Vinofreakism: shepherd vignerons, sommeliers, acid & tooth enamel
Robert Parker had some comments about a BYOB restaurant in Philadelphia that were picked up on philly.com. Here’s an excerpt:
I loved everything about this place…Add the BYO and no corkage….and better yet…no precious sommelier trying to sell us some teeth enamel removing wine with acid levels close to toxic, made by some sheep farmer on the north side of his 4,000-foot foot elevation vineyard picked two months before ripeness, and made from a grape better fed to wild boar than the human species….we all know the type-saving the world from drinking good wine in the name of vinofreakism…
Sep
25
2010
On September 25th, 2010 at 11:16 am ,Dave wrote:
Sorry Uncle Bob. Some of us like small production winemakers that are using interesting techniques and forgotten varietals. We maybe even like gulpable light bodied wines that are best served chilled (The horror!). Sorry they are way off of your holier than though radar. I will run to store and buy a “standard” Bordeaux now to get back in line.
On September 25th, 2010 at 4:21 pm ,Debbie The Wine Lady wrote:
I love to hear Robert Parker rant! We’ve obviously found something that pushes his buttons. And it reminds me of a story I read about Really Natural Wines (or something like that). NO intervention was allowed, so the white wine were cloudy and brown and the reds were subject to all kinds of weird bacterial issues. Just like Robert Parker, I thought, “why bother?”
On September 25th, 2010 at 4:48 pm ,Ian S wrote:
One has to wonder about Parker.
He knows that this rant will reinforce the view amongts many that he’s become yet more bigoted in his views and even more strident in his expression of them.
Too rich and famous to care? As out of touch as professional sportsmen? Or just the argumentative / confrontational nature of his legal background? It might be the latter, but if so, why does he seem to be more and more troll-like these days?
I suspect a large proportion of his US-based detractors used to buy his books and follow his guidance in the past. Now I suspect a speeding up of the trend for wine drinkers to find their own way in the wine world. A cold reality dawns when you realise your guru is a bit of a prat!
I do feel for LP-B, AG, DS and NM, who all seem decent, considered and reasonable.
regards
Ian
On September 25th, 2010 at 5:37 pm ,Scott wrote:
Hey Bob, no one has more fun than a vinofreak. Suit yourself.
On September 26th, 2010 at 11:57 pm ,Ahli Anggur wrote:
How about food freaks? A wine with decent acidity is food-friendly; a Parker-approved overripe fruit bomb may make a nice sipping wine, but the only cuisine it complements is barbeque.
On September 27th, 2010 at 2:41 pm ,Taylor Eason wrote:
This rant cracks me up… and makes me wonder how in touch he is with the average consumer?
I like Ian’s comment: “I suspect a large proportion of his US-based detractors used to buy his books and follow his guidance in the past. Now I suspect a speeding up of the trend for wine drinkers to find their own way in the wine world.”
Which makes unbiased and anti-snob wine bloggers and educators like myself (and Dr. Vino) even more important now. Keep talking, Bob.
On September 28th, 2010 at 12:39 am ,someone wrote:
ditto ian.
On September 28th, 2010 at 11:20 am ,bb wrote:
Not that I would ever want to side with Parker, but I think that most of us have had someone try to foist one of these on us at one time or another. Just because someone can make something and bottle it, doesn’t mean that we should have to drink it. I once had someone try to sell me non-alcoholic scotch — case closed.
On October 4th, 2010 at 10:19 pm ,Philippe wrote:
Sad really. One feels the insecurity of walls closing in on creeping irrelevance. Maybe he’ll take on Rosie O’Donell next?
On October 2nd, 2012 at 2:50 pm ,Baffled by a wine list? BYO Chateauneuf | Dr Vino's wine blog wrote:
[…] After visiting a Philly BYOB, Robert Parker once let an apparent deep-seated contempt for sommeliers flow free, dubbing them defenders of “vinofreakism.” […]