Vinomofo Wine Deals

[AnonymousCoward]

Is this "Bogan" one of the Black Market Specials?

Not currently

 

[Steady]

Oh, I'm a long time lurker so thought it was time to start chiming in...

Welcome aboard hillsgirl

 

[tehuringa]

Scoring wines is pretty stupid. The score is not given to the liquid in the bottle, it is given to the interaction between the taster and the wine, a perceptual event in the brain that is impacted on by lots of factors aside from the wine itself..... if you at a cellar door, drinking with family and friends over a great dinner, $#%@ed off after a bad day at work, etc. They really should come with a variation factor built in like +/- 5 points

I guess we've come to expect them now as a ready reckoner of quality but realistically the best you can do is align yourself with a critic (or taste widely and get recommendations from friends and family) that seems to resonate with your own tastes. Point creep is another issue with critics.... some stupidly high scores being given to wines that defy logic on a global wine industry scale... got to sell magazines/ subscriptions though.

 

[Rocket09]

Scoring wines is pretty stupid. The score is not given to the liquid in the bottle, it is given to the interaction between the taster and the wine, a perceptual event in the brain that is impacted on by lots of factors aside from the wine itself..... if you at a cellar door, drinking with family and friends over a great dinner, $#%@ed off after a bad day at work, etc. They really should come with a variation factor built in like +/- 5 points

I guess we've come to expect them now as a ready reckoner of quality but realistically the best you can do is align yourself with a critic (or taste widely and get recommendations from friends and family) that seems to resonate with your own tastes. Point creep is another issue with critics.... some stupidly high scores being given to wines that defy logic on a global wine industry scale... got to sell magazines/ subscriptions though.

I recently saw an episode of WineLibraryTV with Gary Vaynerchuk (Youtube channel and worth a look) in which he gave a wine 15pts less than Robert Parker....and Gary knows his wine. Huge disparity, points are a guideline at best! I usually check 2 or 3 critic reviews when purchasing a wine with a decent price tag.

 

[burmans]

Whilst I'm not an expert in defamation law, I can tell you that you cannot be sued for publishing an objective opinion.

Well, you can be sued but yes indeed you may well win if you can establish it is an objective opinion. Most writers (and reviewers in general) would rather avoid the hassle, particularly if there is no real value in publishing in the first place.

 

[burmans]

Scoring wines is pretty stupid. The score is not given to the liquid in the bottle, it is given to the interaction between the taster and the wine, a perceptual event in the brain that is impacted on by lots of factors aside from the wine itself..... if you at a cellar door, drinking with family and friends over a great dinner, $#%@ed off after a bad day at work, etc. They really should come with a variation factor built in like +/- 5 points

I guess we've come to expect them now as a ready reckoner of quality but realistically the best you can do is align yourself with a critic (or taste widely and get recommendations from friends and family) that seems to resonate with your own tastes. Point creep is another issue with critics.... some stupidly high scores being given to wines that defy logic on a global wine industry scale... got to sell magazines/ subscriptions though.

Bit of a contradiction here, you start of saying scores are rubbish and then suggest we choose a writer who aligns with our opinion (who has probably also scored the wine). Yes, they are subjective, yes scores vary considerably, but with thousands of different wines out there I am more likely to try and/or take a risk on a wine that a reviewer whose tastes align with mine has rated highly than one that doesn't rate highly.

Its an imperfect system but beyond tasting every wine (a clearly impractical task) its what I have found is the best we have got to guide me to which wines I should be trying and buying. Friends and family, well aside from a couple I prefer the critics tastebuds.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Well, you can be sued but yes

Not likely as the matter would not proceed past discovery and would be dismissed by the court before trial.

 

[blackcat20]

How do you think it compares to V&A Lane? Worth the $22 asking price?

Haven't tried the Wynns yet (I'm OS) but happily slurp down the Wolf Blass. Definitely worth $22, though I was happier with the $7 we paid

 

[tehuringa]

Bit of a contradiction here, you start of saying scores are rubbish and then suggest we choose a writer who aligns with our opinion (who has probably also scored the wine). Yes, they are subjective, yes scores vary considerably, but with thousands of different wines out there I am more likely to try and/or take a risk on a wine that a reviewer whose tastes align with mine has rated highly than one that doesn't rate highly.

Its an imperfect system but beyond tasting every wine (a clearly impractical task) its what I have found is the best we have got to guide me to which wines I should be trying and buying. Friends and family, well aside from a couple I prefer the critics tastebuds.

No contradiction at all. I've said it is a process that realistically doesn't make any sense as it implies an accuracy that just isn't there, but we have now come to expect them to be included as a "rough" guide to quality. The best we can do is find a critic that seems to align with our/your palate/tastes. Which is exactly what you do. Only a small percentage of wine consumers do just that. The vast majority work off the recommendations of family, friends or are influenced by price and label design.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

No contradiction at all. I've said it is a process that realistically doesn't make any sense as it implies an accuracy that just isn't there, but we have now come to expect them to be included as a "rough" guide to quality. The best we can do is find a critic that seems to align with our/your palate/tastes.

Just because something is imperfect or imprecise doesn't mean it 'it doesn't make any sense at all'. Whilst we can argue whether something is 95pts or 94pts, it is generally a superior wine to an 85 pointer. Treat scores for what they are: an imprecise estimation at a point in time, and you generally won't be disappointed. Trying to ascribe more weight then that leads to angry diatribes about the system IME

 

[tehuringa]

Just because something is imperfect or imprecise doesn't mean it 'it doesn't make any sense at all'. Whilst we can argue whether something is 95pts or 94pts, it is generally a superior wine to an 85 pointer. Treat scores for what they are: an imprecise estimation at a point in time, and you generally won't be disappointed. Trying to ascribe more weight then that leads to angry diatribes about the system IME

For me it doesn't make any sense but others milage may vary.... it's a moving target, wine is constantly evolving; the taster is a moving target; to render an absolute in those circumstances doesn't add up. It is a snapshot from a certain period of time, under circumstances that you are unlikely to recreate, by a palate that is more than likely different to yours. Still as you mention, and as I've mentioned previously, if used as a ballpark gauge for quality it can be useful and cut through a noisy market. Mind you , I guess my situation is different so I can certainly see how others hang off them.

 

[Violin]

Just because something is imperfect or imprecise doesn't mean it 'it doesn't make any sense at all'. Whilst we can argue whether something is 95pts or 94pts, it is generally a superior wine to an 85 pointer. Treat scores for what they are: an imprecise estimation at a point in time, and you generally won't be disappointed. Trying to ascribe more weight then that leads to angry diatribes about the system IME

Interesting discussion. Scores are useful for determining what the VM secret deals are (hence popularity of this thread!) and can be useful if you are able to get a calibration with a reviewer who has preferences/language that match with yours. A friend uses Winefront in exactly this way. In the same way, this thread is pretty useful for those who have bought a few VM wines and can provide their views. Beefarmer's description of Hannah and the Lion was a really good pointer - particularly advice on leaning towards sweeter fruit. Keep it up Beefarmer!

 

[burmans]

Just because something is imperfect or imprecise doesn't mean it 'it doesn't make any sense at all'. Whilst we can argue whether something is 95pts or 94pts, it is generally a superior wine to an 85 pointer. Treat scores for what they are: an imprecise estimation at a point in time, and you generally won't be disappointed. Trying to ascribe more weight then that leads to angry diatribes about the system IME

Yeah I agree, while tehuringa may disagree the fact there are some writers whos opinion and ranking hold some value implies there is "some" value to them. Maybe not much but not "none".

 

[tehuringa]

Yeah I agree, while tehuringa may disagree the fact there are some writers whos opinion and ranking hold some value implies there is "some" value to them. Maybe not much but not "none".

I'm not saying there is no value to them, just that it is a flawed metric

I haven't even touched on score creep, marketing tie-ins between writers/retailers/wineries, conflicts of interest, blind/open label tastings, bias and all sorts of other juicy stuff that distort scores ..... but I wont

 

[burmans]

I'm not saying there is no value to them, just that it is a flawed metric

I haven't even touched on score creep, marketing tie-ins between writers/retailers/wineries, conflicts of interest, blind/open label tastings, bias and all sorts of other juicy stuff that distort scores ..... but I wont

Yeah, I dont fundamentally disagree that the view of some writers is worth much less than others to me (no names but the words score-creep describe one to a T). But nevertheless being time constrained there are a small group whose opinions on the relative value of wines I have determined over time I largely agree with, and hence do ascribe a fair bit of value to.

 

[penegal]

I agree to an extent - beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and wine ratings certainly vary due to individual taste and the taster's palate / mood on the day.

However there is an external metaphysic to the tasting and rating of wines. This is why I do pay some credibility to critics reviews. I have identified some critics who's tastes align with mine, and I tend to take their reviews more seriously.

At the end of the day, the best taste is your own, which is why I always love wine tastings and cellar door visits, even if I buy the wine later through another channel (e.g. cheaper).

 

[burmans]

I always love wine tastings and cellar door visits, even if I buy the wine later through another channel (e.g. cheaper).

I enjoy wine tastings and cellar door visits too, but have to say I've had to drink a fair bit of cough wine over the years, so am now somewhat more circumspect as to those I attend, usually guided by the scoring and/or recommendations of critics/friends (and lets face it, they think they are critics too) whose tastes align!

Once again, I dont have time to go to every wine cellar in the country so Id be lying if I said the reviews of others dont have some bearing on who I visit (a carefully selected group or reviewers though!).

 

[beefarmer]

I have just typed in a few paragraphs only to have them disappear on me. very miffed. I will make this considerably briefer. having the 2012 glenlofty shiraz viognier. I really like it, and am without food as I had to have my bbq t bone at 5.30. fruit forward without being fruity, nice dark plum with crimson tinges. a lot riding on this one, since the older 2011 brother was a beaut. the older sister, the 2011 chardonnay I find extremely rough. so , with heightened excitement, I find the 2012 SV extremely good. lovely hints of Victorian pepper, nicely balanced, medium in body, you cant see your fingers thru it - another good thing based on the varietal of course, in fact I recently read that from a winemaker that 'if he can see his fingers thru his wine, he has made a bad one". I asked about this one being funky to a VM poster. It isn't unlike the Chalmers 2013 Arturo. Now that is funky, but nice. This one would go even better with a steak. some VM'ers talk about their wine improving with air - this one is very good to start with. Time is running out so I highly recommend this one and await further comments. I think it is a very well made wine .

 

[Hyland]

Is it just me or has Vinomofo become like "the bold and the beautiful " where you can tune in 3 times a year and its the same old stuff on offer. Ridge Shiraz, Brook Sauvignon Blanc and Taylor Pinot Noir

 

[Princess Fiona]

Is it just me or has Vinomofo become like "the bold and the beautiful " where you can tune in 3 times a year and its the same old stuff on offer. Ridge Shiraz, Brook Sauvignon Blanc and Taylor Pinot Noir

No, it's not just you. Haven't been tempted in a while to hit the one click to buy button.