Wine Experts?

I have seen phrases like “according to most experts”, “opinions of many experts”, and “proven by many wine experts” used in many discussions on this board and have thought, who decides that someone is a wine expert? Is Robert Parker an expert? I think many would say yes, but others think he is full of it. I am not trying to pick on Mr. Parker, he is just a big name, with universal recognition, used only to make my point. Pick any name and I think there will be those who think they know what they are talking about, and many who don’t.

I have spent more then 30 years in the wine industry, hosted countless talks, server trainings, seminars, classes, and tastings. Am I an expert? Many have called me that, many others I am sure, have thought I’m full of it. I know a lot about wine, how it is made, where it comes from, who makes it, what grape are used, how to handle it, what to eat with it, and how to serve it. Does that make my opinion any more valid then someone else’s when it comes to the taste of a wine? I’m not so sure. The only things I can say I am an expert on are what I think, and if I like it. Now before you start typing, I am not saying that we all have the same level of knowledge, experience or aptitude. My intent is to ask the question, how do we determine when someone is an expert in something, so based in esthetics and personal taste?

I know you are an expert because your autocorrect thinks its more likely you’d type the word “fraises” than “phrases”.

I am sure your autocorrect would also change:

basis to cassis
generally to minerality
eventually to vendage
lease to lees

Mine still tries to change “Nebbiolo” to “Neurobiology”.

Robert Parker (to use your example) is a wine critic. I think of that as something different from an expert. Being an expert has to do with knowledge, not taste. No doubt, to be a (useful) wine critic, you must know a fair amount about the types of wines that you are rating.

I will be so bold as to say that I am an expert on the wines of Bruno Giacosa, but that has to do with my obsessive study of them and their history. It doesn’t say that my opinion on the taste or quality of one of his wines is more valid than anyone else’s. Perhaps since I have tasted more than my share, people might put more weight on my opinion as to whether a particular bottle is typical of the Giacosa style. But as you say, taste is ultimately personal.

I’d be curious where you see phrases like “according most experts”, “opinions of many experts”, and “proven by many wine experts” being used on this board. Those sound more like marketing BS used to intimidate people into thinking they must like a wine because [insert name of critic here] likes it.

Expert at making wine?

Expert at growing wine grapes?

Expert at tasting wine?

Expert at wine service?

Expert at . . .

A wine expert is someone whose wine opinions/palate align with yours. A big plus if that expert turns you on to new wines.

One can also be a wine expert if his/her opinion varies from yours, but in consistent and useful ways.

Aglianico = Ganglion

As in, ‘Let’s open another ganglion, it goes great with Monterey Jack cheese.’

I’d be curious where you see phrases like “according most experts”, “opinions of many experts”, and “proven by many wine experts” being used on this board.

I had to go back and look at the first post because I didn’t think that’s what he had said but you’re right.

I’m kind of curious too - who says that on a board where everybody is an expert? People with low self-esteem?

I guess it’s a reasonable point, but it’s no different than what constitutes an expert in almost any other field.

Who is an expert on baseball? A former player? A coach? A baseball writer? A MIT grad baseball metrics expert? Same thing.

With so much of these open to differing opinions of what is ‘correct’, the term should be treated with a little caution. In the UK they used to wheel Malcolm Gluck onto TV news as a ‘Wine expert’, but what would your views on him be if I told you he argued £5 Cava is a better wine than £100 Krug. Not better value - a better wine. Now for his palate that may even be true (though one sensed it was all a big troll), but it rather illustrates the dangers when personal preferences play a major part.

There are certainly people who are highly experienced, with specialist skills, widely regarded, etc.

That’s the professional side covered.

I do hear ‘wine expert’ used in more everyday conversations, often in deferring to the one person in the group who treats a wine list as being different to an unexploded bomb. They are happy to defer to this person because they aren’t sure where the detonator is in that complicated list of 20-30 wines. It is something I’d love to see change, with people developing confidence in what they like/don’t like and not being afraid to express it, plus being able to pick up a wine list or have a conversation with a sommelier / waiter / waitress and be confident they will be able to navigate to a wine that will appeal.

I think its a criminal offense to use a Spartan logo and an Ann Arbor location, so I’m going to put you on ignore.

I understand the larger question, but I don’t recall those phrases being thrown around on WB.

Jay- I’m still laughing.Thanks
I agree with Ken, its really a knowledge based standard(more empirical ) , although I never use that term.I do consider Bob and Antonio experts and a couple of other friends ,but for them- just in specific regions . In general , I really don’t consider the usage of those statements- I just read it as some people.

Experts? There are certainly many regional experts that make a living in the industry. For broad knowledge, many of the participants here I’m sure have more knowledge & experience than those actually working in wine.

For instance - In 2003, My friend was working as Wine director at a Fairmont property. He invited me to a wine forum weekend as his guest. The day before this started I had the opportunity to meet a very well known and respected wine writer. This person has written over 20 books, has a website, leads tours and still to this day writes regularly for magazines and news publications, and is on a large international wine magazine’s tasting panel.
He was there as the “wine celebrity” to add comment & discussion on wines at one lunch and as a head table panelist during some of the structured tastings.

During our short discussion that Friday, I was simply flabbergasted at how little he knew about several of the wines we were going to taste over the weekend. When I brought this up to my friend afterwards he noted that he was giving him notes and data on almost all the wines/ wineries (including well known producers such as Drouhin, Penfolds (Grange) and Chapoutier. He confirmed his disbelief that this expert writer knew remarkably little, especially given his credentials.

Haven’t been able to read a sentence of anything he writes since then.

Yup, Chris. Sorta mirrors my experience w/ many of the MS “wine experts” they bring in for SantaFe Wine&Chile Fiesta that I’ve
visited with over the yrs. Rather broad experience but surprisingly shallow. They are really more wine celebrities than wine experts.
The expertise is mainly in promoting themselves as wine experts. But they have a MS credential that impresses many.
Tom

It’s so situational I don’t really know how to answer. Expert in wine making? History of wine? History of Burgundy? of Barolo? of Drouhin? of Conterno?

All I know is that I thought I knew a lot more 15 years ago than I think I know now.

How do you define expert in matters of taste? I am far from an expert on women but I sure know beauty when I see it.

Furthermore there are diagnostic symptoms of attempts to display expertise

Agreed, it would be rare for such a comment to pass through to the catcher without a swipe.

I am an expert at WB posting, but not much else.