Comments on: Winemaking. It’s all about balance, people

By: Remy Charest

Remy Charest — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:45:01 +0000

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you’re enjoying life in Prince Edward County, as I’m seeing on your blog. It’s a place I’ve certainly learned to enjoy quite a bit over the last year.

By: caroline draper

caroline draper — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:42:31 +0000

I found the article extremley well read. It explores many depths and raises interesting discussion and thoughts. How else are people to grow in this area of expertise unless conventional ideas are challenged and probed.

By: Remy Charest

Remy Charest — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:56:37 +0000

I was surprised as well. I don’t feel I was making accusations, just raising questions about some essential aspects of winemaking.

By: Remy Charest

Remy Charest — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:55:22 +0000

That was part of my surprise at the comment too. Winemaking is complex, but there are no dark secrets – or at least, there doesn’t have to be.

By: Tom Mansell

Tom Mansell — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:04:25 +0000

More worrisome is the implicit assumption that wine writers, no matter their experience, couldn’t possibly understand the intricacies of what winemakers (they) do…. as if there are dark secrets that no laypeople could understand.

By: Shea

Shea — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:57:15 +0000

I have no idea why Jeff Morgan has such a problem with this article. It is very well researched and written. In fact, this is one of the better articles I’ve read on this issue. Oh, and I agree that the 2003 Alion is outstanding (As is the 2003 Pintia from Toro, also made by Vega Sicilia). I’ve found that good producers have done good things with 2003 – exactly to your point.

By: Remy Charest

Remy Charest — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:26:57 +0000

I wish I had been at your talk too, Jeff. I’m sure I could have learned a few things. And asked a few questions about some of your statements that seemed, at least when expressed as 140-character tweets, rather surprising, to say the least. Saying that Bordeaux producers water back in good years is quite a sweeping statement: as far as I know, it’s illegal to do so in Bordeaux and, indeed, in most of Europe.

However, I don’t understand what you’re saying about writers advising the public about techniques. If you mean to imply that my post was recommending any techniques or any specific approach, you completely misread it. The post does no such thing – although it does point to a particular wine as being a clear failure on all counts.

On the contrary, I’m saying that there isn’t a single way to go about things in the vineyard or in the cellar. That seeking balance means paying attention to details, being empirical rather than dogmatic. I don’t see what’s “simplistic, romantic” about that.

My remarks also stem for what I’ve learned from hands-on experience at winemaking over the last couple of years, especially with the 2009 harvest at Closson Chase Vineyards, where I’ve taken my own decisions at a number of levels, to produce a particular barrel of chardonnay. I may not have his experience in winemaking, but I’m not talking about all this in a purely theoretical manner either.

I’m disappointed in your rush to judge. Who’s being simplistic, really?

By: Jeff Morgan

Jeff Morgan — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:23:45 +0000

I wish Remy had been at my talk the other day. He (she?) might have actually learned something of value first hand. While wine criticism is certainly a just pursuit, writers might consider the pitfalls of advising the public (and winemakers) about which techniques should be employed to acheive a desired result in the bottle. Remy’s comments are the kind that indicate a well-intentioned questioning of the status quo– always a good thing, since there is always room for improvement. But his/her self-assured tone belies a simplistic, romantic understanding of what (we) winemakers do. And that kind of attitude will only yield simplistic and inaccurate reporting.