How Many Words Is Too Many In A Tasting Note?

How many words is too many in a tasting note?

Just had a 546 word tasting note in my CT feed. Before reading it, I couldn’t imagine how such a note could be necessary. After reading it, I wanted to comment to the user to get an editor. Given that there was a lot of conversational banter that the user’s friends would get, I suppose it serves a purpose in a smaller community. The bits weren’t very expensive and I can simply skip reading it. Where do you tilt?

Cheers,
fred

Totally lame poll, Fred.
Where are the options:
Must be (long/boring)…and
Must have a Bloody Pulpit.
Tom

If you want to write a story, start a blog. Tasting notes inherently should be short notes. I voted 25, but i can see 42-50 or so as useful sometimes. My $0.02

Depends on the words. Not all words are equal (see critic bongo thread). And very much depends on the wine.
Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado (to pick a wine at random haha) I could relish a thoughtful and thorough rhapsody. It should of course start with a pithy couple of sentences to summarise, for those lacking the time to read further.
Lesser wines shorter is probably better.
Poll is missing “it depends”.

I voted 100, but really depends who is writing the note and what they are saying. If an experienced taster writes 500 words about how a particular wine I’m interested in held up against others at an event, I’m all in on reading that. But I’m not interested in filler.

I use a standard format that tends to come in closer to 25 words than 42 words so that was my choice.

Depends.

Hell, on some wines you’re a third of the way to 25 just giving the name of the wine.

Those wishing to tender their disgust for a lack of “it depends” may vote Flawed Poll.

I had to go look through a few of my own tasting notes to figure out what I actually think is right.

TomHill You may have found the cheat on word counting with your run-on slash festivals.

Cheers,
fred

Short and to the point. I want an idea of how the wine is tasting not someone’s writing skills or imagination of what color rose petals they are getting

I would vote for “flawed poll” but I just can’t bring myself to vote for Brett Favre.

I don’t focus on word length, but rather on whether the tasting note conveyed something useful to me on a wine I’m interested in. Though personally, I tend to find longer notes with information like winemaking choices, blend, ABV, how the wine was handled, how it showed over time, etc much more useful than a short note with more generic descriptors of the type of wine in question.

Oh, there’s citrus and high acid on a riesling? Pyrazines in a Sauv Blanc? You don’t say…

I’ve read plenty of incredibly useful long tasting notes (e.g. many of Otto’s notes), some pretty useless short tasting notes and everything in between. Whether a note is useful or not isn’t really contingent on length to me.

I voted for 100. I took a look at my notes, and it looks like I average between 50-100 words most of the time. IMO, it’s nice to get a little extra writing built into a note (how much life is left, decanting time, etc.).

So many short notes just sound like someone writing copy for retailers or bottle labels. But it all depends on a lot of things. Sometimes one word says it all. Sometimes what’s going on in the wine can elicit many thoughts, ideas and comparisons. Details about how the wine was made can be useful.

Focusing on word count and short notes without explanation is likely to constrict how much information you are getting about the wine you are interested in.

Most of the time, the shorter the better. See: Jancis Robinson. Not saying a long note can’t be good, but they usually aren’t.

A good book is never long enough.
A bad book is never short enough.
Same with tasting notes.

To each their own! Most tasting notes on CT are not written by professionals. If someone would like to write a long note, more power to them…I say “thank you” for making a contribution! Does length make it good, it depends. But in reality maybe the answer (my answer) is “thanks for taking the time”.

I’ve had enough of people dictating to others, let folks make their own decisions about what’s best for their own notes.

Well, Fred… I vote for zero, as in 0, words.
All you put up is the Parker score and that tells us all we really need to know!!
So 2-3 digits says it all.

Tom

Truth!

I think many folks here don’t realize how quickly one can get to 100 words. Most of my TNs fall in the 75 - 115 range, it would appear, and I don’t think my notes are particularly long at all.


For example, this note is 114 words:

• decanted 75 min. before initial taste –
  – tasted non-blind over approx. 3 hrs. –

NOSE: tight and a bit alc. noticeable; light to moderate wet stones mineral note emerged at approx. the 100 min mark.

BODY: dark garnet-violet color of great depth, with slight bricking throughout; medium-full bodied.

TASTE: soft, with good acidity; dark red/purple fruit mix; seems a bit non-descript – almost like it’s stripped a bit, although it did perk-up somewhat when paired with steak; smooth; high acidity; not really tertiary, but I’m worried it will fall apart before getting there; perhaps in the front end of its prime drinking window? Will likely check-in again in a year or two.

this note is 69 words:

– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hours –

NOSE: bright, rich, lemony Chard.; perhaps a light pineapple note; pretty expressive.

BODY: vibrant, pale yellow color; medium to medium-full bodied.

TASTE: moderately rich; little bit of oak; medium+ to high acidity; 12.6% alc. not noticeable; medium-light mineral note on the finish; drinking very nicely now, and one of the best Bearwallow Chards I’ve had.

\

this note is 47 words:

– popped and poured –
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over 2 to 3 hours –

NOSE: warm red fruits.

BODY: medium-light bodied.

TASTE: red-fruited; high acidity; not funky, no tannins. Drinking well now, and may still have room for further improvement. No tertiary elements yet.