The wine writer Gerald Asher, whose column graced the pages of Gourmet over the course of several decades, recently penned a piece for Zester Daily on the role of the wine writer and/or wine critic. There are few journalists alive who understand that role better than Asher.
Wrote Asher: "I read recently in a wine blog that California wines are at their best when young, so the main selling point for them should be that they don’t need to be aged. To say that California wines are at their best when young prompts two questions: Does the writer mean all California wines? And how does he define ‘best’? Doesn’t such a statement mean that what you taste in any young California wine is all there is and ever will be?"
Asher offered a gentle rebuke to those wine journalists today who focus on the fresh, vibrant flavors of newly released young wines while paying scant attention to those wines that are built for the long haul.
My sense from a careful second read of Mr. Asher’s column left me thinking he doesn’t believe that most wine journalists or critics know the difference. He makes a fair point. He went on to say: "I know we live in an impatient age, but is there so much confusion among both writers and critics that they do not see the difference between wines that do or don’t need the softening of age to be drinkable and wines that have qualities which age alone can spin into poetry you can taste?"
The headline of the article is "What Are Wine Writers Really For?" and you can read the whole thing at ZesterDaily.com, an online food and wine publication that regularly features some of the most accomplished and respected food and wine journalists in the business.
Of course, the headline raises a pertinent question. My take on Asher’s answer is that the role of a wine writer is to, first, be informed and, second, to educate. He did that with distinction in his 30 years as Wine Editor at Gourmet.
Wine writing and wine criticism today is a different beast than it was when Gerald Asher entered the profession. The proliferation of wine blogs and micro-blogs, such as Twitter and Yelp, have made it possible for anyone who so chooses to hang out a shingle and declare himself a wine critic.
Asher’s piece is thus an important bit of advice for those who would aspire to fill his shoes. The job requires more than enthusiasm and the ability to string together adjectives. It requires understanding wine at each stage of development.
That, dear reader, comes only with first-hand tasting experience. Buyer beware: Know your wine critic.
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