Decanter magazine is offering up a batch of multi-discipline jewels this month, beginning with a reminder I posted over here about how much guidance the average consumer needs to sort through the miasma of the drinks world these days. (Don’t start with me! If you are about to comment that “the average consumer is fully able to choose a wine or beer or spirit for themselves,” well, you’re not an average consumer. Trust me on this.)
Then up comes this gem from another prominent wine guy, Jacques Lardière, head winemaker for the French winery, Louis Jadot. In discussing what I might be temnpted to call the pinot grigio-ification of modern wine, Lardière says:
”I’m not after technical perfection. I don’t have much time for the Australian approach, where the ideal wine is the most neutral.’
‘It’s easy to clean up a wine, but by removing faults, unless they’re truly detrimental, you also remove its life.’
‘I refuse to go along with it,’ he adds.
You could, and should, say the same thing about beer.
Would you please stop writing things I agree with!!!
My only quibble is about “fault” and “neutral” as what I really think is meant, in either wine or beer, is “easy” or “rounded” or even “full of familiar flavours”.
I don’t think that the problem with N. Am craft beer is the craft light pilsners or ambers (not talking about imports) so much as the lack of unstandardized versions. Ambers came out of alts but shook off the interesting grainy or smoky or malty little notes to celebrate “caramel” whatever that is. These were not faults which were shaken off but the things that made them special. I fear for the sale of Magic Hat meaning the death of another buttery brewery. Not a fault but a local characteristic.
Unexceptional brewers fail to interest me when they make (literally) unexceptional beers that don’t provide that exception to the rule which sets them apart.
I apologize, Alan. I’ll try to be more contrary. Next post: Why beer dinners need to be more expensive!