L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano Wine scores: pointed in the wrong direction I 've always appreciated that the Italian-American expe- rience, whether for survival or success, issues its own good advice. You may recall, for example, in the movie A Bronx Tale (1993, Chaz Palminteri) when Lorenzo, played by Robert De Niro, said, "The saddest thing in life is wasted talent." My own grandfather would often say, "Bet- ter to live 10 years like a lion than 20 years like a mouse." For me, and for many Italian-Americans I know, such teachings lodged themselves in our brains becoming reference points of lifelong gui- dance and counsel when needed, and in some very real way, con- tributing to who we are today. While I am much less wise than Lorenzo or my grandfather, I can perhaps provide you one small but useful consultation. Where con- cerns the practice of wine scoring, I respectfully submit to you the following: forget about it. Or, if you prefer, "fuhgettaboutit." The modern phenomenon of the wine score, that is to say the prac- tice of awarding points to express the critical evaluation of a wine, finds roots in the 100 point system used by wine critic Robert Parker. Both revered and reviled, Parker's system, I suspect, was intended to help organize his thoughts around a very broad scope of wines he was tasting, and to call wine pro- ducers accountable for quality du- ring a time when many producers had become complacent. Ironically, the aggregate "we" of wine – importers, distributors, re- tailers, and yes, consumers – have grown dependent on wine scores to support both the sale and pur- chase of wine. It is we, too, it seems, who have become compla- cent. Many retailers use wine scores to auto-sell wines. By that, I mean some retailers rely on wine scores alone to influence your buying behavior toward positive sales out- comes. Knowledgeable wine staff in possession of the sales/commu- nication skills necessary to intro- duce you to interesting, well-made wines constitutes a far better sales model. Feel free to apply this test: ask your retailer something like, "Why does this wine earn a 94 point score, what justifies it?" Bring a snack, because it's usually a great show. Consumers are not without blame. I am astonished at the number of wine shoppers who tell me that their buying strategy is based on purchasing highest-scored wines for the lowest amount of money. While there may be, for some, a convoluted satisfaction to that equation, the approach does little to improve consumer indepen- dence, validating the dependent sales/purchase cycle which wine scores put in motion. Wine scores do no more to di- sclose wine's depth and breadth to consumers than does the Top 40 song list in exposing music's broad range of styles to listeners. In fact, a good argument can be made that wine scores narrow consumer wine exposure because consumers simply disqualify or overlook unscored/unlisted wines. That is, if they can find any: store shelves are typically filled with well-scored wines, an inventory management decision affirmed by consumers dependent on wine scores to inform their buying de- cisions. A better framework to support an appreciation of wine is one that includes discovery. Like they used to tell us, sometimes the journey matters. Occasionally, wanna-be wine in- fluencers use the highs and lows of wine scoring as opportunity for self-promotion. Therefore, in some such cases, the accuracy of wine scores is dubious, if ever one could actually rely on their accu- racy. Wine scores influence your buying decision. That's why they are there, included in the shelf- talkers, advertisements, websites, and magazines. Industry stakehol- ders know this. A wine sales/pur- chase model where the consumer has more influence and control of their own buying experience seems likely to yield far better outcomes over the long haul. From the movie the Godfather (1972, Francis Ford Coppola), an excerpt of dialog in a scene between characters Vito Corleone and son Michael, spoken by Vito: "I never wanted this for you. I work my whole life - I don't apo- logize - to take care of my family, and I refused to be a fool, dancing on the string held by all those big- shots…but I thought that, that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the string." Talk with your family about wine. Discuss it with your friends and within your community. Read on the internet and on social media like Instagram about what wines like-minded people are drinking. Educate yourself about the wines of Italy. Discover and explore them. Go scoreless. Be the one to hold the string. Tasting Note Marisa Cuomo Furore Bianco Co- sta D'Amalfi DOC Citrus, nectarine, honey, a lick of sea salt. Round on the palate, with fresh and nicely balanced acidity that compliments the wine's more delicate aspects. Soft, flavorful fi- nish that stays awake on the de- crescendo. WINE NEWS TRENDS PROFILES JOEL MACK THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2018 A better framework to support an appreciation of wine is one that include discovery Many retailers use wine scores to influence consumers' buying behavior towards positive sales outcomes. Photo by Zachariah Hagy/Unsplash

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