DAN BERGER… WINE CRITIC, CARTOONIST OR BLUE CHEESE?

Recently Dan Berger, a syndicated wine critic recently wrote an article entitled: “ Wine writing, blogs and warts”, in which he makes some outrageous statements about the host of wine blogs on the Internet. I do not mean to be inimical towards this individual since I do realize that he does have a couple of  accolades to his name: “Wine Writer Of The Year” by Wines and Vines Magazine and Wine Literary award by the Wine Appreciation Guild.
He has written two books; Beyond The Grapes: An Inside Look At Napa Valley, and Beyond The Grapes: An Inside Look At Sonoma County. He wrote the California wine section of books, “Wine Reports ‘04,05,and ‘06″.  Mr. Berger teaches professional level wine courses at Santa Rosa Junior College, was a full-time wine columnist/reporter for the Los Angeles Times from 1988 to ‘96. He left the Times in ‘96 to publish “Vintage Experiences”, a newsletter that he and his wife put out every week. (He also has a blog…. excuse me, web-site of the same name). Suffice to say, Dan Berger has immersed himself in the wine world and writing about the subject for some time.
I remember a saying that I heard some time ago that is appropriate to what is about to be discussed.. “Experience is the best teacher, but a fool knows no other.” This was dramatically illustrated by an up and coming wine critic some years ago who started his own news letter, “The Wine Advocate.” In that newsletter, he declared the ‘82 vintage of Bordeaux superb in contrast to many of the critics of his time. His judgment of this vintage turned out to be quite accurate putting his name on the map… we know the rest of the story. In 1982, Robert Parker Jr. was virtually unknown. According to the records, he had no formal training in the field of wine, had never received a degree for journalism or writing. His angle was simple; he declared himself a consumer advocate who was not influenced by commercial interests. By some standards, Parker was inexperienced. Did that matter? I believe this is a rhetorical question.
In Mr. Berger’s above mentioned article he takes exception to the numerous bloggers out there who express their opinion and observation about wine. He asserts quite vehemently I might add that most of these sites are written by individuals that as he states treat it as a lark to toss off after a day of arbitraging. Excuse me for screaming plagiarism but it sounds as if Dan has torn a page from the worn out book of bloviating by Robert Parker Jr. who has long looked with askew at wine critics who are also in the business of selling wine or involved some way in the wine business. Parker has also been quite vocal about the many blogs in cyberspace and has referred to them contemptuously as “White Noise”.  Let us take a breather here to make this point: Robert Parker Jr. is not the first and will not be the last newbie to come out with his or her opinion and observation about wine and go on and be well respected. Dan Berger nor anyone else for that matter will be the definitive voice of the wine world. I respect Mr. Berger for both his experience in the wine world and his education in journalism. This in itself does not give him the license to decide who is and who is not qualified to write about wine. Let’s face it, there are many critics of Mr. Parker who believe that his style of tasting, and his influence on the wine making world are flawed. Critics of the critics, what is this world coming to? This is a country in which freedom of speech is coveted and respected. Blogging is an avenue in which individuals can exercise their freedom of speech. It is no different then a “Newsletter” or any other form of writing. Yes, there are blogs out there that do not deserve our time just as there are newsletters out there that do not deserve our time. For that matter, how many television programs are out there that do not deserve our time. My step daughter spends a lot of time watching the ever popular reality television programs that have inundated the channels. I personally find these a waste of time, she does not. God Bless America!!
Mr. Berger is missing a key element on the subject of wine; it is all about individuality. People are intelligent and can decide if a blog, website, or newsletter is worthy of their time. Does the person writing the blog, website or newsletter have a good track record? Do they have a palate that they can trust? Are they consistent and honest in their evaluations about wine? Do they write in an easy to understand manner? As a wine critic and wine steward I understand the value of these questions. We must respect the fact that everyone can feel differently about the same wine. As critics, sommeliers or stewards we simply state or observation and let the individual go from there. No one person is right or wrong.
Dan asserts in his article that the plethora of wine websites or blogs of which he is a contributor have diluted the person-to-person contact and have made wine lovers readers rather then drinkers of the sublime liquid we call wine. How antic is that statement? Anytime you can Google the name of a wine and find a host of tasting notes, suggestions or research, this is beneficial. Let’s say I want to purchase a bottle of wine that might cost me a hundred dollars. I have no problem spending time  researching input, tasting notes or commentary on the particular beverage before I make the investment. Where is the easiest place to do this sort of investigation? Need I say more? This is also true when I read a site that gets exuberant about a good value they have run across in the wine world. I do not care if they have researched the producer, wine maker, terrior, wine making methods, whether or not it was distributed by a negociant etcetera, etcetera. All I care about is how good the wine is and why they feel it is a good value. Good juice for six bucks… I am all over it! If they lead me astray one time, I chalk it up to individual taste and take that into consideration the next time they recommend a wine.
Mr. Berger spent a lot of time perusing his thesaurus and blowing a lot of tired, hot air to prove only one point; He is a paleolithic wine critic who has trouble sharing the limelight with individuals he deems unworthy of the readers attention. My only suggestion to Dan is move aside and share the space or change your career to cartoonist (sorry, you would have to change your name, it has already been taken in this field) or inventor of the famous blue cheese “berger” and leave freedom of speech to others!
Stan