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Storytellers ‘replacing role of critics’
Wine writers who tell stories are replacing the role of the wine critic and are helping to swing the pendulum away from score chasing wines, according to Mark Andrew of Roberson.
Mark Andrew
Speaking to the drinks business, Andrew said: “The role of wine critics is being counterbalanced by a new breed of wine writer that is less score driven and more focused on telling stories, which is providing a better balanced conversation.
Andrew singled out New York Times writers Eric Asimov and Alice Feiring, and Jon Bonné of The San Francisco Chronicle as three writers that symbolise the new type of wine commentator.
He also cited the rising importance and power of the sommelier as helping to lessen the influence of score-driven critics on the market.
An ardent trumpet blower for Californian wine in the UK, Andrew believes this new approach will stop consumers using wine scores “as a crutch”.
Kutch Pinot Noir changed Mark Andrew’s perception of Californian wine
“During the ’90s and early noughties, a lot of Californian wines were driven down certain stylistic roads in order to get a high score. Wines got heavier and diversity was no longer there, but it’s time to tell a new story now,” he told db.
Having taken on Wall Street trader-turned-Pinot Noir maker Jamie Kutch in 2010, over the last five years Andrew has expanded Roberson’s California wine portfolio to over 30 producers including Sandhi, Wind Gap, MooBuzz and Broc Cellars.
“Kutch woke me up to the idea that California wasn’t just about big, heavy wines, and that there was elegant stuff coming out of the region. There was an opportunity to reset the UK’s view of California wines and I knew I’d be a fool not to get involved,” he told db.
Andrew reports that all of Roberson’s California wines are “flying” and that the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the merchant hosted a tasting of its California range that featured a talk by Jon Bonné, author of The New California Wine.
“People are re-energised about Californian wine now. There’s a new face to the region and young winemakers are making all sorts of wacky stuff, from Gamay, Nero d’Avola and Picpoul to carbonic Carignan,” he said.
In terms of style, Andrew has noticed a lot more elegance, freshness and brightness from California reds, while the whites have evolved to become more virant, energetic and mineral, making them much more food friendly.
The next step for California, Andrew believes, is telling the terroir story.
“There has been a shift in emphasis towards wines with a sense of place and the emergence of terroir as a genuine factor in the wine conversation.
“From the Sonoma Coast to the Santa Rita Hills, California has massively diverse terroirs and incredible potential,” he told db.
For an in-depth look at the latest developments in Californian wine, keep an eye out for our California supplement, published with the February issue of the drinks business.
Indeed, less points and more stories! That is why bloggers are getting more important and traditional wine journalists are losing it. Does not harm, if blogger is a wine expert, but most of them are just enthusiasts, but they simply have a way of making people interested in what they say. I feel it is possible to be both professional and relaxed, quite easy actually…
Mr. Vinimieli,
Please allow me to slightly disagree. I don’t think bloggers are becoming more important, but rather the weight of the number of bloggers is overwhelming the traditional press. Also traditional journalists usually charge for their opinions and articles so there is less acceptance among those who have to pay to receive those opinions when so many others are just opining at no charge. Lastly, and here is a real danger, no one is fact-checking the bloggers. Opinions are formed and distributed, then quoted, but they can be factually wrong and/or conclusions reached may be faulty. I like the idea that stories are being told without reliance on scores. I am very cautious about the sources of those stories.
Thanks for an eye-catching title to this article. However, if Andrew was quoted correctly, he said that critics were COUNTERBALANCED by storytellers. Not REPLACED. As I am French Canadian (and also Italian…), my english is perhaps not adequate. However, I believe there is a fundamental difference and that it is a very important one and Andrew’s choice of word is critical to the debate. Storytellers will only reach those who are willing to listen to them. Unfortunately, the breed of such wine lovers is still very small and the type of wines storytellers cover is usually rather narrow in scope. Therefore, the extent to their influence is currently rather limited. However, they do inject into the wine discourse an element of emotion that has been lacking in recent years. This in turn will certainly help to grow the kind of wine lovers who are interested in these kind of stories. Certainly, they do inject a beautiful dynamic into the market. As for replacing critics, the reality is that most people today buy wines in supermarkets (80-85% share) and will continue to do so for a long time to come. These consumers very often (if not mostly) could care less about, or do not have time for, stories and will readily use scores to faciliate their purchase. If you allow, “the critic is dead, long live the critic”…