Comments on: Blind tasting is tough – tasting Bordeaux 2005 with Robert Parker

By: Is Garagiste sui generis? The NYT profile of Jon Rimmerman | Dr Vino's wine blog

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:48:44 +0000

[...] the claim that he is a super-taster and that he can remember every wine he’s ever tasted. Um, blind tasting, [...]

By: The experts strike back? | Dr Vino's wine blog

The experts strike back? | Dr Vino's wine blog — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:42:17 +0000

[...] Looking at the details of the study published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, the authors had volunteers identify themselves as wine experts or not. Fully a third of them were classified as “experts,” which seems not quite a representative sample of America (or perhaps Canada, where the data collection occurred.) Moreover, these self-selected experts showed a higher rate of detected the bitter compound, PROP, thus possibly making them “super-tasters.” As Mike Steinberger pointed out in his lengthy (self-)exploration of the physiology of taste, having a sensitivity to PROP does not make one a supertaster and being a supertaster does not make more of a wine expert. (As we’ve seen, blind tasting can have more bitter outcomes than PROP.) [...]

By: Who invented wine’s 100-point scale? | Dr Vino's wine blog

Who invented wine’s 100-point scale? | Dr Vino's wine blog — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:42:25 +0000

[...] on a thread in 2009, a commenter flagged Dan Murphy, an Australian, as pioneering a 100 point system. The retailer that [...]

By: Submissiveness: to critics, to technology « in vino claritas

Submissiveness: to critics, to technology « in vino claritas — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:19:23 +0000

[...] approach? Robert Parker may say he can distinguish between a Pauillac and a Saint-Émilion, but there is room for doubt; the electronic nose, on the other hand, has proven success in distinguishing Coke from Pepsi, [...]

By: Gary Vaynerchuk – Kevin Burke

Gary Vaynerchuk – Kevin Burke — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:37:09 +0000

[...] can’t tell that high priced wines are better than low priced wines, and even Robert Parker gets a ton of wines wrong when he does a blind taste test. So I don’t pretend I can distinguish between different types [...]

By: Here We Go Again « Wine Country BC

Here We Go Again « Wine Country BC — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:21:48 +0000

[...] reviewing process. Robert Parker, perhaps because of the scope of his influence, is subjected to almost microscopic analysis which, though entertaining at times, is not constructive for either his believers or [...]

By: Blind tastings are to wine what strip poker is to love. « Nickel and Dime Wine

Blind tastings are to wine what strip poker is to love. « Nickel and Dime Wine — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:25:33 +0000

[...] since he conducts both barrel and bottle tastings at the winery. In 2009, Parker conducted a 2005 Bordeaux blind tasting during which he misidentified most wines and proclaimed wines he had previously given lower scores [...]

By: wine tasting with blinders on: what’s the point?

wine tasting with blinders on: what’s the point? — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:14:29 +0000

[...] Did you read on Dr. Vino’s blog the fascinating story of blind tasting 2005 Bordeaux with Robert Parker? [...]

By: Paddy O'Flynn

Paddy O'Flynn — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:34:51 +0000

Being Irish and living in St. Emilion since 1988, I understand the Parker predicament. In my first decade here locals were astonished at my ability to recognize and remember wines and vintages.22 years on and it is much more difficult as quite simply I have more references to select from. Parker initially had few references and this increased his percentages of success in blind tastings. The Parkerisation of wines has added to the difficulty of properly assessing wines and vintages. We drank “Vieux Chateau Certan” 2006 this weekend and it was lactic. Parker rated this wine 96 points and it sells for €150 plus. It was disappointing to say the least, in fact, one of our Spanish wine-makers was with me here in St. Emilion for the weekend and he preferred an organic “Cotes de Francs” at under €10 a bottle! Parker’s rating system is a good tool but is nonetheless based on his palate, which is American, and is certainly not flawless.

By: burris

burris — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:15:33 +0000

Folks, double blind means neither the taster nor the pourer knows which wine is in which glass. Just like in a clinical experiment where the doctor doesn’t know if he is giving you the real drug or a placebo. It doesn’t matter if you know what wines are in the line-up.

Its not very blind if you just put bags over the bottles since most bottles differ and can be identified by just the top. The proper way to do a double blind test is to decant the wines into identical bottles numbered 1-8, then leave the room and let someone else come in and put labels A-H over the numbers. Now the tasting is “double blind.”

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:07:16 +0000

I agree with the conclusion from drvino, and I would conclude saying that rating is “one experience” and like all experiences the whole contest has to be considered. I have been saying it on my blog per decades, http://www.italyabroad.com/italian-wine-blog, and the problems with rating is that they are considered too much, especially the ones from Parker and friends, and this blind tasting proves that be taken for what the are, impression on a wine on a certain day under certain circumstances.

By: Daniel Posner

Daniel Posner — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:47:44 +0000

Rama

Obviously, cost would play into not having Petrus, etc. @ $2500/btl, add an extra $200 per person to the event, and you get Petrus…Throw in $50 for Cheval, and $150 for Ausone…OUCH!

By: Dennis

Dennis — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:38:30 +0000

Dr.Vino, you are a great disapointment. This was not about EWS and the 2005 Bordeaux but you personal feelings about RP.
You would do well in the Obama administration.
This is my first and last time at your website.
You are a petty man.

By: Rama Kuchipudi

Rama Kuchipudi — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:04:19 +0000

Nice article but in the end it’s the drinker who decides is this wine satisfying for me or not. I’ve always felt that these Parker scores are somewhat over-rated, and lead to much over-valued wines. On a side note, how come no Petrus, Cheval Blanc, or Ausone on that list? I only ask because I’m a huge Right Bank lover myself:)

By: Eight Reasons the 100 Point Wine Rating Scale Will Go Away | The Bottle Topper

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:50:01 +0000

[...] that a lot of other people have had the same question. Some great discussions online, notably at Dr. Vino and Fermentation, show that everyone has an opinion. I’ve listened to the debate, read the [...]