SEEKING HONESTY & INTEGRITY IN WINE WRITING
But Look Out for The Sportswriters
By ALAN GOLDFARB
August 28 2023
The headline, one you never see in wine publications or in general consumer publications which write about wine, was shocking in its intent. But I have to admit – I appreciated it because of its boldness.
James Harden's Wine is a Vintner’s Nightmare
The Beard’s cabernet was as much of a letdown as his playoff performances
I appreciate the boldness of if because the vast preponderance of wine writing – save from less than a handful of journalists who write about the subject with integrity, creativity, or original thought – is a wine marketer’s dream. Although I’m in the business of media relations marketing (PR), but as a longtime wine journalist myself, I very much appreciate and welcome critical thinking.
But finding those writers, as I try to do for my clients, can be a minefield. And if those writers are made aware – with authenticity and a real compelling story – they can be beneficial. Much more valuable than say a writer who spouts word-for-word, from my media kit before engaging with my winery client, and who expresses little original thought.
For instance, I was touted off one writer by a PR colleague, the former who I knew to be very tough but very thorough and honest in her writing. “Oh, she’s poison. She’ll kill you. Stay away from her!”
Admittedly, it was extremely difficult to get said writer to even take a sniff at the client. After the piece was published; and even when at first glance, the client balked at it, the winery finally did see the value of why I even reached out to the writer in the first place. Her article was chockful of interesting tidbits that hadn’t been written about before; and was forthcoming about some of the stresses the winery had been going through. The writer realized that the owner of the winery was working her way through a difficult situation; and was emerging successfully through to the other side.
The client was not used to such truth-telling being written about her winery, but after many discussions before and after the engagement with the writer, the vintner saw the value in the experience. And publicity.
My philosophy when I review wines for publication is that I’m writing for the consumer – not the winery -- the folks who spend their good money on wine. They are entitled to as an honest assessment I can muster. And unless the wine has importance because of its producer and/or price, if I can’t give it a decent review, I won’t bother to write about. (The same viewpoint holds when I receive an invitation to an event or if I wish to receive the wine for review. If I don’t think I can write about it, I won’t accept.)
Which brings me back to that audacious headline, which appeared in the sports journal, Deadspin, whose unabashed credo is “Sports News Without Fear, Favor, or Compromise.”
To prove it, Deadspin – which has absolutely no skin in the wine game – published a faux wine review involving basketball star James Harden. The big-bearded and sometimes great player, is giving the NBA fits with his attempt to extricate himself from the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden, similar to a growing cadre of celebrities who have gotten into the wine and spirits game, is producing wine under the J-Harden label. The wines – the first Californians produced by Australian wine giant Accolade – are priced at about $17.
So, this is what Deadspin’s Sean Beckwith wrote about Harden’s wines, keeping in mind he’s a sport’s writer. I don’t know what qualifies him to comment on wine; and that the article is but a myriad of pieces scalding Harden for his stance at becoming a free agent:
“The first sip of James Harden’s cabernet sauvignon caused a visceral stepback (sic), and the sudden urge to chuck my glass at any wastebasket within 30 feet. Completely bereft of any tannins, the bouquet was as generic as seemingly any bottle picked off the shelves of a 7-Eleven, and went down with equal ease.
“Up until a stomach ache, undoubtedly caused by this swill, ended my foray into a mid-workday buzz, I could envision drinking several bottles of J-Harden as a way to combat my fleeting self-worth.
“J-Harden will have you feeling as empty as his stat line within a few drops. When I uncork a bottle of cab sav, I expect a full body, legs, and enough viscosity to coat your mouth for the rest of the evening. J-Harden had none of that. There was no oaky afterbirth, or lingering flavor to dispel with handfuls of gouda. It just came and went, like a slightly fermented bottle of Welch’s grape juice that had been filtered through a vat of mocha-scented strippers.
“Not only is this bad wine, but it’s also cloying, a sugary attempt to capitalize on the trend of NBA players investing in vineyards. CJ McCollum [another NBA player] didn’t spend his days off in Willamette Valley developing his palate to have his venture sullied like this.
“My tastebuds are as objective as my journalism, and I don’t break them for nobody. So when I say that J-Harden wine is an affront to a proud industry, and should be poured out like a drunkard ridding his house of all alcohol, you know I’m telling the truth.”
Maybe!? And wow! “Afterbirth” and “mocha-scented strippers”? Stupid and sexist.
But such is the nature of sports writing – not wine writing – in America in the second decade of the fin de siècle.
I was once a sportswriter and have a great deal of admiration for the breed. Also, I seek honesty and integrity in wine writers as I try to engage them for my clients. But remind me to stay away from sports writers-cum-wine writer poseurs. They’re “poison”.