Friday, January 26, 2018

Wine Fashion

The wine world (wineries, writers, restaurants and retail) looks as much at fashion as, well - fashion. Everybody wants to find the next big thing. This means that the 'latest thing' is invariably hyped up more than what it can deliver. In some cases, the delivery comes a few years later, for example Pinot Noir from Tasmania. In some cases, the delivery comes from a small percentage of the trumpeted next big thing, for example orange wines. And in some cases, maybe not at all.

This is the preamble to my tasting of the 2011 Passopisciaro Etna Rosso. This wine has been hyped: Sicily, volcanic soil, and a 'new' variety, Nero d'Avola.

Pouring this wine into the bottle makes me wonder. The colour is already a quite developed garnet. Tasting the wine confirms my concerns. It is quite rustic, ok to drink with pizza or in my case tacos. Cherry flavours are there, but not very elegant, and the finish is quite rough. In defense of the winery, this is their entry level wine and probably should be drunk young. However, pricing is not at an entry level, and the single vineyard wines from this winery are seriously expensive. Being fashionable has its price.

As a consumer being interested in fine wine, I do not care about fashion. It is interesting to try different things, but the quality must be there.

Score: 85/--

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