Submitted by John X. Kim, May 4, 2007 11:57

Like Scicolone, I'm all for non-interventionist approach in the cellar. But "traditional" does not automatically equal "non-interventional" nor do they equal "pleasurable." For instance, many of the Barolos made in the tannic, brooding (aka, "traditional") style are virtually undrinkable unless they've been aged for 10-15 years. This traditional style refelcts the wine' target audience: folks (with money) who had the resources to store their wines for substantial time before drinking them. (BTW: This is the same story viturually everywhere in the Old World). Also, this traditional style mirrored the traditional cuisine of the region that went with the wine. But how many of us have the resources to store our wines for more than decade befoe drinking them? And how many of us eat dishes like "venison with prunes" (or similarly heavy dishes) on regular basis? It's quite telling that Mr. Scicolone says he favors more "masculine" flavors. He's right to say too often wines are drained of everything but fruit flavors. But on the flipside, these traditionally made wines (Barolos and Barbarescos in particular) may be dominated by "masculine" flavors, but often times they lack "feminine" finesse. Finally, I agree with his point about acidity. I wonder, though, how much the acidity level in wines is a reflection of the changing climate and vineyard management, and how much of cellar practices.

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