At what point is a wine review Criminal / Unethical. ?

[Don Giovanni]

At what point is a wine review Criminal / Unethical. ?

At what point is a wine review Criminal / Unethical. ?

If a winery that did not want their wine reviewed had wine purchased, reviewed and dogged out by a wine critic...all due to a personal dislike of the winery- wine-maker... at what point is this really now criminal...?...even if there is no economic loss...?...

lets say a wine scored 70 to 77 points under one label by a big wine critic and then that very same wine was scored under a different label and given about 15 + points...

Would you not think that in reality it was personal...?... really believing that a clear intended attack via a vary bad score was published criminally to destroy a wine-maker...

What say you...? ...would this not be criminal...with clear intent ?

What would you do...?...

[John Rosevear]

"Criminal"? Under what law, exactly? Reviewers can write whatever they want as long as the facts are accurate. Their opinion is their opinion and they get to express it... and you don't get to stop it.

[Tri2Cook]

Exactly what John Rosevear said. Reviewers don't require permission to review and are not bound by the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything" adage. And of course it's personal. All opinions are personal and that's all a review is, an opinion. Sometimes educated, sometimes not so much... but still just an opinion. There are works of art in the art world that are valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars or more that I wouldn't hang in a dilapidated outhouse (I would love to find one but that's a different story ). Basing a review of a product on personal opinion of the manufacturer may be childish and unprofessional but I don't think it's illegal. Even if it were illegal, it would be awfully difficult to prove. One reviewer saying something sucks when another says it's great isn't proof of bad intent, it's just different opinions.

[JeanneCake]

What the reviewer expresses is their own personal opinion and I doubt that there is much you can do to prove malicious intent.

It would be intereting to note whether the reviewer in question has routinely published poor reviews of similar wines/products. If this is their first poor review, then perhaps their motives are not pure and they do intend harm; but it's impossible to prove. And I think you'd have to establish economic loss to get anywhere (your winery lost X amount of business over previous years directly as a result of this reviewer's claims).

So as hard as it is to ignore, it's best to let it go.

Or send them a case of the wine in question!!

[GordonCooks]

That's why it's best to have your wine reviewed at the winery where you can insure it's provenance. Once it's sitting at a wine shop, you've made your sale. it's out of your hands.

[Meanderer]

I'm intrigued enough by what you say to want to do my own tasting. What are the two wines and are they readily available(can I assume the one sold under your label is currently in stock)? A friend spends a lot of time in the Finger Lakes and can pick up the bottles for me. Also, where was the review published? I'd like to see how my impressions compare with those of the reviewer.

[Special K]

I don't know if you could prove criminal malice, but if I were you I certainly would write a letter to the editor of the journal or paper where this review was published, and rebut it. You could point out that you have a history with this reviewer and that you suspect s/he was being malicious and unethical. You could also point out the other, favorable review(s) of this wine. Do it as civilly as you can; keep to the moral high ground. Let the readers, who will now have both sides of the story, decide for themselves.

[John Rosevear]

I've seen letters to editors written by people who felt like they got screwed by a reviewer, and it is very, very hard for the writer to avoid coming off badly. The reader's presumption will always be "sour grapes", and the letter that can overcome that is rare indeed.

[Special K]

Yes, I know, John. The letter would have to be written very carefully. But as someone who waits impatiently every week to read rebuttals from authors in the weekly book reviews magazines in the NYT and the London Times, I know that they can be written successfully. In fact, they often start out with the disclosure that the reviewer who panned the book has a vested interest in seeing the book fail.

And Don Giovanni did ask what we would do.

[Don Giovanni]

That's why it's best to have your wine reviewed at the winery where you can insure it's provenance. Once it's sitting at a wine shop, you've made your sale. it's out of your hands.

Gordo,

Bingo..once it was sold...who knows how the wine was cared for...great point...

As for me I will just let it go...make the best wine I can..with pruning in full force...it's time to expend energy where it's most needed...that's in the vineyard and soon the bottling plant...Cheers !!!

[Pam Brunning]

A review of a wine is always a very personal taste. If there is anything obviously wrong with a wine the reviewer should be honest. He should take into account if a wine has been badly cellared or mishandled in any way and say so. Whether reviewing wine or food people’s opinions vary widely, that is why, when I am to be sent a report for publication in Food & Wine magazine, of a tasting, dinner or food and wine matching event I ask the reporter to get a general consensus of opinion from all members present. It is rare that all members agree with the quality or otherwise of the wine or food on offer.

If a person is reviewing anything the wording should be understood to be their own opinion - ‘I thought’ the wine was unbalanced - not the wine ‘was’ unbalanced. No one can be sued for giving an opinion.

[GordonCooks]

A review of a wine is always a very personal taste. If there is anything obviously wrong with a wine the reviewer should be honest. He should take into account if a wine has been badly cellared or mishandled in any way and say so. Whether reviewing wine or food people’s opinions vary widely, that is why, when I am to be sent a report for publication in Food & Wine magazine, of a tasting, dinner or food and wine matching event I ask the reporter to get a general consensus of opinion from all members present. It is rare that all members agree with the quality or otherwise of the wine or food on offer.

If a person is reviewing anything the wording should be understood to be their own opinion - ‘I thought’ the wine was unbalanced - not the wine ‘was’ unbalanced. No one can be sued for giving an opinion.

I would think "preference" is a personal taste. Any reviewer worth their salt can identify the basic markers and characteristics of competent wine making and varietal identity.