Spanish wine has lost buzz in English speaking forums?
Re: Polarities...
Ver mensaje de Juan SuchWhat, you trying to play Gotcha! with me? The ’98 Mogador was a nice enough wine. I know what you mean by ";rustic..."; Alas, I can’t bring myself to remember any wine I’ve ever had from Priorat that has not been so in one way or another. Stylization and polish are not necessarily the area’s hallmarks and a wine so big that could actually manage them would be a veritable miracle.
Of course, depending on the ocntext, ";rusticity"; can be a positive attribute.
M.
Now you have my note on ’98 Roda I...
Ver mensaje de Juan SuchTo mull over... I tasted a second bottle tonight, for which I paid out of my own pocket (the first one, as I mentioned to you before, was left by a business associate as a gift on my desk in Santo Domingo). The problem with the wine is not whether or not it has too much wood. Josie was tasting it with me and she found it ";woody but drinkable."; When she asked how much the wine cost me (she always does this, being the self-proclaimed book0keeper of the house), I was embarrassed to say I had spent $50 on this bottle.
The big problem with the Spanish wines that want to grab all the press these days is this: They offer ";very, very marginal value"; (see my TN to understand the quotes) in comparison to wines with proven track records (i.e., ones where the vitivinivulture does not involve gross ";mistakes"; that compromise the flavor and/or ageing potential of the wine) that retail for the same amount of money.
M.
Rusticity and finesse in Priorat wines
Ver mensaje de MCamblorManuel, its true that stylization and polish have not been DOC Priorat wines hallmarks. Probably, the winery trying more successfully to go towards more elegant wines right now is Alvaro Palacios. Finca Dofi and L’Ermita from the 2000 vintage onwards (just when they started to work on the new winery premises) are really another style. It’s a pity that they are so expensive to try...
In the context of Mogador or any other ";substantial"; wine (in the words of Theise) I certainly consider ";rusticity"; a positive attribute.
Too many Spanish wines over $30 nowadays...
Ver mensaje de MCamblorI agree with you that $50 is an expensive price tag. In Spain you can found that Roda I cheaper (well, with the current euro -dollar exchange not so cheaper ;-)
And it’s true that there are probably too many Spanish wines with price tags over $30 nowadays. And that is not to say that the quality of these wines is not simmilar to their counterparts in that price segment in France or Italy. But most of new top Spanish wines certainly have not the same track record.
Re: Too many Spanish wines over $30 nowadays...
Ver mensaje de MCamblor";Quality"; is relative, my friend. For $30, give me Sociando-Mallet any day over so many mega-Riojas or the second wines of Priorat houses with lofty aspirations.
I’m thinking of compiling my own ";Top 20"; list of wines from Spain that meet my requirements for providing good QPR. Of course, the ";20"; is not a random number. I’m concerned that I may not find that many these days...
M.
Do you really think that "quality" is relative?
Ver mensaje de MCamblorI think that ";quality"; is an absolute word, but only it’s a relative one when we make a relationship between quality and, for example, price.
Cheers,
Jose
Yes, I really do and here’s why...
Ver mensaje de MCamblorFirst, I beleive that no word can ever be an ";absolute."; Of course, this comes from my years as a post-structuralist scholar. There is no binding of the signifier and meaning tends to vary from context to context.
The perception of ";quality"; is up to each individual’s completely subjective assessment. I remember back in the ’80s, when Donald Trump spoke of seeking to reflect ";quality"; in all his developments. The result were so many gawdy, horrid gold-plated monstruosities in Midtown Manhattan. Maybe his notion of ";quality,"; but certainly my notion of ostentatious tackiness.
Juan wrote to me: ";...that is not to say that the quality of these [high-priced Spanish] wines is not simmilar [sic] to their counterparts in that price segment in France or Italy.";
It’s a statement with which I differ very storngly. What fixes the value of this ";quality"; so that it can be accurately compared from wine to wine, region to region, country to country? Is it the type of grapes, the vinification, the bottling frou-frou, the hype, the price tag? In any case, the determination of whether one of these values gives the wine ";quality"; is up to each individual. For example, Someone could say that pounding mediocre, overripe grape juice with 200% new (and very expensive) high-toast François Frères oak constitutes a sign of ";quality."; I, for my part, I could conclude that far from ";quality,"; it’s all bullshit and a monkey dressed in silk robes is still a monkey... And both of us may well be right.
";Quality"; is in the eye of the beholder...
M.
I do agree with your last sentence...
Ver mensaje de MCamblor’ ";Quality"; is in the eye of the beholder... ’
From my point of view, and as you say, ";quality"; is up to each individual... and it gives a relativeness sense to the word quality. But I think that when we assume (as individual) our own perception of quality... or beautiness or just whatever it gives an absolute sense... not just to the word but to the inner perception and sense of this word for us... from us to the world... It’s just a thought ;)
Anyhow and as we all know, nowadays not only in wine world, but in everything, many people have the thought that if something is very expensive, it’s very good and with the higher of the qualities.
How many times have you tasted a wine and when you spit it they tell you that it’s a great wine ’cos it’s very expensive? (and your face is just a poem without words ;) More than a bunch, isn’t it?
Perhaps (but only perhaps ;) we are talking about the same river, but from the opposite side of the same bridge ;)))
Cheers,
Jose