Wall Street Wine Culture

WINE TALK
1

Interesting article tracing the evolution of what the Masters of the Universe drink and collect (featuring our own Robert Dentice):

2

Interesting article. This quote stood out:

"Now it’s more about showing you’re hip,” says John. “That means you can put something on the table that isn’t difficult to acquire simply because of price. If you can introduce someone to a wine and they really like it and then they go and try to find it and can’t, you feel cool about it.”

I would argue that this drives a lot of the interest in wines. People who can’t afford (or choose not to afford) the high-priced wines still want to feel like insiders and want to be part of the “cool” clique. With so many producers out there, and the internet as an enabling technology for finding them or building relationships that help one find them, it is easier to find obscure wines and tout them as great. They might be, but obscurity doesn’t inherently mean excellent. Reminds of music when I as a teenager. We used to find obscure bands and talk about how great they were and turn up our noses at the more popular music options. In some cases the obscure bands were better, but in same cases they were simply more obscure yet we believed that by liking them that we were somehow insiders.

3

Well said. [thumbs-up.gif]

4

I think it’s a good thing if there’s a move away from strictly price to quality and uniqueness in wine. Interesting article-thanks.

5

+1

I prefer people who show off their taste and erudition to those who simply flaunt their money.

6

Can’t believe Robert didn’t say ‘go to Wine Berserkers!’

[smileyvault-ban.gif]

7

It is much to your credit you can acknowledge those things about yourself. Often, the “avant garde” or “alternative” are excessively defined by the mainstream.

But I agree that it’s fun to delight yourself and others with something new to them. New grape, new region, new producer. The unlimited diversity and ability to explore are what keeps it from ever getting boring.

8

Todd, he also didn’t say “When I’m in LA I load up on crazy esoteric shit at WINE EXPO…”

Yes, ban! [cry.gif]

9

“High-end wine really had a cache at the time, in a way that beer and cocktails didn’t,” says Zacharia.

I guess they can’t afford top-notch copy editors at punchdrink.com…

Bruce

10

Come on, Bruce–this is an enlightened age. Making sure that correct words are used is so old-fashioned. After all, it was close and I’m sure you knew what they meant. The responsibility today is on the reader to understand a writer’s intent, not the other way around. (Tongue planted firmly in cheek.)

Or perhaps they actually meant that “High-end wine really had a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place at the time, in a way that beer and cocktails didn’t.”

[scratch.gif]

11

With my pallet, I cant appreciate wine’s with alot of cache anyways.

12

I can’t reveal my sources for wine discoveries!

13

Your very insiteful.

14

I liked the quote as well and I think it fit with what I said.

15

Glad to see your name in that article, I knew you were gonna work Orange Wine in there somehow!

Cheers, Roberto

16

That brutal 90 hour work week, how do they do that and then get priced out of wine.

Hard to relate.

17

LOL

Would have been even better as ‘your vary insiteful’

18

Yes, yes, yes!

19

Shouldn’t that “can’t” be “can”?

20

I think he meant “cash.”