Editor:

I enjoyed reading your article on wine judging points (Opinion/Analysis by Tom Ferrell, May 2007) and wine appreciation (the relevancy of points to pleasure).

I have always felt that despite the service provided by wine critics for the benefit of enhanced enjoyment of wine by their readers, the format of tasting wines by judges is inconsistent with consumption patterns of almost all those who enjoy wine as a mealtime beverage.

Who goes to a restaurant and orders 100 bottles or more to find the perfect wine to accompany their meal? Normally one or two bottles are ordered and paired with food prepared by a chef. The operative word here is food--and that essential component is not present at wine judgings.

(Regardless of) a judge's preference for a certain style, as well as fatigue from tasting (for example) a large assortment of young Cabernets, most wines taste much better paired with certain foods. Some of the more memorable wines I have enjoyed tasted a bit simple until I paired them with a certain food. The harmony of the two was exquisite. Points accorded by a judge were irrelevant. Happy imbibing!

s/ Rob Davis
Jordan Winery



Editor:

To put this story (Two Brands Stall Calistoga AVA, winesandvines.com Headlines) into some perspective: A number of AVA petitions have been delayed due to problems that an AVA name affects an established brand name. The most famous example is the Santa Rita Hills, and also, Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Then there was a recent situation in Oregon with Chehalem Mountains and Eola-Amity Hills, which both had conflicts with established brand names.

As my colleague Sara Schorske wrote many years ago: The establishment of AVAs has always been a somewhat controversial subject, with vintners differing--sometimes strongly--about where boundary lines belong, about how the approval of a proposed area may affect existing brand names in the industry and even about how many AVAs the system can support.

When proposing a new AVA, the proponents should be aware of brand names they may affect by the choice of their name. It should come as no surprise that the owner would object to the loss of its established brand name, and TTB has always tried to be judicious and Solomon-like in achieving a result that harms no one.

s/ Alex Heckathorn
Compliance Service of America