568609 Thu Oct 30 20:09:45 -0700 2008 12 34 Wine 0 4139897 any opinions on the latest consumer reports article about wine. It chooses its top chard., shirz, and pinot noir. most are in the $9-15 range, but they liked a $5 chard. I know it's mass media but there may be a gem in it! Thu Oct 30 20:09:45 -0700 2008 12246 jefpen2 1 4139985 The people at Consumer Reports are great . . . at figuring out the best washer and dryer to get, automobile to buy, cell phone plan to order. They're $#!+ when it comes to wine. Keep in mind that you have YOUR taste buds in your mouth, not theirs. And no one but you can tell you that Wine X is delicious, and Wine Y sucks. How it tastes to anyone else is not relevant to your experience UNLESS they are a) consistent, b) you have a shared experience with the reviewer/critic and know how to calibrate his, her, their reviews to your taste buds. I have found CR reviews to be among the worst out there, showing a complete lack of understanding about wine in general. They are even worse than the WSJ -- when the WSJ started, they were horrible! -- but at least they have shown improved understanding and development. I've not seen this with CR. Thu Oct 30 21:14:54 -0700 2008 4139897 28122 zin1953 2 4140539 I completely agree. Taste is such a subjective thing, and while they say that they have a panel of wine experts, I doubt that any of us who are really into wine would consider them as such. If you don't much care about what you drink, and price is your main criteria for purchasing a wine, then CR's report is right up your alley. If, however, you are like me, you ignore them. Fri Oct 31 08:05:55 -0700 2008 4139985 11814 dinwiddie 1 4142097 Consumer Reports is so hit and miss. For instance, they once made a recommendation for the best inkjet printer based on tests using one kind of paper. The problem is there's two kinds of inkjets so they've immediately ruled out getting adequate results by using a paper that works well with only one type of printer. And they didn't explain that in their results. There's so few wine critics who do this 52 weeks a year that I'd trust. It's probably too much to expect Consumer Reports to pick results reliably with their panel of experts. Fri Oct 31 21:59:39 -0700 2008 4139897 11117 SteveTimko 1 4142550 I would like to know the results. What wines did they favor? I'll try them. Sat Nov 01 09:27:48 -0700 2008 4139897 171836 CurtA 2 4142553 Buy the magazine . . . Sat Nov 01 09:30:59 -0700 2008 4142550 28122 zin1953 3 4143929 what a novel idea...trying something before passing judgement Sun Nov 02 06:13:49 -0800 2008 4142553 12246 jefpen2 4 4144124 Does this not presume -- in error -- that I have NOT tried anything recommended by Consumer Reports? When CR began "reviewing" wines, I tried MANY of their recommendations. It was my JOB -- I was PAID, in effect, to review CR (and other publications, BTW). How many times do you have to hit yourself on the head with a hammer to realize it hurts? ("Well, maybe the first time was a coincidence -- I should try it again"?!?!? I don't think so!) I would NOT write . . . "I have found CR reviews to be among the worst out there, showing a complete lack of understanding about wine in general. They are even worse than the WSJ -- when the WSJ started, they were horrible! -- but at least they have shown improved understanding and development. "I've not seen this with CR." . . . unless I actually HAD experience with the publication. If you want to try their recommendations, please feel free. I would not stand in your way even if I could (which, obviously, I cannot). My comments here were an (obviously feeble) attempt to deter you from following what I find to be very weak, very UNknowledgeable recommendations from an otherwise great publication that stepped into an area they know nothing about and should (IMHO) have stayed away from. That is the area of subjective taste, rather than objective test results. The two are VERY different things . . . . I would suspect you would get far better recommendations from a) fellow Chowhounds, and b) the staff at a solid, reputable wine merchant in your area, than you would from Consumer Reports. That has certainly been MY experience, but obviously YMMV. Cheers, Jason Sun Nov 02 08:24:20 -0800 2008 4143929 28122 zin1953 4 4144818 <<what a novel idea...trying something before passing judgement>> Jefpen2, I believe you may have responded a little too quickly here. One can peruse CR's wine recs for a few issues and get a good idea of the magazine's lack of expertise in recommending wine. No one prematurely passed judgment here. So, what WERE the recommended wines? Perhaps there was a well-priced "gem," as you say, among the "top chard., shirz, and pinot noir." But until you name the wines CR recommended, all we can do is evaluate the source of your wine information. Let us know please. If there's a good wine among the recs, we'll cop to it. We also may be able to clue you in to some BETTER, TASTIER buys for the same amount of money. Maria Sun Nov 02 15:29:00 -0800 2008 4143929 18222 maria lorraine 1 4144551 Please don't read Consumer Reports for wine recommendations. They're great at evaluating dishwashers and appliances. Their expertise is not in evaluating food or wine. Your post seems to indicate you are interested in good wine buys. Here on Chowhound, you'll find lots of recommendations for these wines, and they are far better-tasting than the CR recs. And yes, I know the CR recs. I value CR, but it's not an information source for wine. Sun Nov 02 13:03:24 -0800 2008 4139897 18222 maria lorraine 2 4144670 thank you for replying in an understanding way. I see rec's in major newspapers(NYC, Globe, SF...) as well as many wine related web sites. I was simply curious about another source I saw. Sun Nov 02 14:03:21 -0800 2008 4144551 12246 jefpen2 3 4144768 The San Francisco Chronicle is one of the very few US newspapers with a dedicated Wine section, as opposed to a Food section containing a wine column. Most American newspapers now carry syndicated columns, as opposed to carrying on staff a dedicated wine columnist -- part of the overall reduction seen throughout the country in news staff. (I know; my paper was one that opted for the "syndication" route rather than an in-house writer.) Your best source for intelligent, informed recommendations is from a skilled wine merchant. They will take the time to ask you questions, to get to know your taste preferences, and will taylor their recommendations to fit your price range. The more they get to know you, the better their suggestions will be. The second best source is from sites like this and others, where you have a wide variety of tastes, experiences, and suggestions. Third is publications such as The Wine Advocate. Parker is not someone I always agree with -- in fact, I don't necessarily agree very often -- BUT because he is incredibly consistent, it has been possible for me to taste the same wine he has, and "calibrate" his review to my own palate. As a result, when I read certain words in his reviews, I know -- regardless of the actual point-score -- that I will like (or dislike) that specific wine. The worst place to get suggestions is from an unknowledgeable and inconsistent source. That makes it impossible for you to interpret the reviews for your own palate. Sun Nov 02 15:00:35 -0800 2008 4144670 28122 zin1953 1 4150187 Let's consider their market. Basically, they are writing for the masses in the US. These same masses know little, to nothing, about wine. If they are looking to CR for a rec., then they will probably love the "Recommended Cellar Selection... " Now, if one knows anything about wine, they may, or may not agree. It depends on their tastes and their tastes alone. I'm a professional photographer and cannot recall any higher-end camera recommendation that addressed any of my needs. I am an audiophile, and cannot recall any of their recs. on audio equipment that came close for me. I'm a wino, so by inference, I do not hold out hope that they will come up with anything to match my palate. I could be wrong, but doubt it, based on their earlier misses in things that I know. Now, surprise me. What wines did they choose? Hunt Tue Nov 04 18:30:54 -0800 2008 4139897 11329 Bill Hunt