There seems to still be no end in sight as to how often everyone in the wine press tells us how bad things are for wineries. And with that message repeating itself like Obama talking about health care, nearly everyone is writing about all the great deals out there. Some of it’s true and some of it is not but it mostly depends on where you have set your bar.Like me, you probably raise your bar as your palate experiences more wine and better wine. We tend to eventually discriminate against wine that is out of balance, for example, or grape varieties that we just don’t care for. The point is that the more you know about wine, the more selective you become, which raises your bar or creates your own personal benchmark. So many of the so-called “value wines” available are not necessarily a value for everyone; remember, Drano is cheaper to unclog drains and presumably works better.It stands to reason that wine publications will attempt to give their readers what they want in terms of usable information. But it doesn’t mean that these periodicals are in touch with their readership any more than General Motors understands car buyers. Wine Spectator landed in my mailbox this week with huge headlines on its cover: 500 Values for $20 or Less. Delicious Reds and Whites From Around the World. But for me, I just felt sad that so many innocent trees had to die for this because I would undoubtedly fall asleep thumbing through this issue, just before I relegate it to the recycling bin. My bar is way different and so little of this information is relevant to me, and I suspect, to many other WS readers; I would guess that most WS readers subscribe to find great wine – not $10 to $20 wine. Maybe it's just me.We’ve had the wine score discussion many times over but in case you don’t remember my position on it, I’ll devise an abbreviated version. I think it is important to have access to wine scores to use as a guide. They are not always right on but they are close enough to get me information about thousands of different bottlings each year – far more than I could taste on my own, cost notwithstanding. Over the course of experiencing many wines I have determined that for me, maybe 1 in 500 is even drinkable if it is less than 90 points. Over the course of even more time I have raised that bar to up 93 points.I will drink a 90 point wine but will not seek it out to buy unless I have tasted something myself that I believe to be underrated. Unfortunately, I think many wines are overrated and I have ruffled more than a few feathers with fellow wine lovers, sommeliers, and wine experts about this subject (by the way, wine makers and estate owners don’t dare utter even the slightest inference about wine critics. Hell hath no furry . . .). It occurs to me that wine publications may even be lowering their bar when it comes to ratings (with the possible exception of Stephen Tanzer) just to help prop up the business. And let’s be honest. If a wine publication is supported by the wine industry that buys advertising, it is in both party’s best interest to keep wineries afloat; this conflict of interest has long been a subject of controversy.In this Wine Spectator, out of 500 'value' wines, here’s the breakdown:Red wine92 points - 1 wine91 points - 10 wines90 points - 23 winesWhite wine91 points - 8 wines90 points - 9 winesOut of 500 wines, there are a total of 51 wines rated 90 + points, or about 10%. Many of these are from Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa whose wines were already at the magic-below-$20 price point. There is also a smattering of Rhone and non-mainstream (but excellent) French regions like Languedoc and Alsace along with a few California, Washington and Italian possibilities. With only 10% being 90 points or higher, this seems consistent with WS’s ratings overall, but doesn't seem consistent with wine under $20.But here’s the deal: it’s easy to be seduced into thinking that there is a train-car load of wines available that everyone will love, and only cost $10 a bottle. But depending where you’ve set your bar it may not be true so don’t fall for this. Wine Spectator did the same thing not too long ago, claiming that a gazillion wines were available on the cheap but disappointment and despair may loom in your future if you truly understand where your bar is currently set.With the enormous amount of clutter in the market, I think we have to drop some dead weight to be healthy again and that means thinning out some of thousands of labels available. This abundance only fragments the market, confuses consumers, and does not contribute anything significant to the evolution of wine – wherever that may be headed. I have extreme respect for any winemaker that can make a good wine but I have more respect for those wineries that can make a good wine and survive. Don’t buy into this value proposition unless you know where your bar is. Please let me know if you disagree – I’m interested. David Boyer
