In vino veritas
Sir: 'Sour grapes about California'? It seems more like sour grapes about Britain (2 August). Decanter magazine's tastings are held blind, and are objective, analytical exercises, where the tasters know no more than the title of the tasting. The wines are submitted by the producers themselves directly, or via their importers in the Unit- ed Kingdom, so if the level of the quality was so poor, and yet the reaction in the States so outraged, perhaps the question should be being asked of the top producers — where were their wines?
Mr Cash's comments show a profound ignorance of the European wine trade in general. Britain is probably the most open- minded wine-drinking nation, with wines of all countries and all price levels imported on the basis of quality, and not journalists' articles. Good wine merchants buy wines because they are well made and represent good value, whether at £2.99 or £299 per bottle, and they stake their reputation on this, underwriting the quality and offering a refund if this does not match customers' expectations. Journalists such as he, on the other hand, wield power without responsi- bility, and the person who buys a wine on the strength of a favourable write-up has no come-back when the wine is not up to the standard described. As a nation, Britain is delighted by good wine regardless of origin. We are not chauvinistic because English wines are not threatened by the Californian producers, although obviously in the princi- pal producing countries such as France feelings may well be different.
What Mr Cash appears not to under- stand is the difference between a wine that is made, in the purist's sense of the word, and a wine that draws its unique character from that European concept of terroir. The main thrust of the Decanter panel's com- plaint was the lack of character and the bulk manufacturing of a technical product which failed to deliver the magic expected from wines at the prices mentioned — fair, objective comment based on a blind tasting. Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler
Convey & Barrow, 12 Helmet Row, London EC1
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