From: mikec@scripps.edu (Mike A Christensen)
Newsgroups: rec.food.drink
Subject: Re: The Wine Spectator (and other ramblings)
Date: 14 Aug 92 23:28:31 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Research Institute of Scripps Clinic; La Jolla, CA

In article <1992Aug14.210816.15557@sunova.ssc.gov> jbaron@dirac.ssc.gov (Jeff Baron) writes:
>In article <1992Aug14.181157.17045@riscsm.scripps.edu>, 
>			mikec@scripps.edu (Mike A Christensen) writes:
>
>- I subscribe to Wine Expectorator, but I read the articles, I don't look at the
>- centerfold.
>
>Personally, I think that this is a mistake.  We can all agree that
>the reviews may be only the reviews of one person (if that!) but
>they are still reviews.  And why is this important?

Hmmm.  I thought I was making a transparent joke here mimicing what people used
to say about their subscriptions to Playboy...  Of course I look at the Wine
Buying Guide.

>A few years ago, the WS started giving out very, no extremely, high
>scores to the Chardonnay *and* Cabernet from Silverado.  Now, Silverado
>makes a decent wine for the $11 that it used to be, but $17 or $18
>now?  And do we really think that a 1985 Silverado, which may have
>scored a 94 or so, is really as good as a 1985 Stag's Leap SLV,
>which scored (probably) the same 94 and cost (probably) twice as much?  

Since I bought a case of 85 Silverado Cab at $8/btl. the answer is, obviously,
yes.  ;-) (for the humor-impared).  Since the track records for both the
Silverado and Stag's Leap SLV are very short, I'd have to say the jury is still
out.  If I had to bet, I'd of course bet on Stag's Leap SLV.  I completely
agree with your comments about Silverado raising their prices for inferior
vintages (1988 and 1989).  Unfortunately, Silverado is not the only winery
which has done this.

>Now, Silverado, riding high on the horse, gets that $17 or $18 from
>the retail buyer, and the restaurant gets $32.  What does this do?
>It drives the prices of other things down.

Nonsense, Joe Blow winery down the street says: hey, I make a Cab as good as
the 89 Silverado, I should be charging $18/btl for my Cab.  It's only when
their distributor gets stuck with a lot of inventory and has to dump it at
Trader Joe's, Cost Plus, Costco or Price Club that you see honest pricing.

>Another story.  At one point, I was buying a case of Martha's Vineyard
>every years.  Then the 1985 came out, and with it the WS cover
>article on "the best wine ever produced in California" or something
>like that, and my order was reduced from 12 to 4 bottles.  Now, Heitz
>gets $65 (I think) for a bottle.  They lost me as a drinker.

Another controversial wine.  Perhaps you were lucky only being able to buy 4.
I stopped collecting Heitz Martha's after the 78 vintage.  $65 for any
California Cab is hard for me to swallow when I can buy 88 Mouton for the same
amount (well, OK, if someone wanted to sell me a Grace Family Cab for $65 I'd
probably bite).

>You know, we the pseudo-serious drinkers *are* the mainstay of
>these people's business.  In the long run, it is reputation and
>track record that will keep these places going, and a lot of this
>is our own personal experience and recommendations, especially when a
>wine is not distributed through normal retail outlets.  We
>shouldn't lose sight of that, especially when we have to ante up
>$80 for a bottle of Caymus Special Selection.  Or not.

Who's pseudo-serious?  I never smile when I drink wine.

>Jeff

Mike Christensen