Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage 2004

By mthomas

I managed to bluetooth this pic from my new  phone. I am not a great photographer or a  technophile so am pleased the experiment worked  and will use this approach in future (and hopefully  refine my  photography). I would like to blog more  frequently  and guess the key to this will be  improving my use  of ICT so that I am more  adept. I  often don’t blog  on tastings and research papers because of time constraints. I am also keen that it does not become a blog about mundanities of my life or an ego trip along the line of some of blogs out there…

I opened a bottle of Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 2004 to accompany a double rack of lamb (badly butchered by me from a lamb swapped with the farmer for a sack of scallops - long story). It was really aromatic and full of herbs (rosemary) and spices that worked really well with the meat. Some slightly woody and eucalyptus notes eased off as it opened up and the 100% Syrah fruitiness shone through. I think the 04s are really good at the moment and offer a lot of value. The Rhone has produced good wine in just about every year (apart from the catastrophic 2002) since the late 90s and you can do a lot worse than the 04s until the 01s and 05s are ready to drink. Even better, pick up some bargain 98s and 99s that have mellowed over the last decade.

“The Crozes Hermitage vineyard is the largest of all the northern Rhône Valley Appellations. It extends over 11 communes situated in the Drôme, on the left bank of the Rhône. The Domaine de Thalabert has belonged to the Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 1834. It is situated on the plain, and is the oldest in the Appellation”  For more about their wines and the Rhone have a look at their website which is well-organised and informative.

Grapestalk

By mthomas

In amongst the xmas email mountain was an invitation to write an article on psychology and wine for Grapestalk. I wasn’t familiar with the magazine but, having now read some of the issues online, I am really impressed by the quality of a publication from what appears to be a relatively small operation (The Association of Small Direct Wine Merchants - ASDW).

In the latest issue (number 10 - pictured) I enjoyed Robert Parker’s review of Harry Karis’ new book on Chateauneuf. The issue also contains lots of articles on wine as well as diverting reads such as ‘Demystifying French’ and ‘Provencal Flatbreads’. How can you not love an online magazine that can pull in Parker to review a book and find room to celebrate a regional bread!

Have a look at all the issues here.

The Bottle Apostle

By mthomas

It is really good to see new independent retailers like The Bottle Apostle opening (website here). This is especially true when they are in the East End and therefore easily accessible for me. The Apostle is clearly at home in ‘Hackney Village’, just along from the excellent Ginger Pig butchers and opposite the Empress of India ‘gastropub’. Those seeking an old style Hackney experience can still wander through Victoria Park to ‘The Top of the Morning’ pub in Hackney Wick (as I sometime do with friends) but this area is also gentrifying at a swift pace following the influx of artists fleeing Hoxton in the hope of finding affordable studio space .

Anyway, whatever your view of gentrification, the Bottle Apostle is an attractive space with welcoming staff (all of whom seem to be called Tom) and most importantly a good range of the kind of wines you don’t tend to see on supermarket shelves. I plumped for; 2007 Riesling Kabinett Der Brauneberg, 2008 Zarate Albarino (I think Jancis R liked the 2007 so this is worth a punt) and 2008 Pinot Blanc from Domaine Bruno Sorg (pictured).

They are varietals I particularly like and although all were around the ten quid mark I think this is where true value often lies.  I will try to remember to review them when I open them…

It is so refreshing not to be treated like an idiot (bogus supermarket discounts and hyped up medal blurb) even if this is not the cheapest selection of wines in town.  I think they may have to rethink the Enomatic machines as I am unconvinced that they merit the space and must be a significant investment for a relatively small set up. Better to have a few open bottles, a cheap but effective Vacuvin and friendly banter.  They are organising tastings (see site) and currently have a witty competition to design a label for their own claret. Hopefully not the first step in a global branding campaign.

I was saddened to see the plight of Threshers, the 112 year old off-licence chain founded by Samual Thresher, following First Quench Retailing going into administration. Victoria Wine, an important venue in my youth, was merged with Thresher in 1998. Wine cellar recently sold 109 shops after similar difficulties and Unwins had already become part of Threshers in 2005.  Oddbins bought by Castel in 2002 was sold at a huge loss. Majestic however seems to be weathering the storm, in part due to the welcome move to reducing its minimum buy to six bottles, but the supermarkets seem to be heading towards an oligopoly (intended or not).

It is hard for conusmers to resist the retail advantages of the supermarkets. Even harder perhaps for producers to negotiate in a marketplace where they are so ‘outgunned’ by retailers. And, as for the critics and bloggers, what is their role in the wine economy? I like to think of myself  as a relatively independent blogger due to my main job as a Psychologist, and  I try to retain some objectivity when tasting (though would not be naive enough to proclaim a Ralph Nader inspired unimpeachability). I am aware of more than a few ‘critics’ who are so involved with the trade that their claims of objectivity, which is at best a fragile construct, are laughable.

I hope the Bottle Apostle thrives and will do my best to support it and other similar independents. I have no financial links with it but, ‘call me old-fashioned’, I just like local shops with good stock and the human touch.

Comments on photos (and architecture)

By mthomas

Photography by Steve Howse for Decanter

In a recent blog I used an image from a photoshoot for Decanter Magazine commissioned to accompany an article for their ‘My Passion for Wine’ slot. The image was not the one used in the article but people seem to really like it and have asked me about the angular building in the background (see below). The ’shoot’ was at the University of East London Stratford Campus where I am based for part of my week. I am not used to being photographed, especially by a professional in public, so it was a strange experience despite Steve doing his best to put me at ease.

The building in the picture is the new Conference Centre at Stratford (soon to be venue of the De-medicalising Misery Conference (conference website here) run by my friend and colleague Professor Mark Rapley, Head of the training programme for Clinical Psychologists an Antipodean with an interest in wine and very GSOH.

The campus has had a huge overhaul including the new Cass School of Education (picture to the right) and refurbished open spaces. It is not as striking as our Dockland Campus which regularly wins architectural awards but is a great place to work.  Here is more information on the campuses and buildings for those of an architectuaral inclination.

My office looks out over a green space containing a sculpture/garden that was at the Chelsea flower show. Perhaps more exciting is that my desk faces the Olympic site and I am monitoring the building progress and rise of the new (temple of consumerism) Westfield Centre. More importantly, things are settling down, for students and staff, after the unavoidable upheaval of the building work.

Photography by Steve Howse for Decanter

The image that was selected for the Decanter article was similar to the one on the left taken in the University library (an attempt to add intellectual gravitas perhaps). It was significantly different though in that I was looking up (recalling a trauma  or diassociating due to the embarassment of being ’shot’) and gives the impression of me being slightly eccentric (Hannibal Lecter meets Woody Allen). People who meet me who have seen it are surprised I am not aloof and geeky! People who know me are convinced that it catches some important aspect of my personality. A big thanks to Steve and Decanter for allowing me to use his work and UEL for investing in such great buildings.

The emails from readers reminded me how important photography can be (especially in text heavy blogs). I guess I am lucky in that I have two good friends who are talented photographers. Huw Williams who did a lot of the early pics for the site (and was great on the technological stuff too) and James Wilson who used to work with a lot of well known photographers but now seems to specialise in taking lovely pictures of my wife and kids but embarassing pictures of me. I am a bit sceptical of ‘disclosure’ generally, and even more so on wine blogs; especially if it is along the lines of ‘we got a new hamster today’ but people have asked for a bit more info so there you go…

Belated update on the ‘mad’ world of wine

By mthomas

Photography by Steve Howse for Decanter

I have been so caught up in my practice, teaching, marking, writing and acting as an external examiner for Doctoral vivas that I feel like a terrible slacker in terms of blogging and wine. There have been some incredible things going on in the world of wine (dare I mention Billionaire’s Vinegar?) but I have not been able to find time to comment on these seismic events or the ‘fall-out’ on other blogs. I think the picture of me to the left captures a sense of the world speeding along as I contemplate things… 

Despite this, I have managed to read a couple of books and have added them to the bibliography/research list as I think they are both fundamentally psychological in terms of what they say about important issues and figures in the world of wine. The first Billionaire’s Vinegar has resulted in some really contentious blogs and forum contributions that have been fascinating to follow. I would not want to add to hurt feelings or lawyers’ profits but would urge people to be aware of the issues involved as they cut across the world of  ‘fine, rare and old wine’ in terms of  provenance, reputation, expert opinion, economics and potential conflicts of interest. The psychological implications of this compelling but slightly tawdry tale could occupy a gaggle of PhD students for some time.

The other book, now in paperback, is the Emperor of Wine by Elin McCoy (hardback picked up in an Oxfam bookshop in Bristol between vivas) which I have been meaning to read for some time. Robert Parker is, without doubt, a fascinating character and probably the most influential person in the world of wine (perhaps ever). Being that influential is bound to involve costs and benefits and I am constantly weighing these up in terms of his influence. Again, some blogs take polemic stances on homogeneity, the validity of scales and issues of independence and are often compulsive reading. For example this recent contribution from Jonah Lehrer on the neuropsychology of ratings and the inherent limitations of the approach. I think there are other limitations linked not only to subjectivity but to the properties ascribed to scales (which are sometimes not grounded in statistical logic).  I also think we need to distinguish issues from people and that simplistic splitting into good\bad usually fails to capture the complexity of human experience. I will review the books when things calm down (in every sense).

McCoy, E. (2008) The Emperor of Wine - The remarkable story of the rise and reign of Robert Parker Published by Grub Street

ISBN-10: 1906502242  ISBN-13: 978-1906502249

Wallace, B. (2009) The Billionaire’s Vinegar; The mystery of the world’s most expensive bottle of wine Three Rivers Press (CA)

ISBN-10: 0307338789 ISBN-13: 978-0307338785

Wine Enjoyment

By mthomas

I have kindly been asked to lecture on the groundbreaking Masters degree in Applied Positive Psychology run by Dr Illona Boniwell and have agreed that my talk will focus on ‘enjoyment’. I have therefore been musing on content for this and previously suggested that wine enjoyment W(e) can be understood as a function of 3 main variables;

- features of the wine itself (W),
- personality or self (P)
- environment or context in which it is drunk (E)

W(e) = f (W, P, E)

I am trying to model this in more detail and would really appreciate suggestions regarding the variables involved. The ultimate aim is to minimise attribution errors and optimise the integrative transformation that defines our subjective experience of drinking a wine, and the enjoyment or interest derived from it.

I am also interested in the relationship between Hedonic and Eudaimonic Valence associated with wine consumption. In less jargonistic terms the different types of enjoyment or value that can be had. I sometimes joke that the former (Hedonic-  which is associated with the pleasing taste and intoxicating properties of wine) is more likely to give you a hangover than the enjoyment derived from the latter (Eudaimonic aspects such as learning about wine or sharing it with friends).

Martin Seligman, the ‘godfather’ of positive psychology, is a wine fan and I wonder what a positive psychology of wine might look like. I guess key concepts might include ‘temperance’.  I would be interested in your suggestions…

Boniwell, I (20068) Positive Psychology in a Nutshell (second edition)PWBC ISBN 978-0954838782

The website of Illona’s Personal Well-Being Centre (PWBC) is here

The Wine Society Tasting Guide and the Social Media Revolution

By mthomas

I am an unapologetic fan (and member) of The Wine Society and generally find it to be the best UK independent wine retailer in terms of wine quality and customer care.  Over the last 135 years it has built up relationships with producers that are based on trust and symbiosis rather than fleeting market trends and global branding concerns. As a member of a co-operative I feel valued and engaged with the business in a way I never experience whilst browsing the shelves of supermarkets.

The society website, whilst not exactly cutting edge, is functional and worth a visit. It has a useful text guide to tasting that includes a basic ‘how to’ but also extends to spotting faults and matching wine with food. A new addition is a short and simple video guide to tasting which I guess signals a move towards new ways of communicating with members.

I have been reading up on new communication and marketing technologies and trends in the wine world and guess my site and blog are representative of some of these. The Wall Street Journal has recently published an article related to this under the headline ‘Luxury Wine Market Reels from Downturn’. It suggests that some wineries are using online services such as Facebook and Twitter to target consumers directly and that this is increasing revenue. The evidence for the efficacy of this approach appears limited at present but the exponential increase in social networking media suggests that it will be increasingly important in future.

You have probably noticed the AddThis buttons at the bottom of my posts. These let you share posts etc with friends via sites like digg and Facebook. If you are not already using these, try them out. Try to find a sharing site that has the kind of content you like and also start flagging up articles for others to enjoy.