Get more Short Cellar! The print edition of Matthew’s column, from our Spring 2010 issue, is now online.
There’s something revolutionary going on in the wine world today. It reminds me of that famous quote from George Bernard Shaw — I don’t recall the words, but I’m sure you know the one I’m talking about.
In any case, let’s start with this week’s column with a question: What is wrong with the Short Cellar? “Poor writing” — well yes, but at least my editors spell-check me now. “Shallow wine knowledge” — that’s hardly fair; I’m drinking as fast as I can. “You over-use the word plush” — look, plush is a perfectly acceptable wine adjective. Lots of wine writers use plush. Piss off.
No, the main problem with the Short Cellar is that it’s not where you want it when you need it. You read my wine reviews on your computer — most likely at your desk while “working.” And what happens when you mosey from the office to the LCBO? Finding a bottle is not unlike renting a DVD; the moment you step into the store, every movie that you’ve been meaning to watch slips from your mind.
Thankfully, there isn’t a single human misery that can’t be remedied by downloading a new app onto your iPhone/Pad, Blackberry or smartphone.
Take the excellent website WineAlign that I mentioned last week. It will soon be launching a new program that uses the sensors in your hand-held to read the barcodes on wine labels. When you’re in the store and you want to know more about a bottle, you simply scan it with your phone. Instantly all the reviews from WineAlign’s dozen critics (including yours truly) come up on your screen. It’s especially handy because WineAlign focuses on the stock available at the LCBO.
Similarly, Natalie MacLean (the author of the award-winning memoir au vin Red, White and Drunk All Over) has created a free application for smartphones that allows you to access a mobile version of her website, including thousands of wine reviews and a delightfully baroque wine-food matcher.
My only reservation is that the incredible convenience of this technology will make shopping for wine too rational. Experimentation, stabs-in-the-dark and expensive mistakes are all part of the fun of wine. Critical consensus can be helpful, but it can neglect the little guy or unfairly elevate mediocrity (ahem, Sandra Bullock).
C’est la vie. I’ll end this column with a review of one of my recent favourites:
Duque de Medina 2000 Gran Reserva ($19.95 [Ed. Note: No longer available], Vintages #148494)
This Spanish red comes to you at the height of its maturity – it’s rich, soft and still dripping with complex notes of cherry and plums. Ten years of age have given it refinement, but I especially love it because its texture is so inviting and plush. 90/100
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He blogs weekly here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column also appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca. Follow along on Twitter: @shortcellar.
Photo by William Hook