The baby and the bathwater

It is not secret that some of Italy’s favorite pastimes are self-deprecation, over generalization and complaining that non-Italian things are always better with the result that they can “throw the baby out with the bathwater”. This is an interesting expression that can be applied to the wine sector, especially now that the leading wine guides are coming out. I continually hear people say that guides don’t matter anymore, the web has made them obsolete, prizes are awarded to friends or who is willing to pay for them and so on. And I hear these statements spoken by people who seem to gloat, who are convinced they know everything and believe they have uncovered a scam. Now I do not want to deny that some tasters for guides inappropriately exercise their role, even if it is only in regard to producers. Nor will I deny that some guide publishers have an excessively ‘mercantile’ vision of what guides should be. At the same time, there are also those in whose interest it is to discredit wine critics for reasons that are equally as disputable. The idea of replacing views that are technically motivated, independent and honest with those of websites dedicated to sales or social forums where anyone can express an opinion, including those who hide behind a pseudonym for ulterior market reasons, is far worse than the lack of transparency in some wine criticism. Our guide this year will be the 28th I have contributed to, almost always in an editorial role. I know all the work that went into them, how much commitment and passion was given by the many people who worked to catalogue and review wines, how many weekends and holidays were spent travelling to visit wineries, taste their wines and get to know producers, often without expenses being reimbursed. I know the great wealth of experience and knowledge the critics writing for these guides have accumulated over the years and it is sad to think that while abroad, especially in France and Britain, these people are considered to be highly professional, in Italy some consider them to be spongers. It is a mystery why if a leading American magazine seeks advertising, organizes events and behaves like any other important trade publication this is acceptable, whereas if anyone in Italy does this all hell breaks loose. For sure there have been some exaggeration in doing this but, as I have already said, we at DoctorWine do not intend to become tour operators organizing trips abroad for producers and blurring the lines between criticism and promotion. We organize three events a year but these are only to present our wine guide and other editorial initiatives. It is my hope that there are those who will appreciate our massive undertaking that every year represents an in-depth study of Italian wine. And I believe that greater transparency, unquestionable professionalism and a clear code of ethical conduct will benefit all of you and all of us and result in something we can all be proud of.