Review of “The Wine Trials”

What if instead of reading one of the influential media outlets, such as “The Wine Spectator,” or Robert Parker in the “Wine Advocate,” you opted to invite 507 of your closest friends to sample over 6,000 glasses of wine blindfolded. Wouldn’t the traditionally more expensive wines favored by Robert Parker logically still come out ahead?

The Wine Trials

This was exactly what author Robin Goldstein sought to measure as he devised a continuous tasting of over 560 bottles of wine over a ten month period with everyone from winemakers to food critics to everyday typical restaurant patrons. One must certainly applaud the rigorous nature of the study, as they brown-bagged every wine, and poured screw-top bottles into regular bottles in order to avoid any kind of bias. Ultimately, the goal was to have each wine stand purely on its own merits.

My favorite part of the study involved how much weight to give random reviewers’ opinions. Brilliantly, if not perhaps somewhat deviously, they took two separate bottles of the same wine (Yellow Tail Shiraz), and added them to the group of wines. Reviewers who rated the wines far apart would have their reviews discounted; others who rated them similarly would have their reviews given more weight. An ingenious way of figuring out who among the reviewers had the more subtle and discerning palate.

A team of statisticians then pored over the data, and came up with a list of the 100 best wines.

The Results

Australia, while typically quite successful, fared worst of all major producers, with only 5 of the 60 Australian wines tasted making it into the top 100. Notably, Alice White Chardonnay ($7) placed tops in the category of “New World Heavy White.”

Also, one of my favorite categories, “Old World Heavy Red,” was dominated by Osborne Solaz ($9), a Spanish Tempranillo.

While I won’t give away much more in terms of the philosphical basis for the study, or the 100 top wines, I heartily recommend it as a balanced and reasoned read designed to bring common sense and clarity to a subject often clouded by superstition and hype.

Caveat

Being that the book’s focus is on wines that are the most widely available, unfortunately, no small producers will be discovered as a result of the study.

However, if you’re looking to make sense of what you see in a typical wine store (and big-box retailer) around the U.S., this may well be the most reasoned and well thought-out consumer’s guide available.

Another important note – If you are, indeed, a serious wine drinker, there will be occasions when friends or relatives will come over and want to toast with something appropriate for the occasion. While you may never drink any of these wines, you can certainly use the book to find reasonable values that will once again reaffirm your mastery of wine in your loved one’s eyes.

You can read more about the ongoing blind tastings and mission of “The Wine Trials” by going to the official site.

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