The ‘Big’ Burnt Rubber Debate
October 15, 2008
I have just watched a highlights package of the “big” Burnt Rubber Wine Debate organised by Richard Kelley MW (of importer Richards Walford) in the UK and attended by a host of UK Wine journo’s (notably Jane MacQuitty) and some of the best winemakers from South Africa (including cult figure Eben Sadie).
I can confidently confirm that the debate was a complete and utter waste of time, money and effort.
Watch it yourself:
They concluded nothing other than what we already know - the trait exists, tests are being done and until we have the test results back we have no idea what causes the burnt rubber smell and/or how to fix it.
And while I’m at it - why on earth would you invite South Africa’s best winemakers to the debate when surely none of their wines exude the pungent character?
Invite the culprits and get them to discuss it - and for crumbs sake list the wines that exude the burnt rubber trait! At least then we’d all be able to go and taste them for ourselves (and formulate our own opinion’s).
Instead we have to put up with the harsh opinions of rottweiler UK journo’s and listen to the desperate defenses of South Africa’s best wine makers (who I might add aren’t even defending themselves!).
Posted in Videos, Views & Opinions
October 17th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Tad defensive there….
I think the key points are that
1) there is no common agreement on what flavour is meant by ‘burned rubber’ descriptor
2) some people are sensitive to ‘it’ more than others are
3) there are those that hate it while others don’t eben notice it — or call it by another descriptor. But is their ‘burnt rubber’ the same as my ’smoky’ or your ‘green’?
As for the ‘harsh opinions of rottweiler UK journo’s ‘… well, they have the ear of your customers and you can either reply ‘thats what it is supposed to taste like’ or do something about it.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:16 am
They certainly do have the collective ears of a massive customer base and it is right that SA winemakers listen and respond positively….it just seems a little cynical though…’the UK journo’s steering SA winemakers in the right direction’ sort of vibe pisses me off (and all the SA winemakers judging by the atmosphere in that meeting) - hell they don’t even make any bloody wine worth drinking over here so who put them in charge anyway?! - yes I know, the customers who they influenced in the first place..
October 20th, 2008 at 9:22 am
the debate confirmed nothing more than what we knew before hand - so in my opinion it was a waste of time and money. and they got the wrong winemakers to talk about it.
as your points prove - there is no use debating it cause there is no right answer until the scientific tests come out.
you and i could sit and debate it for hours but we wont conclude anything and even if we do we would have to wait for the test results to come back to either prove and/or disprove what we have concluded!
so for now opinions matter little.
November 16th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
As a regular consumer I find it very encouraging that this problem is finally being addressed in South Africa and I think involving the quality producers is very positive. It’s their wines that will remain untouched unless the entry levels wines are of a quality that will encourage consumers to spend a few more euro’s/pounds to see what the next level is like.
Disturbingly though there’s still a lot of disbelief/denial to be sensed in this meeting. The first time this characteristic was highlighted to me 3 or 4 years ago was in a restaurant and the owner recomended our table a S.African wine. She automatically added that we should not worry, it doesn’t have that S.African taste. Now I can assure you, very few restaurant owners in provincial Holland would know who Jane McQuitty & Co is!
This problem is very underestimated and the premiums are not neccesarily excempted. Only this past week I had a Merlot 2003 from a winery represented at this meeting in the video and the wine displayed all the classic ‘burnt rubber’ characteristics which make me so reluctant to try S.African reds.
As for the defesiveness of some of the winemakers, I can’t imagine what British critics would be gaining from this criticism if it wasn’t well intended. I see the attention as rather flattering considering there’s very little criticism towards the e.g. Chileans regarding their coffee Cabernets which are equally unappealing. The latter at least is a a matter of taste easily corrected when that fad passes. The burnt rubber issue will however not pass unless seriously looked at. Ask any French producer who lost his supermarket business to the Australians in the 90’s what good pigheadedness does.
At the end of the day I don’t have to buy/drink S.African wines but given the quality of the S.African whites it’s a great pity to see the potential for reds not fully realised. There is a huge gap waiting to be filled for lovers of New World reds frustrated with Australian sameness, Californian unobtainability and Chilean Nescafé.