It's almost as though the world of fine wine is full of rich suckers who truly believe they have a rare and golden palette.
Delightful.
Delightful.
I wish I was joking: http://arstechnica.com/staff/2015/02/to-the-audiophile-this-...
[1] http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-gift-for-music-lovers-who-have...
Oh god no. I'm genuinely surprised, although I shouldn't be.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12289729 [2] I speculated they were growing weed, but they don't know what the neighbors were doing to use so much power.
Googles
Ok seriously, stop, I can only take so much of this whiplash. That's right up there with not wanting to breath the same air as the "Peasants".
"The idea of terroir has a mystical aspect. However, salt water, tides, moist morning air, cool afternoon breezes, nightly fog, rolling hills, mineral soil and intense mid-day sunshine allow Carneros to be a truly unique appellation. Vineyards in close proximity to each other produce distinctly different wines, each a true expression of its terroir. And yet, there is always an overriding Carneros identity, a product largely of the dominating maritime climate."
However, you shouldn't believe me. What you should do, if you doubt, is perform a blind taste test: Pouilly-Fuissé vs Pouilly-Fumé.
The two regions are literally across the river from each other and have distinct characteristics.
Simply, to de-romanticize[1] "terroir", it's all about chemistry. The taste is a chemical reaction and certain climates, soil, etc. allows an individual to taste "stuff".
[1] http://winefolly.com/review/where-wine-flavors-come-from/
So, if ask me, the wine thing is a scam from the begining. The only stable criterium for good vs bad wine is how bad the head ache in the morning. I.e. I can drink a >20€ bottle alone and be clear the next morning, while a <20€ bottle (with exceptions) is a bad idea.
Oh, and I'm French, and most my family and friends have contracted this oeno-magicallicus virus, which makes you believe in things that do not exist. [edit: and pay for them unexistent things]
- Far from being "literally across the river", the two regions are ~200km apart by road (Pouilly-Fumé is from the Loire valley, Pouilly-Fuissé from the Mâconnais).
- The two wines are made from different grapes: Pouilly-Fuissé is a Chardonnay, while Pouilly-Fumé is a Sauvignon Blanc.
Maybe you meant Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre? Same grape, opposite sides of the Loire?
If you plant them in Vidalia (or anywhere with sandy soil and low sulfur content) you get lovely, sweet, onions. Plant them anywhere else, and they're just as piquant as any other white variety. That's a really big example of "Terroir", without the mystical crap attatched. Grapes as I understand it, in relation to their water/sugar/acid content, vary greatly with relatively minor changes in climate.
At least in part, this is why climate change is likely to do quite the number on French wines, possibly forever, definitely for a very long time.
I feel as though I've lost my mind over the course of a single, brief conversation online. This is the "golden umbrella stand" of the electronic world.
(Most of us are born with just a palate. Palettes need to be surgically inserted.)