Q.O.T.D- The more I learn about and taste wine, I would say it is imperative for winemakers to stay true to the typicity of the grape varietal or consequently run the risk of producing mass market cookie cutter wines that portray a lack of terrior.

QOTD:
“Guarding the tradition” would be my choice, but I think there is a very important distinction and an analogly we would need to make here:

WINE is like LANGUAGE.

Although you would want to preserve it in its highest form, with all its ties to locale and people, you have to remember that it’s a LIVING THING. It evolves whether you like it or not. Just as a glass of Chinon morphs into different phases of taste in a matter of minutes, winemaking in general is also bound to shift shape as time goes on. Tradition is what we perceive the culmination of a pattern in a given moment, and not an absolute. Robert mentioned the Burgundian winemaking in the 70’s and how different it used to be. That was the tradition back then. It shifted, although slowly, and became what it is today.

What Gary ‘finds’ a term like “Sniffy Sniff”, when he keeps ‘crushing it,’ or Robert means to ‘kill it’ with the ’80 Dujac, it lets them change language, even if by a little nudge. Wine(making) operates the same way, it always evolves and it always will, with every little change, every effort to do something different. That does not automatically equate to the total destruction of tradition, but just a fleeting moment in the EVOLUTION of wine.

QOTD: I want to see wines to remain true to their regions. I like the variety. Furthermore, with wine being an agricultural product, as with all agriculture, it is becoming extremely apparent that sustainable farming practices are the way of the future, which points directly to the cultivation of grapes best suited for their local climate and also the preservation of biodiversity, which in the case of wine, means not losing all those obscure varietals that exist around the world.

Thank you both for an amazing show. I hope to one day know as much as the both of you.

QOTD: Why can’t you have both? A winemaker is an artist, and by saying “stick to tradition” it’s like saying “only paint with two colors”. Yes, I see tradition’s place in the wine world, and I’m not saying to totally divert from it, but why not allow winemakers to create some side projects and express thier talents. You only spin around on this big blue marble for so long.

I have been into wine for only 4 months now(and I’m 37). What facinates and intriges me most are unique flavors from each region of the world. I have watched every episode of WLTV in those 4 months as well as doing steady research on the web on anything that pertains to the VINO. I like knowing, in general, what to expect from each region due to it’s traditional characteristics when I try a “new to me” varietal. I also like, however, when I try a wine for the first time from a particular region, and it is completely different from it’s expected result(but still good). This, to me, is where I get great excitement in the world of wine. This can only happen if the regions stay true to form. Keep up the great work Gary. Your passion for wine is infectious. Go Browns!!!!!!Woof Woof Woof.

Tea Library
Oh man TEA I don’t know what I like more Tea or Wine, I mean I drink more tea, White Tea in the morning, black tea when I first show up to work and after dinner if i’m at home, Heck I would rather drink Tea for Dessert then dessert wine really. When I’m Stressed I go to Tea its so comforting maybe its my family roots, grandma/grandpa mom/dad etc etc.

Gary if you come to Vancouver I’ll take you to meet Olivia she owns a tea store here and imports a lot of Chinese Teas. I was there and tried a 190$ Tie Guan Yin[AKA Iron Buddha]. (I get my black tea from a British style tea show where they get their Ceylon / Darjeeling / Assams)

QOTD: Yes, I want wine to be terroir / traditional base. I mean if that means drinking a Spanish wine that is traditionally aged in oak for 4 years then so be it. I want my Argentina Malbec to taste like Argentina malbec not French Malbec or Okanagan Malbec.

Great pair of episodes. I can only dream right now of being able to experience wines the way you guys did on this episode. Hopefully I will be able to post college when I get a “real” job.
QOTD: I may be partial because I’m such a huge fan of all flavors. I love tea and coffee for thier complexity and astringency, and I love whiskey for its marraige of sweetness to bitterness. The reason I love wine right now is because it seems to bring the best things of all culinary worlds together. Bright, beautiful acidity akin to fresh fruit juices balanced with so many other complex and wonderful flavors makes for an experience that is so far above just the refreshment that the beverage brings. It’s not just about sitting down for a sweet, cool, refreshing drink (that’s what cocktails and soda were ivented for)! Wine is about the experience, about me being able to expand myself and a human being. I don’t think wine is the only area where we can have a near transendental experience, but it seems far stretched to find another product so deeply engrained with history and so magnificantly crafted that it can lead to a truly different understanding of life.

CRUs list is obscene. As a person who studies wine, I refer to their list as “wine label porn”. You may have heard of food porn, a vice which has foodies staring precisely fabricated dishes for cheap thrills in so called cook books. Well for a wine geek like myself, browsing the list of CRU sparks the encyclopedia brain cells which memorize the premier crus of Burgundy and communes of Barolo. I have the utmost respect for anyone who has the guts to stand in front of such a list and call themselves the curator.

QOTD: Only a wine which tells the story of place can spark a true intellectual experience in wine. Personally, thats what Im looking for.

Incredible show. Definately makes me wish I get back to NYC from Dubai more than once or twice a year.

QOTD: It depends. For wines that have a strong brand, established by years of history and delivering unique experiences, it is certainly important to maintain “what got them there.” However, brands must continue to evolve and stay relevant, so it is important to always keep one foot in tradition, while being open to new opportunities/advances. Wine should still reflect a place of origin and stay true to its basic DNA, but it doesn’t mean that other styles, etc should not stay or go. Ultimately, its the balance of old and new that keeps places exciting while still providing a benchmark back to the identify of the region, producer etc.

Incredible show. Definately makes me wish I get back to NYC from Dubai more than once or twice a year.

QOTD: It depends. For wines that have a strong brand, established by years of history and delivering unique experiences, it is certainly important to maintain “what got them there.” However, brands must continue to evolve and stay relevant, so it is important to always keep one foot in tradition, while being open to new opportunities/advances. Wine should still reflect a place of origin and stay true to its basic DNA, but it doesn’t mean that other styles, etc should not stay or go. Ultimately, its the balance of old and new that keeps places exciting while still providing a benchmark back to the identify of the region, producer etc.

QOTD: I don’t really know what I’m asking for, but let regions and styles stay traditional until I get a chance to figure things out.

Regional differences keep people exploring. If there is nothing more to find then the adventure is over, easy wines will always sell and be in demand, but peculiarities will always drive the passion.

QOTD: Wine in its self is a tradition. To change flavors or how its produced in order to appeal to the masses defeats what the experience of what wine is.
BTW: WTF is Wrong with Ralf Wilson why on god?s green earth would he pick up TO for one year TO is going to eat Edwards alive and make Juron the waste that is he look even worse

I think if you start to tinker with a specific region’s traditional flavor profiles, you start to get a wine without soul or personality, or charisma. Its like in high school when you wanna hang out with the cool kids and wear their clothes you wanna fit in, or a fraternity, but along the way you lose your own inherent traits that you were born with and thats when you get ugly on the inside. Wines can get that way also, making wines for the masses and making them so that they have a universal appeal, be it buttery chardonnays (rombauer) or oak-monster california reds (silver joke), those wines have no soul or personality. The people who pay the money for those wines are suckers!!! tools!!! and i guess you have to look a the bright side, at least they’re not drinking the good stuff. Wines should be indicative of their terroir, thats it. GO CHARGERS!! LOVE THE SHOW G!!!

I think if you start to tinker with a specific region’s traditional flavor profiles, you start to get a wine without soul or personality, or charisma. Its like in high school when you wanna hang out with the cool kids and wear their clothes you wanna fit in, or a fraternity, but along the way you lose your own inherent traits that you were born with and thats when you get ugly on the inside. Wines can get that way also, making wines for the masses and making them so that they have a universal appeal, be it buttery chardonnays (rombauer) or oak-monster california reds (silver joke), those wines have no soul or personality. The people who pay the money for those wines are suckers!!! tools!!! and i guess you have to look a the bright side, at least they’re not drinking the good stuff. Wines should be indicative of their terroir, thats it. GO CHARGERS!! LOVE THE SHOW G!!!

A thought-provoking show, as evidenced by all the interesting comments. Liked it, as usual. (But I have no big, immediate plans to put 22 USD down for a glass of “boring” — Gary’s word — 2006 Rosso di Montalcino at CRU or elsewhere!)

QOTD: I think I want it all. Guard the tradition: I want the old world DOC(G)/AC wines as they are and at their best. Then two extremes: (1) “thought provoking” non-DOC(G)/AC single vineyard, single varietal, hand crafted wines from the old and new worlds AND (2) “let’s have some fun” multi varietal cult wines. Finally, to at least maintain some way of keeping the less adventurous connected to wine (hoping that they may come around and truly indulge one day!), we need to keep the very easy drinking reds and whites around.

Kasha = buckwheat. Gary has mentioned this a couple of times recently. Kasha varnishkas (or “-es”) is great stuff and we make it a couple times a year. I look forward to seeing how to pair it with wine. Other buckwheat-containing dishes are of course blinis and pizzoccheri. I want to try kasha with walnuts as mentioned by Gary recently. I can experiment and search Google for recipes, but Gary why not share your grandmother’s recipe?

QOTD : tradition, terroir, tipicity the 3 T those words belong to people who have to describe and talk about wine to guide the normal consumer the sommelier needs marks ! but wine is made by men or women with their discipline and sensibility and like human beings they change and evolve and wine has to change and as far as i’m concerned i do like wines that amaze me ! and the story of each “appellation” (a word that i hate)fortunately will keep on changing…
from south of France

I personally think wine makers should stay true to their region. Being fairly new to wine tasting part of the fun is finding a region you like and then exploring it.

Authentic. Whether delicious or not. Whether traditional or not. I want a bottle that is authentic to itself. The purpose of a wine is to be drunk.

QOTD – I would guess it is becoming about chasing the $$$$ and that will in the long term dictate where today’s winery’s are heading….

Enjoyed seeing the passion and love for wine your guest so obviously has – nice to be paid for doing what you love….

This guest has blown me away with his breadth of knowledge all the while maintaining such candor and passion for wine. As a young sommelier who specializes in Italian wines, I am greatly inspired to better understand the rest of the wine world, especially Burgundy.

QOTD – As an Italian wine somm, I guess I am biased for preferring terroir-driven wines. I started my journey through Piemonte loving producers like Clerico, Sandrone, and La Spinetta. But through tasting Bartolo Mascarello, Vietti, Cavalotto, Giacosa, Soldera, you taste wine that cannot be duplicated. You taste wine that speaks of history and culture of a region. The wine tells a story, and in the end, this is what sells me on a wine; the sense of time and place.

The best “question of the day” ever- I think there are many people who want to be exposed to different types of wines that accurately reflect typicity, but it can be a little intimidating trying to learn at dinner in a restaurant setting. This is why this type of forum is so important and relevant for anyone wishing to learn about wine they have not been exposed to previously. Awesome guest selection Gary, Bravo!

Gary. Hats off! Great shows as CRU, 1&2.

QToD; I have been waiting for this question from the begining of WLTV. The wines makers of the world MUST preserve their traditions and unique styles. If we lose these tastes and aromas to modern wine making and bow to marketing it would be like distroying the greatest Art treasures known to man. If you and your collegues in wine circles could lead the charge to influence the true importance of the “History and Tradition” of wine it could be a legacy for all our future generations of Wine consumers to savor as they learn this beautiful journey of Wine!

Great show, great guest. QOTD: I think 98% of people would probably not care and drink whatever tasted good. They’ll try a few wines at their favorite restaurant and when they hit on something they like, they’ll just keep ordering it every time. At this point in my wine evolution(I’m just getting started), I’m in that 98%. I think only after you really evolve your palate and you’ve experienced a lot of different wines would you go out and seek unique wines that really reflect their terroir and not loads of modern winemaking. Unfortunately, that 2% doesn’t have the same economic impact as the 98%.

Fantastic Guest !

QOTD.. While being an old bastard….I would like wines like Brunello Di Montalcino to be what they are suppose to be. Remembering 25 years ago; we thought Lambrusco was the thing to drink!

Unfortunately as many seek out to be Billionaires….the $$$$ trail usually finds some, finding a way to screw the duck! ( realize; we are the ducks)

The only way to bring integrety in any $$$$ game is to shine the bright sunny light of day on the shady operators and crooks!

Gary…..about a year ago; I begged you, at least 6 times to do a show on Rosso Di Montalcino. But since I’m not one of the cool dudes….it never happened.

Gary….I know your show is live and not edited; However… “Stop interuppting your guests !” Also; You shushed Robert !!!!! at the begining of this 2nd part. That drives me up a wall. Very rude behavior!

As usual a very informative show……with a bright knowledgeable guest.