The tasting team is in turmoil!

Weird things are happening here at Winepunters HQ. We like to get a number of punters together to taste the wines we review. This team approach gives us the best chance of reaching a balanced opinion.

Mostly this involves a lot of sniff, sip, swallow and the occasional spit. This is followed by much nodding and bumping of gums. We quickly realise we are all in furious agreement. Pleasant but just a tad boring. But not lately however ....

Our normally quiet and easy going tasting team has been torn apart by conflict. Debate has raged, insults exchanged and tantrums thrown. So what has turned these wine loving peaceniks into an episode of Underbelly? 

Is it the election? Please. We bet you a month on cask wine that this is the most boring exercise in democracy this country has seen. Even the true believers are hard pushed to work up any real passion.

Australia votes 2010 indeed. More like Australia gets bored, tunes out and spends all it's time wondering what Jason Akermanis is going to do now 2010.

Actually not even the football has caused this sort of heat and Collingwood is actually on top of the ladder!

No this sort of disagreement can only come from something that's more important than life itself ... a Tassie wine

Specifically .....

The 2009 Glen Shian Riesling

This wine has polarised the tasting team like no other. We're not just talking a slight difference of opinion either. Frankly this wine is, depending on who yelled last, either a lovely laid back riesling or the worst wine in creation.

The case for the affirmative

Those of the team that liked this wine praised it's gentle nature and delighted in it's subtle lemon and apple spice flavours. They argued that it became even better with the lemon flavour intensifying as the wine warmed up.

The case for the negative.

The nay sayers said it smelt and tasted of 'nothing with a touch of acid'. In fact they likened this riesling to having a shower in a wet suit, dancing with your sister, and eating low fat ice cream ... a bit pointless. 

So, in summary then ...

So, what to make of the 09 Glen Shian Riesling? There was some suggestion that we may have purchased a 'dud' bottle. If this is the case then the resolution is simple. We approach Glen Shian for a replacement and have another tasting.

The problem is that faulty wines are not liked by some and hated by others. Usually everyone complains. Maybe what we have here is just a wine that evokes definate but wildly different reactions. The wine version of Revenge of the Nerds II if you like (hang on, I thought no one liked that - Ed).

A valuable lesson

But maybe this wine should be called amazing. After all it's taught us something. Wine tasting, like art appreciation, is horribly subjective. Reactions to wine can be so varied and rely on personal preference so much we have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a wine expert. Just wine drinkers of varying experience.

Remember that the next time you encounter a wine snob, get criticised for your love of cask wine or fork out money on a wine book (cough ... unless it's written by us - Ed).

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