How Many Words Is Too Many In A Tasting Note?

[Scott_Brunson]

Sometimes three is too many, on a wine scored 100 points.
Drank with Janet.
(Or whomever)

[ToddFrench]

I changed the title from ‘TN’ to ‘Tasting Note’, mostly for the newbies/visitors to the site, and so we don’t have yet another acronym to define

When I first started writing tasting notes, I used as many adjectives and flavor descriptives as possible, taking ‘hints’ from the many other tasting notes - amateur and professional - that were out there. I’ve since gotten old and lazy, and now my TNs are a bit more minimalist, and don’t address as many individual flavor/scent comparisons but rather more about the experience, the mouthfeel, the energy, acid, things like that, as the individual components don’t interest me as much, reading or writing them.

[Chris_Seiber]

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”.

Totally agree. There are shorter notes that go on too long, and then I’ll read a long form note from Otto or Frank and I’m glad they didn’t prune a single word from it.

[T_Williams]

I believe one should use the least number of words possible to convey the message they are trying to communicate. Not just in tasting notes, but in general.

I grabbed my towel and chose 42.

[alan_weinberg]

read Jeremy Holmes’ notes: they are pithy and say it all

[Joseph_Grassa]

I put infinity. I think it depends on the styling of the note. When I write longer notes (never near 500 tbh) I break it down into sections so you can find the information that you want more easily. There is a ton that could be said in a note, from specific sensory details, thoughts on aging and/ or aeration, pairings, history of the wine/ producer and how that relates to the specific bottle, terroir/ climate specifics/ challenges the wine faced biologically… I would easily read 1000 words from a thoughtful and knowledgeable critic on a wine I would like to learn more about.

[IlkkaL]

read Jeremy Holmes’ notes: they are pithy and say it all

I am not always sure whether he liked the wine or not. I’m sure it’s somewhere there between the lines but English not being my first language I do feel clueless every now and then. Having said that I am definitely not asking anyone to dumb down their notes for me nor am I asking to give a rating.

[Shan_A]

I voted what I thought my ideal would be, not “how many is too many” (in which case everyone who voted ‘keep it tight’ hate any TN that isn’t haiku).

I would be interested to see if Eric LeVine had data here to show that TN of a certain length were more likely to be voted as helpful or unhelpful. Or whether tasting notes with favorable reviews were more likely to be viewed as helpful than a tasting note with a negative review.

[Tom_Reddick]

I changed the title from ‘TN’ to ‘Tasting Note’, mostly for the newbies/visitors to the site, and so we don’t have yet another acronym to define

When I first started writing tasting notes, I used as many adjectives and flavor descriptives as possible, taking ‘hints’ from the many other tasting notes - amateur and professional - that were out there. I’ve since gotten old and lazy, and now my TNs are a bit more minimalist, and don’t address as many individual flavor/scent comparisons but rather more about the experience, the mouthfeel, the energy, acid, things like that, as the individual components don’t interest me as much, reading or writing them.

That’s not old and lazy IMHO- that is taking the next step towards true connoisseurship.

At the end of the day, I think your TNs should be for your own benefit- and once you get to know and understand a number of wines- and especially a number of vintages of a specific wine- you don’t need the laundry list of descriptors anymore and can instead focus on describing the elements that are particularly dominant, or lacking, plus describe the wine in a more personal way that really paints a picture.

For my part, TNs vary depending on the wine and setting. If I am at a trade tasting going through 40 wines under $20, I will rarely have more than a sentence or two to offer. I like to think the info is sufficiently pithy to convey what is important- which in this case is usually looking for a nice and approachable wine to drink in a more casual setting.

If I open a bottle of Romanee-Conti or Roumier, it is going to be a pretty long TN- and since I paid for the bottle, I can make it as long as I like I do hope my CT notes are of some use to others considering opening or buying a given wine- just as I find the notes of many others useful- but your notes need to suit your own needs in the end.

[Otto_Forsberg]

I am not always sure whether he liked the wine or not. I’m sure it’s somewhere there between the lines but English not being my first language I do feel clueless every now and then. Having said that I am definitely not asking anyone to dumb down their notes for me nor am I asking to give a rating.

I’m with you here. I personally don’t often get that good picture of a wine from Jeremy’s notes, nor how it compares to other wines of similar style, how the structure is or even if it actually is a good wine or not. I just see that there are one or two fruit flavors, silky mid-palate and a nice finish.

But then again, I prefer a more verbose approach to TNs (as if that comes as a surprise to anyone here!)

And TBH, I think your TNs are easily among the best here. Not only do you manage to deftly describe how the wine was, but you also often include interesting things like how the wine made you feel or how the wine compares to its peers or other vintages. That’s the kind of stuff I’d love to see more here (and/or in CT)!

[Otto_Forsberg]

Dupe.

[TomHill]

I put infinity. I think it depends on the styling of the note. When I write longer notes (never near 500 tbh) I break it down into sections so you can find the information that you want more easily. There is a ton that could be said in a note, from specific sensory details, thoughts on aging and/ or aeration, pairings, history of the wine/ producer and how that relates to the specific bottle, terroir/ climate specifics/ challenges the wine faced biologically… I would easily read 1000 words from a thoughtful and knowledgeable critic on a wine I would like to learn more about.

NoNoNo, Joseph… you just use a ton of /////'s and a lot of RunOnWords. That cuts the word count waaaay down & vastly improves the readability.
You can even use smaller size to increase readibility. It’s so much easier than when I had to take my TN’s on Cuneiform Tablets.

Tom

[Paul_abbott]

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 like the sound of Critic Bongo, wine appreciation to a fast driving rhythm.

[C_Martinelli]

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”.

Totally agree. There are shorter notes that go on too long, and then I’ll read a long form note from Otto or Frank and I’m glad they didn’t prune a single word from it.

Yes and I’d add Blake to that shortlist.

It’s worth keeping in mind that there are folks who are actively working on their tasting notes as a practice, whether it’s on CT, here or both. I know that’s what I’m doing and I suspect I’m not the only one. So everyone gets to witness me work out what’s in my glass, when I don’t describe it well, when I’m repetitive, when I’m at a loss for words, when I nail it, etc. In that respect, word count is not top of mind.

Oh, and William Kelley can use however many words he damned well pleases.

[loren.grossman]

You know, my friend Jim and I do a “100 wines of” by season - so currently doing 100 wines of summer. We do it on Instagram. And limit ourselves to a minute long tasting note, inclusive of introducing the wine. I’ve never needed to go over that I recall. Very brief intro, color, nose, palate, closing thoughts. Done.

[Jim_Anderson]

Had an Economics prof at the UO that had word limits on each question on every test. Even in Ec101. Pretty tough limits too. You really had to pick your words carefully and bullshitting was right out. I took every class he taught the year I was there.

[Ian_Sutton]

It very much depends on the author and if they have something useful / interesting to say.

A prime example for me is Otto Forsberg, whose notes are never short, but that I find amongst the most interesting / readable.

[Russell_Faulkner]

Mine are always very short now - but they are only intended for me, and I only post them to CT generally.

I’ve done all sorts in the past.

[Mikko_Tuomi]

Only 5 words required.
Good sh*t with pixelated tannins.

[David_K_o_l_i_n]

73 or 78. I can’t remember