The Desert Wine Guy - Wine Reviewers Fact Or Just Opinion

   Today I am going to discuss something that effects us all and hits close to home. Today's article is on the wine critic/reviewer. What makes him or her so special or right about the wines they like or dislike? What makes them a pro or someone we should listen to? Why is the wine reviewer more qualified then I am to determine what is a good wine and what is a bad wine? Let's be honest here....the answer is probably not really much. There are some things that might set the wine reviewer apart from the average
  I think we have all had a wine that we loved and either heard from a friend or read on a blog that that particular wine is not rated good. I know that I have said out loud "WHAT who is this guy reviewing the wine, is he crazy? What gives him the right to review wine anyway?" Writing a wine blog I have come across wines that I have been asked to review and gladly did so but the person asking me to review the wine was not happy with the review I did. Take for instance the Castello del Poggio, Moscatto. I had a women ask me to review the wine on my wine Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy and I thought the wine was terrible. I never heard from that woman again. I have also had the opposite happen. I have a very dedicated fan to my Facebook  who agreed with one of my latest reviews. She also loved a particular wine. For me to determine what you will like or dislike is kind of hit or miss unless I know your particular likes and dislikes. Do you think you should like a wine simply because other people do? What then is the best reaction to a wine critic bombing the wine we have already tasted and love? The simple answer is we continue to love the wine we love. If you are one of those people who are swayed into not liking something you know you already like then I don't know what to say to you, that is your choice. I know that for me I know what I like and what I don't like and no matter who likes it I will continue to like or not like that product.
person but then again there doesn't have to be. I have been reviewing wine for around 2 years and everything I have learned is from research and experience on the topic of wine. That means reading, watching educational videos, interviewing people and experiencing different aspects of the wine industry first hand. I have taken trips and talked to wine makers and Vineyard growers concerning the whole process from planting to picking to aging. I also actually grow the Grapevines. In the scheme of the things I really don't know much considering there are people who have been doing this their whole lives. I know however what I like in a wine?  Can I tell you what you like? no, no one can do that. I cannot and neither can anyone else no matter what they say. I can describe certain features in a wine and you can hopefully be able to determine from that description whether you want to venture out and get a bottle or not. I can tell you that I have read many reviews and purchased a wine to review based on nothing other than talking to a workers at a store or Vineyard. It works like this. I describe to the worker what I like in a red or white wine and the employee or Winery rep usually takes it from there. I also engage the person doing the recommendation in conversation. This way I know what knowledge level of employee I am dealing with. If I am confident in the persons knowledge then I will probably give the wine a shot. Yes, it is that simple. There have been many times that I described a wine to someone representing a Winery and they have recommended a wine they had on display and when I have done a tasting I have been disappointed. That is O.k however because it is part of the whole wine experience. I will learn that next time that person cannot be trusted to suggest a wine to me. That person either lied or that persons opinion is different from mine on what enough Tannins would be or what the limit of sweetness in a wine should be. That is actually what I am going to fill you in on in this article. Wine is subjective.

Wine you see is  like a lot of other items and that is subjective. Do you like a sweet Riesling or a dry one? Do you like a red with some Tannins or without? Do you mind a non filtered wine? These are just a few things that might make a difference in a wine review.  A well known wine reviewer can do a review on a wine and rave about it and when you drink that wine you might truly like it ....but then again you might hate it also. I believe this is more common than we think. As I have said in a previous article what I think us wine overs should do is find a wine reviewer that happens to like a wine that you do and try to follow him. Let me give you an example. I reviewed the 2011 Peju Cabernet Sauvignon http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2014/05/2011-peju-cabernet-sauvignon.html and loved it to death. If you have tried that Cabernet Sauvignon and agreed with my review then you might want to follow me, at least on Cabernet Sauvignon. You might even want to e-mail me and ask me to try a certain Cabernet that you have been thinking about drinking but haven't as of yet. On the other hand I could be way off from what you want in a white wine though and you might think twice about my reviews on white wines. That doesn't mean that my or any other reviewers wine review is not interesting, it is a great way to learn about wine HOWEVER the purchasing of that white wine might mean you going out on a limb. One more example is Dom Perignon. We have all heard of the Champagne and if presented a bottle of it we would all fall on the ground worshiping the person who gave it to us however......when was the last time a bottle of Dom Perignon won any awards or lived up to what the media has hyped up the name to be? When I see Champagne reviews in Wine Spectator Magazine or other well known wine magazines I never see the name Dom Perignon, why is this? There might have been a time when Dom Perignon had a great year or even a great couple of years but for whatever reason that time has long since come and gone. A rating for the 1992 Dom Perignon from Wine Spectator Magazine rated it on a 90 points. On the other hand Wine Advocate gave it 96 points. The price on the Champagne when it was widely available was $169.00, want to take a chance on it?
   Lets wrap this up now with one last topic concerning the wine reviewer. Do some wine reviewers get paid or compensated for their reviews. What I mean is do they get regular bottles in the mail from certain wineries that they have given a positive review to? I don't know for a fact but I would think the answer is yes. Does this mean that their reviews are suspect? That I can't answer. What about reviewers that work for a wine magazine or a winery? Let me answer that by asking a question. If you went to a winery and the person doing the tasting told you that the aging of the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was flawed, would you buy a bottle? If the wine critic who wrote for a magazine bombed a wine from a winery who advertises a lot in their publication is there a chance that the review might not be included in the next issue of that magazine or that the Winery would stop advertising with that magazine?  I am NOT in any way shape or form saying that this does happen I am simply presenting something for you to think about. Here is one more example for you. My wife and I once had dinner with a very big wine maker and after a couple of bottles the girls (one being my wife the other his "handler") went to the restroom and he and I finally had a chance to really talk. I asked him about the honesty of a certain big wine magazine and whether the reviews were really honest.....he gave me a look as if to say yes and no. I thought that was an eye opener and I appreciated his honesty and told him so.
   One last thing I would like you to take note of is this. I do NOT get paid to review a wine. The wines I taste are wines I buy myself, at a store for myself. I do not except any kind of gift or "goodies" from a winery or store. I guess what I am saying is you might want to know who you are trusting for your wine reviews. If there is a review for Robert Mondavi Winery does the person doing the review work for Robert Mondavi Vineyards? I myself have a regular job during the week. That is where I make my money. I do this wine review and blog because I enjoy it. That does not mean that in the future I will not receive a bottle in the mail from a Winery or establishment but when I do I will lead off my article with that information. There is a bill http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-lobby-targets-big-county-wine-ban coming in the next legislature here in Nevada to allow winery's and Vineyards in Las Vegas and I have e-mailed the person spearheading the effort and notified her that I want to be in on the "ground floor" of the movement. If I should become involved with one or more Vineyards or wineries or advertising concerns for a Vineyard or winery I will be the first to disclose this. I hope I have shed some light on the subject of wine reviewers or any product reviewer for that matter. I believe I might have opened some eyes and made people think about what they read and who they read it from. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at desertwineguy@gmail.com. if I can be of any help to you.

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                                                                                                                    The Desert Wine Guy