export revenues. Broadly similar in size, value and employment to the Australian automotive sector4. How much support does each industry receive from federal and state governments to prop it up?
Much of the criticism about the wine industry, along with its associated commentary is with regards to the 'snobbery'. Yet, for every wanker like me - and I see myself as part of the snooty, pontificating, glass swirling brigade - there's at least one individual looking to reduce wine to its lowest common denominator, to "demystify wine one glass at a time".
For me, wine's inherent ability to reflect its place, it's seasons, along with the guiding hand of winemaker/ producer/ manufacturer/ excel spreadsheet are what make it such an exciting subject. Clearly an emotive one too.
There's something about it that makes us prevaricate about it, renders some of us like vinyl junkies, scouring the shelves of favoured retailers for a particular variety/ region/ producer/ vintage. It has the ability to make some of us feel like a kid in a candy store, a few dollars in our pockets and the need to spend it on something, anything. Hours spent perusing shelves, touching the labels hoping for the transfer of something from the label through some osmosis like ability.
For me, wine's inherent ability to reflect its place, it's seasons, along with the guiding hand of winemaker/ producer/ manufacturer/ excel spreadsheet are what make it such an exciting subject. Clearly an emotive one too.
There's something about it that makes us prevaricate about it, renders some of us like vinyl junkies, scouring the shelves of favoured retailers for a particular variety/ region/ producer/ vintage. It has the ability to make some of us feel like a kid in a candy store, a few dollars in our pockets and the need to spend it on something, anything. Hours spent perusing shelves, touching the labels hoping for the transfer of something from the label through some osmosis like ability.
It has its darker side too, with alcohol abuse estimated to cost Australia $36 billion - though one would struggle to imagine how much of that is from chugging back bottles of fine wine.
Yes, it is just a drink. But it's also about the people, the land, the shared experiences, the sheds where wine is crafted. Oh, and it's not just about the fine end of the market "and I'll take the high road from factory to factory too" with mass produced, bladder transported products too.
My point with this piece? A quick single to move me off a score I've been stuck on for a while? A chance to get something off my chest other than phlegm? I don't consider myself a wine writer, I prefer to reserve that term for those somewhat more professionally engaged in the noble-craft. Call me a blogger, a gentleman amateur, a wanker - as you wish. My blogging stemmed from an enjoyment of wine far beyond its consumption. To that end, I am very far removed from the "majority of consumers". And I am proud of that fact.
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