Wine Snob or Wine Geek? Take The Test

[Beau_Carufel]

Mostly the geek but with a bit of snob thrown in I guess. Oh well.

[jhowe]

Based on many dinners with friends drinking great wines. Definitely not snobs and barely geeks. I guess we just like the company and the wines.

[Tom_D]

@Berry Crawford

Here are some genuine questions:

You might be a wine snob if:

• You have ever been annoyed that someone else bought an inexpensive wine to a tasting/dinner.

Guess I’m guilty. Wife and I hosted a “Drink that Wine Night”. Explicitly told people “If you don’t have anything in the cellar that you’re dying to drink, don’t worry about bringing anything - we have plenty to share”. My bother and SIL stopped at Safeway on the way down and picked up a bottle of some random Cali Cab that was on sale. SIL was pissed because we didn’t open it until everyone was loaded.

[Gene_Vance]

@Chris Seiber

You might be a wine snob if:

• You have used the phrases “cough medicine,” “pancake syrup” and “rocket fuel” more than 100 times apiece to describe expensive wine.

• You have hosted a tasting where everyone must bring a RP 100 point bottle.

Interesting juxtaposition of two snob factors.

[Gene_Vance]

@JKim

Based on Crawford and Seiber’s criteria, definitely a geek, partially a snob. This probably applies to my other hobbies/interests such as photography, traveling, consumer electronics.

+1 on wine and +1 on photography

[Mark_Cochard]

You might be a wine geek if all your passwords are names of wine grapes

[T_Schaffler]

@Mark Cochard

You might be a wine geek if all your passwords are names of wine grapes

That’s funny.

C@6ernet
Ch&rd0nn@y

[K_John_Joseph]

@Berry Crawford

Based on both mine and Chris’s list I am a partial wine snob

I’d guess most people on this board hit some of the wine snob points in each of your lists. I certainly do, though being a bit pissed if someone shows up with dog turd at a wine dinner where all attendees were expressly told to bring their best bottle or something of elite quality is pretty reasonable, in my snobby opinion. That’s like wearing a tee shirt to a black tie event. There is a time and place for everything, and one may be guilty of violating social acceptabilities in such a hypothetical.

[DougS]

@Berry Crawford

• You are socially awkward at parties unless the topic is about wine, then you are way charming

I love the one about having a favorite Chenin producer, too.

[Chris_Seiber]

@Gene Vance

@Chris Seiber

You might be a wine snob if:

• You have used the phrases “cough medicine,” “pancake syrup” and “rocket fuel” more than 100 times apiece to describe expensive wine.

• You have hosted a tasting where everyone must bring a RP 100 point bottle.

Interesting juxtaposition of two snob factors.

There can certainly be snobs of the AFWE/Old World stripe and of the Parker/Cult Cab/points obsessed type, don’t you think?

[Gene_Vance]

@Chris Seiber

@Gene Vance

@Chris Seiber

You might be a wine snob if:

• You have used the phrases “cough medicine,” “pancake syrup” and “rocket fuel” more than 100 times apiece to describe expensive wine.

• You have hosted a tasting where everyone must bring a RP 100 point bottle.

Interesting juxtaposition of two snob factors.

There can certainly be snobs of the AFWE/Old World stripe and of the Parker/Cult Cab/points obsessed type, don’t you think?

Absolutely. A true snob would have a 100 point party just to diss the wines.

[Gene_Vance]

@K John Joseph

I certainly do, though being a bit pissed if someone shows up with dog turd at a wine dinner where all attendees were expressly told to bring their best bottle or something of elite quality is pretty reasonable, in my snobby opinion.

Absolutely right, in my equally snobby opinion. I remember being at a friend’s tasting where three people brought the same cheap wine. (OK, a tasting of “high end” Malbec was bound to produce some confusion about where “high end” begins) Still, it’s not really fair to the people who tried harder.

[Katie_Bell]

Berry and Chris—love your lists more than my own—would love to add them to my Forbes story, with your permission of course, and let me know how you’d like your name to appear. Thanks!

[Henry_Kiichli]

@Katie Bell

Berry and Chris—love your lists more than my own—would love to add them to my Forbes story, with your permission of course, and let me know how you’d like your name to appear. Thanks!

…and the circle is complete…

[Richard_Malloy]

@Katie Bell

Berry and Chris—love your lists more than my own—would love to add them to my Forbes story, with your permission of course, and let me know how you’d like your name to appear. Thanks!

Snobs love to see their words reprinted in plutocrat rags; geeks keep their musings on the geeky boards.

[JKim]

@Richard Malloy

@Katie Bell

Berry and Chris—love your lists more than my own—would love to add them to my Forbes story, with your permission of course, and let me know how you’d like your name to appear. Thanks!

Snobs love to see their words reprinted in plutocrat rags; geeks keep their musings on the geeky boards.

LOL!

[Chris_Seiber]

@Katie Bell

Berry and Chris—love your lists more than my own—would love to add them to my Forbes story, with your permission of course, and let me know how you’d like your name to appear. Thanks!

I think Berry’s list would be of much more applicability to your site and outside of this board – mine is at least half needling which is consciously specific to people and threads we’ve had on this board. It’s flattering you’d ask, though. Thanks for keeping wine topics out there in the news.

[Larry_P]

Plus the higher-ups around here might read Forbes and there are several people in the office who wouldn’t want people to start asking questions about all these boxes sitting around.

[e_chin]

@K John Joseph

@Berry Crawford

Based on both mine and Chris’s list I am a partial wine snob

I’d guess most people on this board hit some of the wine snob points in each of your lists. I certainly do, though being a bit pissed if someone shows up with dog turd at a wine dinner where all attendees were expressly told to bring their best bottle or something of elite quality is pretty reasonable, in my snobby opinion. That’s like wearing a tee shirt to a black tie event. There is a time and place for everything, and one may be guilty of violating social acceptabilities in such a hypothetical.

But what if all they have are turds That might be me if you saw my crap

[Tran_Bronstein]

This was an interesting if long quiz when put together. As it turns out… I have tendencies towards both.

•You have no idea what anyone else thinks about the wines at the end of a wine dinner.
I always ask everyone’s opinion.

•You believe using improper glassware to be a criminal offense and would never consider drinking wine from a tumbler.
I have no problems drinking wine out of tumblers but have experienced how proper glasses can make a difference and am now a wine glassware believer.

•You find everyone else’s opinions on wine to be insufferably boring.
Nope. They’re always useful.

•You prefer not to socialize with people who drink beer or other ‘pedestrian’ beverages.
True. It doesn’t come any more pedestrian than beer.

•You never ask questions about the wine, because you know it all anyway.
Nope. I always ask if there’s something I want to know.

•Your spouse disappears when you start talking about wine.
Doesn’t apply, no spouse.

•Your dog disappears when you start taking about wine.
Animals are only good as meals, not pets.

•You have no friends, only wine bottles.
The very definition of an alcoholic. Not me.

• You have brought a wine to a tasting and announced how many points it has as a point of pride.
  Never.

• You considered not bringing a particular wine to a tasting because it didn’t cost enough and you don’t want to be embarrassed.
  True, but only because all the attendees they were Berserkers level aficionados.

• You have ever been annoyed that someone else bought an inexpensive wine to a tasting/dinner.
  Yes. My family’s addiction to Barefoot drives me up the wall and they always bring it to family dinners.

• You rarely drink any wines other than Napa/Bordeaux/Champagne/Burgundy
  I’m even snobbier than that – I don’t drink Burgundy because they don’t make sweet wines!

• You beam with pride when other diners in a restaurant look at the bottle on your table and seem impressed.
  True.

• You are afraid to publically praise a wine that is “low end” or inexpensive
  Nope, it’s just the opposite. I’m afraid to blast them and have the winemaker find out that I blasted them.

• You only buy first growths, grand crus, cults, etc
  True for Alsace. I only buy Grand Cru Alsace wines but am not obsessed with first growths or cults.

• The first thing you read each month in wine spectator is the collector profile.
  Could care less.

• You have used the word “lumber” when referencing wine non-ironically.
  Never.

• You have been to a tasting and ignored someone because they are neither sexy nor an important collector.
  I always ignore people who are not as sexy as I am, regardless of whether it is a wine tasting or not. I have standards I must maintain.

• You only post tasting notes on WB for expensive/rare bottles.
  I don’t post on WB regularly yet.

• You don’t really form your own opinions but just decide to like what is “hot” at the moment or highly rated.
  No, but I often help out random persons I run into at the LCBO who do.

• You proclaim that you’re right because you’ve tried more Burgundy than the rest of the board put together.
  I hate Burgundy. They produce no sweet wines.

• More than 75% of your posts on the board consist of sneering at other people’s tasting notes.
  I don’t sneer at other’s tasting notes. I find them very useful.

• You have used the phrases “cough medicine,” “pancake syrup” and “rocket fuel” more than 100 times apiece to describe expensive wine.
  I have used them before but well under 100 times.

• You have hosted a tasting where everyone must bring a RP 100 point bottle.
  Never. I don’t trust that guy’s tastes or scores.

• You routinely use the phases “en magnum” and “en premieur”
  Never, but I am fluent enough in French to know what they actually mean unlike the majority of wine snobs who use them.

• You have photographed yourself pouring Screaming Eagle down the drain.
  Will you people get over the stereotype that all of us of Asian descent look alike already? That was Charlie Fu. I only pour corked wines down the drain.

• You have scathingly belittled someone for saying they were going to attend the Wine Spectator tasting event.
  I wish I could attend the Wine Spectator tasting event.

• You read every word of that multi-page thread debating whether petite sirah is or is not a Rhone grape.
  Could care less.

• You have passionate feelings about the use of “variety” versus “varietal”.
  I have passionate feelings about the English language being properly used in general.

• You occasionally catch yourself swirling non-wine beverages in your hand.
  Guilty as charged.

• Your office is full of wine shipper boxes because you’re reluctant to bring them home and have your spouse see how much you’ve been buying.
  No spouse to worry about.

• You have pets named after wine terms, like a dog named “Beaune” or a cat named “Lafite.”
  Animals are only good for meals, not as pets.

• You know what SQN, QPR, QC, CnDP, RP, WA, JL, AG, ST, IWC, WS, KB, BoJo, Cru Boo, ABV, LdH, GPL, PC, WB and eBob stand for (I just frightened myself).
  I didn’t until I came on to this board.

• You have ever brought wine to a restaurant in a decanter
  Nope. Only in bottles and had them poured into a decanter there. Why risk it?

• Commercial winemakers make a pilgrimage to tasting dinners at your house.
  One day, Nola and Juan Palomar shall get their Veleta wines into the LCBO and break bread with me and then I will be able to lay claim to this one.

• Snobs love to see their words reprinted in plutocrat rags.
  No, but I love to see them reprinted on wine blogs and wine boards. Print is dead. Get over it.

You Might be a Wine Geek if:

•You select a wine in a restaurant because you’ve never heard of it before.
Only if it’s a sweet wine.

•You know the difference between silt, clay and loam.
Yes I do.

•You read wine blogs (thank you).
News blogs and ones that come up in searches or have been linked to by a WB board post.

•You examine wine closures because they are fascinating.
Yes, but since there are a limited number of types so I’ve gotten over this quickly. Glass vino-loks are still my favorites.

You have more questions at the end of a wine dinner.
Occasionally.

•Your wine retailer is a personal friend.
Do LCBO product consultants count?

•You have friends, lots of ‘em, because you are always opening and sharing unusual new wines.
Guilty as charged.

• You spend more than an hour a day on Wine Berserkers,
  I’m answering these questions, aren’t I?

• You have read more than one wine book in the last 30 days
  Nope. Print is dead. The only wine book I ever read was “Yquem” and that was because it wasn’t online.

• A wine has made you emotional.
  Never.

• You have ever given more than a moments thought to pruning systems, vine spacing, maceration times, oak stave aging or refrigerated shipping.
  Nope.

• You love learning minutia about a wine region.
  Occasionally.

• You are socially awkward at parties unless the topic is about wine, then you are way charming.
  I am always charming at parties no matter the topic.

• You have tasted more than one wine from the Santa Cruz mountains or Jura.
  Shockingly… no!

• You have a favorite Chenin Blanc producer
  Not attached to any one particular producer. I just like good sweet Chenin Blanc.

• You have wondered what wine aged in an amphora tastes like.
  Who hasn’t?

• You know what a “grower champagne” is.
  Yes, though I’m not big on champagne.

• You know what “premox” means.
  Learned it at thte Al Stewart offline in TO last year

• Geeks keep their musings on the geeky boards.
  I have written for the iYellow Wine Club blog frequently