What is a Wine Expert?

I had an interesting conversation the other day. It happened to be with a bartender who knows wine pretty well and was behind the bar at a restaurant with a not insignificant wine list. He remarked that I was one of his few customers who had ordered a particular wine and he thought it was one of the very best wines and especially one of the very best values on his list. When I responded that it was a great wine that is not easy to find and is very food-friendly, he replied that he agreed. But, he followed that most of his customers who come in make themselves out to be wine experts and that a fair number proclaim themselves to be. He also said that those same people never veer off the popular few grapes.

As we continued the discussion, he pours lots of Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot. But, while they have some on their list that nobody has ever heard of, those are the wines that people know. 

So, I thought about it. What exactly is a wine expert? That's a tough question. Some number of people have proven their expertise. If you are a Master Sommelier or a Master of Wine, you are a wine expert in my mind. Likely, if you are one step below that, you are still a wine expert, although it's possible that some might say you are not. But, what of the people who have chosen not to pursue the examination route? In fact, to complete the examination process of the Court of Master Sommeliers, you must demonstrate your expertise in wine service, but whether that is critical in being a wine expert is a matter for debate. Further, as more people took the exams, the Court began to limit who could actually take the higher level exams to people who are actively in the service industry.

Some people are experts in a particular type of wine or region. At one of our local wine stores, I was saddened to learn that my favorite staff member in the store had retired because he was no longer physically able to stay on his feet all day long. He is a Master of Italian Wine. While his knowledge of other regions is much weaker, he really knows his Italian wines. He has expertise in grapes that most of us have never heard of. But, by his own admission, he is not particularly strong in, for example, Australian wines. Is he a wine expert?

In short, I don't know who is a wine expert. I do know that most self-proclaimed experts are not. Lots of people can talk a good game until they need to stop and listen to what others know. Suddenly, they find that their expertise is limited to the teo dozen wineries they have visited plus the favorite wine of their significant other.

To me, wine experts, at the very least, know pretty much everything I have written here over the last nearly 14 months ... and a lot more. All the rest are pretenders who like to brag about their wine knowledge, particularly after drinking too much wine.


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