What Kind of Wine Snob Are You?

[Ian_Sutton]

@Geir A

Lyle seems to make one big point: We’re all snobs, own it. Appologizing for putting words in his mouth, and for speaking for everyone: I agree. Self awareness is critical. With it I believe one can be a decent snob, and avoid the parts of condescension in the dictionary definition.

Agreed

[R_Frankel]

Like many others here, I don’t accept that I’m a snob because I don’t like snobbery. But as in all communication the words we choose matter and so this post is mired in debate about snobbery.

I actually enjoyed Ian’s original post but only when I chose to ignore the word snob. I bet this would have been a different discussion entirely if the original post used the word ‘berserker’ instead of snob. Imagine ‘The six species of wine berserkers’ and see if your reaction to this post would change. This is a fun post. It’s goofy, jokey, but reflective of our foibles enough that it is poignant. Thanks for that .

I don’t accept that I’m a snob. I do admit that I have a point of view and opinions about wine. It’s fun. I’m closest to being a 6 (I want to drink good wine for what it is, and accept it’s many varied forms). I usually try to drink good wine, but will drink junk sometimes if that what I’m offered. I’m enough of a geek that I’ll usually try to learn something from the glass. “Oh that’s what a factory Australian syrah tastes like” or “man this really young nebbiolo is sure crunchy.”

I have learned a bunch about what I like, so that is my guide. But there are (literally) whole continents of wine about which I’m ignorant. I don’t judge those who like those wines, I figure I’ll learn about them one day. But for now I’m deep in learning about Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, California, and Northern Italy. And still feel extremely ignorant about those huge regions.

To be educated, and to have ideas, opinions, and reasoned preferences, is not snobbery.

[Pat_Burton]

There is a subcategory missing to #1. The anti-point snob. They feel the use of points in any capacity diminishes the discussion of wine. These people are so against the discussion of points that they insert themselves into any discussion involving points to tell you their feelings, but otherwise refuse to contribute to the actual discussion of wine.

[Marc_Frontario]

I am drinking a $5 bordeaux right now and I freakin luv it…yet I just purchased a bottle of '96 Krug, though I rarely drink champagne…not sure who I am anymore

[Chris_Seiber]

@Pat Burton

There is a subcategory missing to #1. The anti-point snob. They feel the use of points in any capacity diminishes the discussion of wine. These people are so against the discussion of points that they insert themselves into any discussion involving points to tell you their feelings, but otherwise refuse to contribute to the actual discussion of wine.

Good one. This snob is easily identified by liberal use of expressions like “score whores” and “point chasers” and “lemmings.”

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

I’m an “I don’t care what anyone else wants to label me as” snob. We drink blind as a group once a month, and that is generally enough to cure anyone of the other snobberies. As someone said last night . . . Often wrong but never in doubt.

[Geir_A]

@J a y H a c k

I’m an “I don’t care what anyone else wants to label me as” snob. We drink blind as a group once a month, and that is generally enough to cure anyone of the other snobberies. As someone said last night . . . Often wrong but never in doubt.

Jay, the “only blind tasting counts” snob is a subcategory of #7

@Walt Hoehler

7. Palate snob. No matter what it costs, how, where, or when it was made, only your tasting note matters.

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@Geir A

@J a y H a c k

I’m an “I don’t care what anyone else wants to label me as” snob. We drink blind as a group once a month, and that is generally enough to cure anyone of the other snobberies. As someone said last night . . . Often wrong but never in doubt.

Jay, the “only blind tasting counts” snob is a subcategory of #7

@Walt Hoehler

7. Palate snob. No matter what it costs, how, where, or when it was made, only your tasting note matters.

I didn’t say only. I said once a month. I think that people who refuse to drink blind must be some kind of snob. I just don’t know what kind and really don’t care what kind. I think labels are dumb and other than the few humorous posts above, I think trying to figure out what kind of snob a person is, or whether they are altogether, is also dumb.

[Jim_V_a_n_P_e_l_t]

@Geir A

The key phrase to me in #6 is …so long as it is well made for what it is.

What constitutes well made or quality is a complicated and complex issue. It starts with an attempt at defining wine and goes on to a whole series of considerations, some of which have an objective base or starting-off point but most of which are or finish in the subjective. One can have strong opinions on them, even snobbish opinions, without thinking or communicating that one’s own are necessarily better, more correct or the only valid ones. “I believe this, it goes for me and my taste, yours may vary.”

On this reading and interpretation of #6, I think this most highly correlates with my buying / drinking behavior.

[Howard_Cooper]

@J a y H a c k

I’m an “I don’t care what anyone else wants to label me as” snob. We drink blind as a group once a month, and that is generally enough to cure anyone of the other snobberies. As someone said last night . . . Often wrong but never in doubt.

We only do blind tastings once in a while, but there is one guy in our group who is often definitive and loud in expressing what he thinks the wine is. Then, when he is wrong (as virtually all of us are), he laughs it off, says oh well and goes on to do the same for the next wine. As you can tell, he is a great guy and a lot of fun.

[Beau_Carufel]

@Lyle Fass

I’ve been at one point all except 3.

Now I am 5 and 6. A strong 5 and 6.

Beau,

You are certainly not old world/new world. You drink it seems like a lot of interesting new world wines along with many old world wines. I’d say 6.

That one makes the most sense to me too. I think I get too hung up on whether a wine is technically sound or not though.

[Marc_Frontario]

I am whatever Robert Alfert is…I live vicariously through him

[David_Glasser]

@Harris Goldberg

I think you can know what you like and not be a snob. Sorry, having an opinion on what you like is one thing, denigrating others because they dont have the same opinion or you feel you know more… well, thats a snob. Nothing to be envied about… JMHO

I’m bringing this back because I think it gets to the heart of what it means to be a snob. It’s that feeling of superiority, whether expressed or just internal. One can have preferences without feeling others are wrong or inferior just because their preferences differ. That’s not snobbery.

That said, Lyle’s post was fun and has a lot of truth even if applied to “wine lovers” as opposed to “snobs.” I’m sure I’ve fit most of those categories at different times.

[Frank_Drew]

@Alan Rath

Lyle, I enjoyed this, a good read. Now a serious question: In which snob category were you in back in 2007 when you wrote this:

99/04 Lager-Meredith Syrah Mt. Veeder - Too oaky. Really nasty. Had the '04 today and much better but still crappy CA syrah. Not too oaky and pretty pure. But in general avoid these if you see them.

Perhaps not a snob, but very wrong nevertheless.

[Robert_Dentice]

Great, well written article - I am also guilty of what I would call the record collector/Unicorn snob. This wine was made from 200 year old vines planted on the top of Mount everest and it is the only known planting of grape x in the world and only 12 bottles exist and the winemaker has never been seen in public…

[Mike_Schieffer]

@Robert Dentice

Great, well written article - I am also guilty of what I would call the record collector/Unicorn snob. This wine was made from 200 year old vines planted on the top of Mount everest and it is the only known planting of grape x in the world and only 12 bottles exist and the winemaker has never been seen in public…

You have that, too?? Damn, I hope that fellow from Malaysia didn’t sell me a counterfeit. On the plus side, he did give me a great deal on some old DRC.

[brodie_thomson]

@Mike Schieffer

@Robert Dentice

Great, well written article - I am also guilty of what I would call the record collector/Unicorn snob. This wine was made from 200 year old vines planted on the top of Mount everest and it is the only known planting of grape x in the world and only 12 bottles exist and the winemaker has never been seen in public…

You have that, too?? Damn, I hope that fellow from Malaysia didn’t sell me a counterfeit. On the plus side, he did give me a great deal on some old DRC.

If you mean Rudy K, he is Indonesian not Malaysian.

[Mike_Schieffer]

Foiled again!!

[Tran_Bronstein]

1. Based on previous experiences, while it’s true that points hunters don’t trust their own palates it doesn’t necessarily mean they are a snob. They just may know nothing about the wine and the points is a valuable guide for them. I have written previously of congratulating a buyer on her excellent choice of a 1983 Warre’s Port for a gift and her response was “Well it’s scored 94 points, it must be good, right?” This made her neither a snob nor a dimwit, she just didn’t know anythign about Port and that was her guide and that was perfectly alright. I should be sl lucky to have someone buy a wine gift like that for me using nothing more than points as a guide.

As for myself, I’m a bit of a points snob in that if I like something and buy it, I will check CellarTracker to see its scores. I am waffling on purchasing something, those scores will definitely influence me.

2. I am an Old World/New World regional snob in that I will only drink wines from recognized Old World and New World regions of quality. France, Italy, Germany and Hungary for Old World wine; California, Ontario, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina for New World. Do not expect to find either ancient Estonian or new Chinese wine in my collection.

3. While I prefer organic and biodynamic wines, not having this certification or the knowledge that the vineyard doesn’t use these types of practices does not stop me from purchasing or imbibing a wine. No snobbery here.

4. I look for value in wine but also recognize that sometimes the higher price is usually indicative of higher quality though not always. Similarly, a low priced wine can be of relatively high quality and thus be a great QPR. No snobbery here.

5. I think this should be renamed into the IPOB-WWF/AFWE snob and since I like both big wines and delicate wines, I can safely say no snobbery here.

6. I am definitely a quality snob. I hate truly sh***y wine. Note that doesn’t equate to cheap wine. As mentioned in 4 above, cheap wine is sometimes very good and expensive wine is often times overrated or even outright bad. Let’s grab a good wine first and then let the price chips fall where they may. I prefer BYOB places but that will not stop me from eating somewhere. If there wine list is good, I will order from it. If it is crap, I will just drink water.

[Ian_Sutton]

@brodie thomson

@Mike Schieffer

You have that, too?? Damn, I hope that fellow from Malaysia didn’t sell me a counterfeit. On the plus side, he did give me a great deal on some old DRC.

If you mean Rudy K, he is Indonesian not Malaysian.

So he even faked his nationality - you were done!