From time to time we may republish some of our op-ed work because it is a window into how we see wine and, with readerships constantly in flux, it’s hard to know who has seen what.
“Einstein coined the phrase, and gave a very complex explanation for the ‘theory of relatively’ and how that space and time are relative, rather than absolute concepts. If a bit of an arcane tangent, we have observed a similar relativity with wine. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the time/ space continuum, though the end results can depend on the bio-dynamic calendar and the barometric pressure on any given day. What we are getting at is that we have observed a certain theory of relativity with respect to wines.
As we briefly mentioned earlier and in other pieces, how wines taste to you can be a varying experience based on a number of factors. We are convinced that bio-dynamics can play a big part in the wine experience, an observation that has been confirmed on countless occasions. For those not familiar with the bio-dynamic calendar, the basics are that there are four major aspects that are charted. A day can be a ‘fruit’ day, ‘flower’ day, ‘leaf’ day, and ‘root’ day, with ‘fruit’ being the most conducive to tasting wine and each successive being a little less advantageous.
If it sounds like voodoo, that’s what we thought, too. But time has taught us not to argue with Mother Nature. Among those we know familiar with the concept of the biodynamic calendar, there are few that would dispute the validity. While we can’t explain the ‘vibes’, they are real. There is also a pretty significant pattern with respect to barometric pressure, though because it is less ‘documented’ it is perhaps not as widely discussed. In simple terms, wines can taste dramatically different when it’s bright, sunny, and clear outside and when it’s cloudy or even foggy. Altitude? Don’t even get us started.
All of these things add to the relativity of any tasting/drinking any wine at a given time, and can vary the experience of tasting same wine under different auspices. Coupled with the fact that each bottle of the same wine might be slightly different anyway based on a host of factors (cork, age, storage, to name a few), the variation in experience can be rather extreme. Yeah, we’re wine geeks and think about this kind of thing all the time.
Whacky as this may sound, our experience has taught us that this isn’t nonsense. Variations in experience occur in relatively predictable patterns based on the phenomenon we have described. The same wine can taste vastly different on a ‘fruit day’ than on a ‘leaf day’, even within a relatively short time and for no other fathomable reason. Also, we note that wines tend to under-perform when the air is heavier, as if they are affected by the barometric pressure. Maybe it’s the wine, and maybe it’s the human. Or a bit of both. Or maybe we should just get out into the real world more often?
So every experience is to some extent affected by the individual bottle, the biodynamic aura, and the weather, not to mention your own frame of mind, palate experience within a given time frame, and perhaps even the amount of sleep you got the night before? Yep. But that’s not the end of it. Now think about comparing notes with a friend, colleague, or that snotty sommelier at the wine bar.
There are different experiences based on a lot of things that you have no control over, both personally and in the big world around you. You can have an entirely different opinion from someone else based on differences in palate experience and preference. But also your ‘standard deviation’ is further increased/skewed by all those other factors we mentioned. Person ‘A’ having ‘Wine A’ on a sunny, clear ‘fruit’ day can have a vastly different take away than the same person having the same wine on a foggy night that is in biodynamic ‘root’ mode.
Taking that all in, you have even more reason to question the review of a reviewer, particularly reviews on the lower side. Today’s ‘87’ on a ‘leaf day’ where wines tend to lean a bit more savory in profile could be a 92 on a ‘fruit day’ from the same person because all the ‘good stuff’ is in array. The ‘day’ doesn’t necessarily change what’s in the wine, only one’s perception of it. Therein lays the relativity.
Too much to think about? Yeah, we know. We aren’t trying to scare anyone. We’re just pointing out that a lot of factors are always in play that can affect the enjoyment of subjective things. On a root day or a fruit day, one plus one still equals two. But with the glass of Cabernet in your hand, it isn’t quite so black and white. “