Should wine writers be certified?

Should wine writers obtain some sort of wine certification?

The latest post on Enobytes has created a bit discussion in the blogosphere. The basic premise is that wine writers should obtain wine certification (e.g. CSS, CSW, WSET, MS or MW) and “get some industry experience.” Thoughts?

No. Ridiculous thought that has come up again and again.

It would be great if every writer (blogs, paper, rags, and forums) had a clue of what they were talking about, but certification doesn’t = “smarts”. Some of the brightest people I know have zero certs.

The linked post is such a joke I don’t even know where to begin. So we should court-martial all the uncertified ignoramuses like Kermit Lynch (because of his obviously baseless, uninformed dislike of mechanical harvesting – clearly visiting hundreds of cellars year after year is no substitute for passing a written exam) and instead follow certified experts like Andrea Immer? As it happens, I don’t read a single one of the writers on his list of “certified” people “we are lucky to have.”

Stupidest idea ever. I would only favor Enobytes writers having to read the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.

No.

I know lots of people without a wine Cert that know FAR more about Port than those who have lots of Wine Cert’s. So just because you can pass some generic test doesn’t mean you’re more able to be a wine writer than someone who hasn’t taken a test.

I seriously think this is just today’s society that has made this huge push to imply that if you don’t have a piece of paper on the wall you’re not worth anything. Drive’s me nuts…

Yes, as long as I get to design the exam.

what an idiotic idea.

I’d like to explain why I am in the “helps, but not necessary” camp. I agree with what several people have said about some very informed people not having these certifications. I see no reason why such people would need such certifications. Heck, I have a couple of these things myself and I know of a lot of wine writers and others who know more than I do despite not having such credentials. On the other hand, I do think it would help some wine writers (bloggers, specifically) to be more informed about their topic. I think pursuing and earning certain (not any) of these credentials would help them to become a lot more informed. I also think there are those out there who would then trust those people more, even if they had been really knowledgeable before getting certified. Of course, that last point is unfortunate and hopefully the highly educated, uncertified writers out there will change the opinions of those people. Still, there is something to be said for understanding, at least on some level, the many facets of the wine industry before unleashing opinions on the world that could, hypothetically, affect people’s views on certain topics and thus affect the market. I probably should also mention that I am aware that some certifications mean much more than others, and that information studied for an exam can easily be forgotten. And there are so many certifications that it’s confusing, with vastly varying degrees of how much one needs to know to pass. So, I guess a more accurate response from me would be “it CAN help, but is far from necessary”. I hope I’ve been clear. I’m sure some will still disagree, and I welcome seeing their reasoning.

edit: and yes, the article made such a weak argument that my initial reaction was to disagree entirely, which I almost do

I just looked at the post again and it has 80-something comments. It’s depressing to think of all the wine blogs I read by far more compelling (and uncertified!) authors who never get anywhere near that much traffic. I guess the lesson is that if you want attention you just have to say something so stupid that it’s guaranteed to piss off a huge number of people. Maybe when they come up with the certification exam for wine writers they can filter out the people who go by that philosophy.

No, but people who post on wine boards should be.

Wine is to be experienced. You can’t certify experiences. Some of those certificates can help people gain a base of knowledge but the important thing is to get out there and taste a lot if you want to share opinions.

Wine criticism is a matter of opinion, plain and simple. Opinions are like a**holes, everyone’s got one.

Can’t call it a dumb poll, but certainly not a well thought through poll. (and yes I know you were just curious about the thoughts and opinions here based on what you read elsewhere, so in no way attacking you, but do appreciate you inciting riot on a Friday )

I don’t know but in the world today anyone with a computer and access to the internet can become a “wine writer”. If I read wine blogs I might give more credence to some sort of certification. If someone is actually getting paid to write then I would say no certification needed. In the end, I really don’t care, either way.

JD

Disclaimer - I write about wine (and get paid for it).

I don’t think a writer needs to be certified. A lot of the certifications have a lot more to do with knowing about wine rather than actually drinking it. I know some of the certified writers in the list. Nice people who love wine, but there is a lot more knowledge on this BB and certainly a lot more consumed.

I want uniformity in my wine writers. Everyone must write the same notes about the same wines. I’m an average Joe. I want to know what the average Joe thinks almost more than the professional. Certification for an opinion? GTFOH.

That’s almost as fun as not having anything in forums that may be considered improper for sanitary work spaces.

This is a formula proven to work across any number of fields. Any Nikon shooters in the group already have a really solid data point on this principle.

Well, if you count the members here as wine writers too…then yes, there are many that are certifiable.

OK, curious about the Nikon thing… explain?

They should be certified in sane!

…Low pay rates.

…Having to wade through an enormous amount of vin ordinaire in any given year.

….Copping abuse from armchair critics on wine boards.

….rarely experiencing the real personality of the vigneron as they’re tend to be guarded or a bit ‘Terry try hard’ around critics.

Your name would be great for a porn star.