A few days ago
The New York Times ran
this piece about Bordeaux, and how it's supposedly falling out of favor with young wine drinkers. A few of my friends forwarded me the piece, and wondered what I thought of it.
After an obligatory eye roll, I can tell you exactly what I think of it: I think it's nonsense. More importantly, it's yet another splashy headline aimed at getting clicks and forwards, the currency of attracting online advertisers. This is key, especially when discussing a news organization in the red as much as the
Times.
Let's get back to the wine. The article submits that young wine drinkers are abandoning Bordeaux for other French wines, namely because Bordeaux is so expensive. Other wines, such as those from the Loire region and Beaujolais, are less expensive, but they also don't taste the same. Bordeaux is known for being full bodied and complex, and for a lot of people that's exactly what they want with dinner. Other times, though, you may want something lighter, which is when maybe something from the Bandol region might be nice.
To say that Bordeaux is falling out of favor is ridiculous. To hear it coming from a food writer is even more perplexing. Yes, Bordeaux is expensive. So are BMWs, and there are reasons for that. If you want a cheap wine, try a gallon of Yellow Tail, but if you want something that goes well with a steak dinner, a cheapo is not going to cut it. Brodeaux is also not as outrageously priced as the piece might lead you to believe. Chateau D'Arcins has a wonderful 2005 Bordeaux that you can pick up anywhere for less than $25. Chateau Puy-Blanquet, which I often send to clients, also has a 2005 Grand Cru that retails for about $30.
Wines are, ultimately, a flavor. Some you will like, others not so much. I don't like pistachio ice cream, but I wouldn't tell someone not to eat it or that it's not fashionable. The wines of France are a varied bunch, and worth exploring on every level. To compare them as one lump group is doing them a disfavor. Perhaps this writer might consider putting down his Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck and try some new things.
I have a student in my class right now, a former quant, who often talks about his frustration with the media and how they report financial issues. He also laments sensational headlines that don't really explain the problems clearly, that often treat bankers and traders as, in his words, "mad scientists in a backroom." As someone who put together the formulas that moved our markets, he hopes to write about it with an expert's perspective.
Overall, maybe that's the problem. Maybe the issue these days is not only are news outlets competing for eyeballs on the web -- hence the crazy headlines -- but some journalists simply don't have the background to write intelligently about their beats. There's been a lot of turnover in the industry lately. Someone who was writing about entertainment a year ago might take a business writing gig to pay the bills, knowing nothing about the markets. Everyone needs to make a living. Maybe this Bordeaux piece is just symptomatic of a larger issue across the field.
