Wine is a pretty common subject, now considered as a fashionable and trendy
subject, every communication media dedicates some time to the beverage of
Bacchus. Television, newspapers, radio, internet and magazines all dedicate
columns and programs to the visibility of wine. There is no doubt wine is
indissolubly connected to our culture, a reason which probably justifies its
imposing presence on mass communication. Talking about wine, there is no doubt
about this, is good for wine, provided it is done honestly, correctly and with
good criteria, in every aspect and loyally. What it is not good for wine are
some know-it-all behaviors which inevitably get full of exaggeration,
making wine into something it is not, as if they would made everyone believe at
any cost iron is like gold. There is no doubt that being in the limelight, in
front of an audience more or less interested and more or less disposed to listen
critically to some non sense, offers a good temptation to mount a silly show,
even convinced to appear credible, authoritative and indisputable.
Anyway wine - besides being a beverage, first of all - it essentially is an
emotion, a subjective experience in which everyone finds something different
from any other else. We are not all alike. There is who is disposed to listen
and to support the sumptuous comments of others, who with a know-it-all and
expert behavior also believing they can convince everyone with their infallible
opinion. Most of the times, being in the doubt of ignorance and discomfort, it
is always better to stay in the wave of majority, in order to have the
impression of being on the right side. According to a social point of
view, belonging to a group which is identifiable in specific philosophies,
school of thought and life styles, it is something very interesting for human
beings, as if this would be enough in order to have an identity and dignity, in
other words, to be acceptable. Something that, there is no doubt, we can find in
wine as well, which is sometimes used as an element of identity among its
supporters.
How much important is the power of suggestion in the communication of wine?
Suggestion in wine plays an important role, just like in every other product,
just like in every other type of marketing. An example can be represented by the
so called labels drinkers who consider, first of all, the producer and
what it is written on the label, then to the content of the bottle. Even worse
are the ones who are fond of some labels and some wines without having never
tasted them, without having never seen their bottles for real. Power of
suggestion! It is enough to be convincing in saying a producer or a wine are of
high quality, of impeccable elegance and prestige, and it is enough to spread a
common and strong idea without even providing or having any objective proof of
facts. Convictions which then flood everywhere and create other suggestions: an
infallible way to create a myth. A spreading of the word which gets bigger and
bigger at every passage and becomes almost unreal, an illusion so far from
reality which manifests all of its normality when, finally, one has the
opportunity to personally try it. Something which happens, of course, to few
lucky ones only.
Indeed this exaggerated suggestion can also create a negative effect on those
subjects who, having a sense of criticism, finally have the chance to taste the
wine of their dreams and, excited because of their fantastic expectations, after
having tasted it, they are disappointed and all they can say is «well, is
it all that only?». Disappointment is even bigger when they find out there are
many wines sold at very lower prices and have nothing less than the most
prestigious wines. Moreover, if we base our criticism on price, if we are
disposed to forgive some faults to a 10 euros wine, to a 100 euros wine we
should not forgive anything, not even the slightest fault. After all, if a
producer asks much for his or her wines, he or she must be disposed to give much
as well: it is not acceptable that with the only suggestion of price they can
believe consumers are happy for a presumed quality ensured by the words,
or better to say, by the price. A higher price does not always mean a
better quality.
Moreover, to what deleterious consequences bring the suggestions caused by some
experts, who feel so authoritative because they are on the pulpit of the
television, they believe they can say the most idiot non sense also convinced
they are credible. Of course, we have no intention in complaining about
television shows talking about wine, we do not want to associate the bad things
to the good ones. However, it should be right in case someone would make sure
about the reliability and the competence of some personages who as soon as
they are on the TV, the best they can do is to open the mouth and let the air
out. To give a better idea of what we are talking about, we can cite a couple of
things seen on a two different TV shows. The first one is about a cook who,
after having finished the preparation of his risotto with shrimps and zucchini,
when the host of the show asked him about the wine to be matched to his dish,
the impeccable cook, without hesitation - as well as without thinking about what
he was saying - triumphantly suggested an Amarone della Valpolicella! De
gustibus non disputamdum est, (there is no dispute about tastes) however in
this specific case, saying it is an exaggeration is really too little. It is
like facing an army of ants with a flamethrower!
What can we say about that competent wine expert - this is how the anchorwoman
introduced him - who in another TV show said there is no difference between
Bordeaux and Barolo? Not bad, very good job! After all, they both are wines,
there is no doubt about this! Who knows whether the impeccable expert has ever
tasted these two wines, or better if he had the chance to compare them in two
glasses: it is enough to take a look at them, with no further investigation, to
understand they are two completely different wines. At least, in these two
cases, we can only wish ourselves the suggestion which was possibly induced by
these two indispensable advices will be useful as an eye-opener for the less
competent ones. Moreover, this kind of information is not good for wine, to its
culture and its tradition: the only purpose is to create and spread ignorance
among the less competent consumers who, not having nor the competence or chance,
they end up believing to what they hear from the ones who are supposed to be
more competent. Wine is an emotional beverage and it represents something
different for everyone and no one has the right to criticize the tastes of
others or to try to change them. That's why the best way to understand a wine is
to uncork the bottle, pour it on a glass, listen to its story and let it to
introduce ourselves to its personal and unique suggestion.
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