Parker defends grenache tasting to angry Rioja producers |
| Print |
| Written by Richard Siddle | |||||||||||||
| Friday, 13 November 2009 | |||||||||||||
|
The tasting, which attracted over 530 people and is thought to be biggest of its kind ever held in Europe, saw some Rioja producers boycott the event in protest as it was not based on wines or varieties indigenous to the region.
One leading producer told harpers.co.uk it would be like a car expert doing a talk to Porsche manufacturers in Stuttgart about the wonders of Ferrari. "It is a disgrace. It is his first time in Rioja and this is how he treats us. I am very angry," he said.
Parker, however, told the audience at the tasting last night that it was not meant to be slight to Rioja but he had chosen grenache, or gernacha, for his tasting as a "homage to Spain".
He said as that this was a world wine conference with delegates from nearly 60 countries he wanted to do a tasting that could compare wines from around the world. He argued he would not have been able to do the same level of tasting if it had only been based around Rioja´s indigenous tempranillo variety - before adding how much he also "loved" the variety.
As this was an "educational tasting" he had to choose a varietal that could demonstrate the diverse styles of wine that could be made from the one grape. And as he wanted to bring in wines from California, Australia, France as well as Spain grenache fitted the bill perfectly.
He also stressed that during the 31 years he has spent as a wine critic, Spain had witnessed the biggest "revolution" in terms of its wine quality than any other country in the world.
The tasting which covered 20 wines included 18 grenache-based wines, seven from France, two from California, five from Spain and four from Australia. But with a nod to his hosts it also included two wines from Rioja; a 1945 Marques de Riscal Reserva and a Contador 2007.
Share This
Email This
Comments (3)
paul white
said:
|
|||||||||||||
Show/Hide comments |
It wouldn't have been all that difficult to find quality tempranillo from Oregon, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal or in South America to illustrate its diversity beyond Rioja. But one has to get off one's fat a*s and make an effort. |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
The Watcher
said:
|
Parker is just ensuring we all understand what a twit he really is. I am suprised so many people would want to listen to this moron!!! |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
Andrew Halliwell
said:
|
I don´t really agree with these simplistic Parker-bashing comments. I found the tasting interesting, as much for the choice as wines as for Mr. Parker´s anecdotes. Obviously you "could" do a Tempranillo tasting from the rest of the world, and I´ve no doubt there are many excellent examples out there. But ultimately Spain dominates Tempranillo, whereas Grenache is a truly world-grape with a long history in a number of regions - which is what Mr. Parker chose to show to this international crowd. It´s easy to understand the point of the Rioja producer mentioned, but I think if you look at it from another angle, it´s quite a coup that this major conference was hosted in Logrono and not in, say, Bordeaux, Dijon, Stellenbosch, Mendoza etc. etc. etc. 7 of the 20 wines tasted were Spanish, hardly cause for complaint I would have thought, and afterall Grenache is a component in Rioja, but one which is often derided for it´s lack of colour etc - something which I think this tasting demonstrated does not have to be the case. In the local paper today, the Rioja region seems happy with the result. |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
Show/Hide comment form
