Great show.
Qotd: tradition and terroir without a doubt. What makes wine fascinating to me is the history, the tradition, the unique ecosystem that can transport me ot another time and place. A passport in a bottle. I couldn’t fall in love with an airbrushed, photoshopped, person, and i can’t fall in love with big industrial wines. Some are really yummy, and I can always find a bottle of Gruet or general bourgogne, but could never fall in love like I have with many Cote de Nuits St. George or Gaston Chiquet. If wine is like music, I would much rather hear a performance in a small venue than listen to the cleaned up CD every time.

QOTD: NO! I want exactly how Robert wonderfully described it. There should be some individual personality in the bottle. There’s thousands (if not more) of different bottles out there. I don’t want an Italian whatever (Barolo, Brunello, etc.) to taste like a New Zealand whatever.

Excellent two-parter, excellent guest. Thank you Robert and Gary.

QOTD: The best part about tasting wines from around the world is that they are all different. For me, joy in wine tasting comes from finding new and exciting flavors or simply unexpected things (like the licorice in your st. Aubin). Who cares about the basic pleasure of something that tastes great when you you can experience the pleasure of suprise.

QOTD – I want wines to taste like the place they come from. I want them to taste different instead of the same.

This was an awesome two (2) part episode.

Mr. Bohr, I commend your attitude and your passion, so readily evident, for the wine and food experience.

I consider myself a neophyte, still learning, the various styles and nuances of the myriad choices I have to make. Quite honestly, I have yet to begin to experience the level of wines you and Gary touched upon in this most excellent presentation. This takes nothing away from my experience as I am having a ball with the journey so far.

QOTD – An age old question, a what point does innovation displace tradition and subsequently innovation becomes tradition.

At my novice level of wine experience but given my age (58), I would support a measured mixture. As with so many things in the world, wine should never stand still but continue to evolve and flourish with a focus on excellence. This must be balanced with an appreciation of those qualities (location and terrior) that make wine such a joy to experience.

I apologize for being so vague but I am proposing concepts and not specifics. I will leave the specifics for more learned folk such as you and Gary.

I really enjoyed this presentation, and if I ever get to New York I will do my very best to come to your fine establishment.

QOTD: Yes! If all wines taste a like then what is the point of talking about Teroir (sp?)?.

Interesting show.

Jim

Great two-parter. Thanks Gary, Mott, & Robert!

QOTD: Tradition! I watched both episodes today, as Friday we were at our monthly wine tasting group (started last year thanks to Gary’s idea for a “Third Thirsty Thursday” tasting group)- four flights of Tannat (100% except for one blend from the Basque) with a couple of Malbecs thrown in for comparison, and one Bonarda. Talk about discussions around tradition! Also discussion about becoming a wine importer, since 3 or 4 of them were brought back from Uruguay, and aren’t available stateside… 😉

QOTD: I LOVE this question. We are VERY novice in the wine world but one of things that is most appealing is that there is such a diversity and history to all the wines that we are learnimg about and to have any deviation from that would be an horrible injustice to the whole sole of any grape. We are so excited by the prospect of being able to learn and grow in our venture that even the thought of any producer changing what they do to gain fame in the mainstream is dishearting at the least. I am a true believer in tradition and heritage and I will support that in favor of fad every time, even if I am not a particular fan of the vartial or vintage. I hope this makes sense. If not please understand that we are trying, with us and a little bit of you, to change the wine world. 🙂 We love ya WLTV! Steve and Lisa

Nice two parter, the guy knows his stuff.

QOTD: I don’t really like this question or at least I don’t like the way it was posed as I think it is a multi-dimensional question about winemaking in general. I think the guy was trying to push for the Old World agenda that a lot of people itb really try and maintain talking about the nauances and everything and that is why these bottles are worth hundreds of dollars. I do like the fact that you can sense the region the wine is from in certain wines, but I prefer certain producers to others. People like Oliver from Zind or Didier (before he died) made wine that could not be mistaken for anyone elses. These producers have a style that elevates themselves above most of the others from the same region and for the most part do not really taste anything like the rest. Also there are producers in the Pacific North West who make fabulous wines that most would consider use terrior, but are very approachable at a young age even though they can age well. I just think that great wine can be made in either style, and I’ll leave it at that.

Wow! Really interesting QOTD, and one that I’m torn on. I am the type of person who can appreciate anything (wine or otherwise) for what it is, even though I may or may not particularly like it. The wine world is full of appellations/varietals that I think belong, but just aren’t for me (though given the right cuisine, the complexities here are endless -but I digress). I think tradition is often a lot of B.S. created by the older generations because of their fear of change (that would often be for the better!). However, I think the wine industry is one area where innovation, or disregard for tradition is not in the best interest of the winemaker or the consumer. It would lead to mass confusion about wines, leading to even greater reliance upon critics.

As currently regulated, if I want something that tastes like a CDR… I pull a syrah/grenache based French or Spanish wine off of the shelf, or if I want a dark, bold wine with mild tannins and noticeable acid, I go to the italian section of the wine shop. I am not a fan of preconceived notions, but without them I think wine markets would be a complete mess.

Ultimately, I don’t necessarily like the idea of governing bodies restricting the creativity of winemakers, and wouldn’t ascribe to the ideas behind this sort of tradition in my personal life. However, the priciples and regulations laid in the wine industry allow for the only real structure that exists in the market.

Just think… without this basic terroir-driven structure, introducing noobies to wine would be seemingly impossible:

“Here Bob, try this Barolo from Piedmonte. I think this tastes a lot like the nebbiolo-based wines from North Carolina’s coast, but has the elegance, polish, and up-front red fruit flavors of a South African pinot noir. You can find similar efforts from Sicily, Israel, Eastern India, Madagascar’s southern coast, Japan, and even from the buckeye appellation in Central Ohio. You know, these wines used to taste a lot like flowers, licorice, tar, dark fruit ,and Italian dirt, but are now made in an international style, and are much more approachable for the majority of wine consumers.”

QOTD:
I want wines to reflect their traditions. Winemaking is expanding all over the world, and I would prefer that the traditional great winemakers keep up their history. I want to be able to drink lots of different wines. I don’t want them to all be the same. The new areas can develop their own styles, and then adhere to those.

BTW, we had the Zardini Valpolicella 05 tonight. Wonderful wine.

QOTD: Both. I totally love it when you can say that something tastes like it always has, and is true to itself. But for newer regions, where there isn’t an established ‘type’, i think its ok to be juicy and delicious. The wine nerd in me, however, really always goes back to regions where there is history, and the people are tied to the wines.

As many people have said, “Both”. I want to see what tradition is and enjoy that when I’m tasting that style. However, there are times when I just want to enjoy a delicious bottle of wine, whether traditional or not. I do lean more toward the tradition, though, since I think it leads to more variety and interesting tasting.

QOTD: I want wine to reflect their individuality and their terroir. To me, that is the beauty of wine! If all wines are alike, how very bored I’d be!!!! My husband and I travel a lot, and we love to explore different wine regions. Thus far, these experiences have all been very special and unique. The people, places and wines all have their distinct characteristics which make them special! To never go anywhere new and to always drink the same thing doesn’t sound like much fun to me. 🙂

QOTD, I totally think there should be tradition. I was lucky enough to grow up in jersey where we had all kinds of small restaurants, bars, stores, etc….. The rest of the country has a real push towards homogenius towns with starbucks, and chain restaurants everywhere. I would hate to see the originality of tradition leave wine, cause different is beautiful, regardless of the quality of the sameness. If things are all the same how can anything be special?

QOTD: I think the problem with the QOTD is how one defines “taste.” To me, drinking an individual wine which really reflects the qualities of the earth it came from is an experience. Even though it might not “taste” good, I am still experiencing it in that moment, with my friends. So to answer the question, I prefer the traditional style of winemaking where different wines are reflective of their different regions.

Also, great episode… I didn’t realize that the manure taste in wine was actually due to flawed winemaking processes.

Love the guest – this was an excellent show.

QOTD – No-brainer: Tradition and variety. Anybody who expounds otherwise isn’t thinking – or is at the wrong place. We’re changing the wine world, not homogenizing it. Imagine if everyone made wine that was juicy and “great” and you loved it. That’s fine if your palate doesn’t evolve. But I shudder to think of some of the wines I loved as a teenager (I’m Canadian)and can just imagine what would have happened in that kind of world to all the wines I thought were too rough, tannic, not fruity enough, whatever and now love… They wouldn’t be around today for me to enjoy. Besides, the marketplace always provides. There will always be a Riunite or a Black Tower as long as there are people who want it. Fine with me. Just make sure you keep some shelf space for my Nero d’Avola…

Keep up the good work.

Great question…. Wine has is own place in this world and has continued for thousands of years to be a sustaining drink for many people. To me wine is like a secret society that the earth and the vines allow us to be apart of. As we a charged with taking care of it. I long for wines to remain this way.

Typicity matters a ton to me, because if there’s no typicity, then you can’t actually learn anything meaningful from a glass of wine.

A glass of good wine is a delicious beverage. But a glass of delicious wine that speaks of a region is more than that – it’s a product of its context and circumstances, and gives information about how and where and by whom it was made.

QOTD: I do not think that the two are mutually exclusive. They each have their place.

I absolutely believe that there is a place for the traditional, true to it’s roots wine. It is like the comment from the video itself about not trying to be a lion when you are a kitten. Just be the best kitten you can be.

Conversely there is something to be said for the availability of quality “drinkable” wines. This makes world of wine more approachable without needing to cater to the least common denominator. Those new to wine should not have to choose between a beautifully crafted but unfriendly/unapproachable wine and (name your most infamous brand) jug wine when all you want is something good to drink with your dinner.

QOTD: Even as a novice wine drinker I want wine to keep it’s integrity. I want to be able try different wines from different places and be able to taste the subtle differences. I don’t want all wine to taste the same, I don’t want to like everything I try. There would be no sense of discovery.

tradition is important and i’m all for integrity and complexity, thats why there are laws are in place to preserve wine making practices, but lets not forget that the only constant in history is “change.” advancements in technologies, in reference to wine making, shouldn’t be ignored only to preserve tradition. in my opinion, all great advances came with thinking outside the box and creating a paradigm shift, whether it be big or small. lets push things forward without ignoring the roots.
great show. a little jealous that i couldn’t be there to share a glass of the 1980 Dujac.
ez Panthrochuck.

QOTD: YES! One of the things that makes wine interesting is when the regionality is reflected in the taste and aroma. Probably THE most interesting thing.

WOW!!!!!!!!! Possibly the best guest/on location/ 2-parter/QOTD of the year so far. We as humans, with the help of new technology, have been evolving rapidly. I think that it would be un-natural and extremely difficult to make wine like they did in the old days. It is just science, the climate is changing, and the world isnt what it used to be. vines are forever growing, aging, and the juice in the bottle are doing just the same. I truly believe that the less chemical experiments you do after harvest, and the more you do in the vineyard, to assist nature, is all for the better. Biodynamic is the way to go if you got the money, and the balls. keep to tradition and dont be like the mad chemists at the molly dooker milkshake factory. but at the same time, if keeping to tradition means stomping the grapes with your shit covered feet, dont expect me to drink it. like gary told me, there is no such thing as a great wine, only great bottles. P.S. MY 21ST BIRTHDAY IS ON WEDNESDAY GARY, COULD I HAVE A SHOUT OUT PLEEEEEEEESE????

Loved the very informal banter between you two guys….its obvious that you go back a long way. Though for a novice wine drinker I did get lost in the whole deep Italian Scene and you started nerding it up – though I secrectly enjoyed it!

QOTD: For me, tradition and typicity of a varietal is so important…especially being relatively new on the scene…I certainly dont want the same old over bearing fruit blast with no personality and no character – im here to learn about a special subject and therefore is there to learn if there is no differentiation in the world. I love wine because of its individual make-up and the history behind each country, appellation and varietal…i want to embark on a new journey with every sip…and not retrace my steps with each new path explored – very profound.